First look: Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction

BBC Multimedia has announced Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction for the PlayStation 2 and PC platforms. In this game, players must build a robot before letting it battle against other robots in a big arena. Players can choose between different parts--such as a basic design, size, and weight--and then equip it with weapons ranging from flippers, spikes, and flamethrowers to hammers, axes, saws, and crushers. Once the robots are complete, they can be placed in an arena to battle house robots from the TV series. The robots include Shunt, Dead Metal, Matilda, Sergeant Bash, and Sir Killalot. A volcano base located in the heart of Mt. Kilimanjaro, where a huge rocket is situated, is just one of the many environments in the game . Others include a German dockyard arena in thick fog, a Japanese skyscraper in Tokyo, and a Russian military base in Siberia.

There's a wide variety of predefined robots as well, which are modeled on those featured in the TV series. These robots include Chaos 2, Big Cheese, and Panic Attack. There are also multiple game modes, including sumo, slalom, gauntlet, and knockout.

"After the huge success of Robot Wars: Metal Mayhem on Game Boy Color," says Dave Lee, director of BBC Multimedia, "we're extremely excited to be consolidating our position as a publisher of quality action games with this release on PlayStation 2 and PC CD-ROM. With an average of more than 4 million people tuning in to watch the show on BBC TWO, we believe the game will fully satisfy the huge fan base that the show has built up by capturing the spirit and excitement of the onscreen battles. Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction will also allow the TV experience to encompass a truly global flavor."

"Robot Wars is a huge license," commented Climax president Karl Jeffrey. "There's something addictive about the TV series, with its exciting and dramatic robotic clashes. But success demands a combination of strength, speed, technical ingenuity, and the ability to design a robot that can hold its own in any situation. It's this combination of raw action and careful planning that makes Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction an enticing game." Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction is scheduled for release in November.