SLAI: Steel Lancer Arena International Updated Hands-On

We've been checking in on the game now known as SLAI: Steel Lancer Arena International since it first appeared as a successor to the Xbox's Phantom Crash last year, and when it lacked many of the features that were on display today at Konami's press event. Though most of the games are due out much later this year and in early 2006, SLAI is actually due quite soon. As a result, Konami had a near-final version of the game on display, which was looking good.

SLAI is set in the far future, where you'll compete in the spectator sport that is now the new hotness: robot combat. The single-player experience will require you to climb your way to the top of the robot-fighting heap. You'll be able to build and customize your own battle bot using enough different parts and weapons to create more than a million different combinations. As you fight and win battles you'll earn money, which can be used to repair your bot and buy more-powerful parts, weapons, and gadgets, including Predator-like optical camouflage.

The game's arenas will include futuristic versions of cities, such as Las Vegas, London, and New York City. All of these settings will support multiplayer combat, which is one of the game's core features. Head-to-head play for two players on a split-screen will be included for offline competition, but the big draw will be the online combat, which can support up to four players in a match at a time. The interesting twist is that the lobbies in the game will support up to six players, so the two players not competing will be tapped to join a match when one of the four players in combat is taken out.

We were only able to try out the single-player career mode, and we were able to navigate the unique menu system in the mode, which was a cross between a crowded train station, Meteos' stick people, and Tron. Once we were in battle, the game played as it has in our previous looks at it, albeit with a respectable layer of polish. Combat is fast-paced and has an arcade feel that fits. Your mech's assorted armaments are responsive, although just how responsive depends on a number of factors, such as weight.

All told, thought it's been a long time coming, SLAI looks like it has turned out pretty well. The meaty single-player mode and various multiplayer options will certainly give players a lot to explore. SLAI: Steel Lancer Arena International is slated to ship this fall.