Droid Town and an exploring group of small druids find an unknown and badly damaged deactivated machine lying in a heap of rubble. They return to the labs and though some of the memory chips are fried, the droid remembers its name – Glitch.

Glitch is reactivated into a world that is seemingly foreign to him, but a newsreel brings him up to date. On the planet Ironstar, Morbots were the dominant race but a race that lived well underground. Few saw them and to do so was tantamount to death. The name itself inspired fears of mutilation or deactivation.

A society of druids was created and one scientist, in trying to create a better droid, unwittingly unleashed the vile machine known as General Corrosive. Corrosive and his minions soon took over the peaceful droid race, enslaving them to work in the mines, but a small ragtag band of druids rose up in rebellion against Corrosive.

They established a final foothold in Droid Town, a small enclave that can be accessed by mines.

Glitch, moving about on his duties, suddenly hears a commotion. He heads for the great hall to find the leader of the resistance pontificating about how they must close down the tunnels to deny the advancing army access.  He calls for volunteers and as the lights go on, only two druids are standing there listening to him – druids known as Screwed and Hosed (ok, if the names don’t inspire confidence …)

“Is that it?” the military leader is aghast.

The rest are either in a firefight at the moment, or destroyed, remarks one of the two.

Glitch quickly steps forward and volunteers to help shut down the mines, but his comments receive a less than enthusiastic welcome. He reasons that they don’t have much choice, and though reluctant, his argument wins out, and is quickly tasked to go with Screwed and Hosed. 

So who is this mystery droid named Glitch? You are about to find out.

Vivendi Universal, Sierra, Swinging Ape Studios and Mass Media present Metal Arms: Glitch in the System for the PlayStation2 console system.

The game begins with Glitch and his two accomplices trying to seal the mine and rescue as many miners as possible. This is the tutorial. Hosed and Screwed will live up to their names as the actual game starts, but “no time for tears,” it is up to Glitch to venture forth alone and save the druids and rebellion from the onslaught. And you will soon be up to your washers in enemy units that will come at you in a flurry. But Glitch has a variety of weapons as his disposal you will need to fight your way through the levels.

One very nice feature of this game is that vocal acting really puts personality into the druids. This is a third-person adventure/shooter title, but the game is powered by the story and rounded out by the characters encountered. The developers have done a great job in this regard.

The game also has a fair amount of comedic moments. If you fail, and are blasted into a bunch of small droid parts, the enemy will stand over you and say “clean up on aisle six.”  Some of the jokes work, some don’t.

The game plays out in an arcade style with plenty of reflexive acrobatics, using the right thumbstick to target the enemy and the R1 button to use the cutting laser as a weapon. But Glitch is not just limited to the cutting laser. As the game progresses, you will be able to collect washers, which can be used to purchase weapons and upgrades from barter druids. There are 17 weapons one can collect and more than 40 total missions. The game also has weapons and ammunition deposited about the levels.

There are secret chips on each level and you can use them to unlock multiplayer levels. The story is on an urgent pace and plays out relatively well, but the true star of this show is the graphical elements. The three dimensional environments are superb, the various characters are incredibly well done and the animation is solid. This is a game where there are no differences between the cutscenes and the game play.

While Glitch is the primary character in this adventure, players can also commandeer vehicles and even hijack enemy bots during the campaign mode of play – which is one of the two modes of play. The other mode is multiplayer. The latter is somewhat standard for the type of game.

Metal Arms: Glitch in the System is not a complex game. If anything, this game is rather typical of the genre. The game levels do feature a mix of minor puzzles and a lot of action. But the game itself is very good looking and the sound does a terrific job in supporting the graphics.

This game is rated Teen for strong language and violence.

Gameplay: 8.2

The levels play out in an arcade style and move smoothly. Expect a fair amount of cutscenes to propel the story line. The levels are mostly a shooter style, and the style of game is fairly typical of the genre.

Graphics: 9
The three-dimensional environmental textures, lighting and animations are superb. The effects are also well done.

Sound: 8.7
The vocal acting is sprinkled with profanity (warning to parents), but overall this soundtrack does an excellent job of supporting the game play. The music drives the action very well.

Difficulty: Medium
The controls are relatively straightforward and the game sports four difficulty settings – easy, normal, hard and Nuts of Steel. Most players should be able to find the game mode that suits them well. Control elements are easy to master and should take little time for the player to jump into the game.

Concept: 8
Most of this game is quite predictable. The only thing that truly sets it apart from a host of other titles is the environments and characters.

Multiplayer: 8.2

There are seven modes of play, including deathmatch. Nothing too innovative here.

Overall: 8.5

Somewhat linear, and an arcade shooter-adventure title, still Metal Arms: Glitch in the System is a compelling title that stands out because of its sterling graphics. This game looks great. Players looking for something a little more cerebral may wish to pass on this title, but those looking for more of the same ‘lone hero against a host of enemies’ style of game play would do well to give this game a look.