S.L.A.I. Steel Lancer Arena International

The two mechanical beasts step out into the battlefield while behind them all of New York City trembles at the sight of these massive monsters of metal. Suddenly rockets launch from the arms of these beasts and explosions rip into each another, sending smoke and shards of metal flying everywhere. The battle begins as both iron giants fight to the very end ... or at least until one of them is turned into scrap metal. Then again all of this is taking place in a virtual world so no harm is really done. This is the world shown to us by Konami’s mech fighting game S.L.A.I: Steel Lancer Arena International.

The PS2 has seen its share of mech games that have giant steel beasts battling it out in an arena for fame, fortune or to save the world. This one, however, is done for virtual money and the respect of those gamers who logged into HAVEN, a virtual gateway that’s all about designing, customizing and finally testing out their SV mechs in the virtual battlefield. This is all introduced to us during the game’s main story mode that, while not deep, is surprisingly lengthy and filled to the brim with battles.  

The year is 2071 and you’re new to the busy virtual playground that is HAVEN. After having picked a persona you encounter all the realistic glitches of logging on to a busy server but it is soon after you are given a tour, complete with a tutorial, that you come to gain your license in Battle School in hopes to enter the rumbling (that’s what they call mech battles) tournament. After earning your license by testing your rumbling skills, you’re given enough virtual money to purchase your own SV, selecting from a number of different brands. It doesn’t take you long to meet DD, an attractive blogger/journalist and her talking puppy/editor (I did say this was a virtual world and everyone here seems to have some kind of animal guide). Unfortunately, while the mode is a long one, there really isn’t much of a story to begin with.

Then again it really isn’t about the story, although some kind of plot would have made the battles worth fighting. This is more about the SV units battling it out in several different arenas while attempting to gain money to upgrade and customize your SV. There is over a million different configurations used to modify every aspect of your SV, be it ammunition, attack power, durability or the selection of different ranged weapons. You can add a number of items, keeping in mind that adding too much affects the weight and thus movement. Want to do away with heavy cannons, go ahead. Want to add a sniper rifle instead, well, go ahead. The more money you earn in battle the more features you can add to your customized SV. Really, the number of customization options is one of the game’s most impressive aspects.

The HAVEN world is a large one with everything from a music store to a place where you can purchase new mechs, modules (parts for your SV) or even buy a new avatar. Yet to gain money to spend you’ll have to head to the Hard-Wired area where you will join others in a rumble. Battles take place in a small arena filled with power pick ups and enough room to not only bring up to four rivals but also battle drones. While you do get limited ammunition, there are ammo cubes as well as health pickups scattered throughout the arena. The problem is that the battles start to get repetitive pretty quickly and sometimes the controls aren’t responsive enough. Press the jump button, for example, and you don’t jump immediately.

On the graphics front, S.L.A.I. might not be the best looking game on the PS2 and some of the character models look rather plain. The area where the game truly shines visually is during the battles and when the SV mechs are introduced. Showing off the various modifications, your personalized mech looks good in action and watching other mechs blow up is something of a treat. It’s just too bad that the environments are just so small since they’re not bad to look at.

One of the game’s second most impressive aspects is the soundtrack filled with a large number of songs that range from heavy rock tunes from artists like Zebrahead to surprisingly good Japanese pop from artists like MonaLisa. Then again there are corny heavy guitar riffs and a cheap imitation of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Pride and Joy.” Still the number of songs allows you to mix and match your few favorites throughout the game.  As for the sound effects, they’re pretty generic, which is too bad since the game does support Dolby Surround sound.

S.L.A.I.: Steel Lancer Arena International contains enough of the elements fans of battle mech games look for but then again it isn’t without its share of flaws. Aside from the fact that there isn’t much of a story and the battles become a bit too repetitive, the online multiplayer isn’t exactly teeming with players ready to jump into the fray. Yet even with its problems this is still a game worth playing so rent this one over the weekend.

Gameplay: 6.9
Unless you like the battle it out on a sluggish moving SV mech you better start making modifications as soon as possible. While the controls are nicely suited for the fast pace of the game, and battles do tend to be spectacularly intense at times, the small battlefield makes for awkward collisions and little space to truly maneuver.

Graphics: 6.5
Not the prettiest PS2 game, S.L.A.I. suffers greatly from graphical glitches such as clipping and the occasional drop in framerate. The characters you’ll encounter in the game aren’t as nicely detailed as they should be but at least some of the environments look pretty good.

Sound: 7.0
There is a massive collection of tunes that offer everything from generic guitar to J-pop tunes from the likes of Jina or Lisa Halim. While most of the music can be really corny at times, it is good to know that you can mix and match any of the tunes available. As for the sound effects, it's not bad but then again it’s not great either. 

Difficulty: Medium
The all-out battles are surprisingly entertaining and some fights, particularly against the better known “Wire-Heads” like Hot-Rod, will really have you working hard for a victory. The farther up the ladder you climb the more you’ll need to upgrade your mech to keep up with the more powerful mechs.

Concept: 8.5
S.L.A.I. is a true mech title with literally a million different configuration options available from the very start. HAVEN has a number of interesting places to visit, although the heart of the game is really how much firepower and features you can purchase for your SV. Online multiplayer is the way this game should really be played, though.

Multiplayer: 6.5
Using a Broadband connection only, up to five players will be able to fight it out online. Actually I found it quite difficulty to get a match started due to the fact that there aren’t many players logged on to servers to begin with, but when there are at least three it makes for a great rumble match. You can always play this one against a friend using a single PS2.

Overall: 7.0
Even with its share of problems, S.L.A.I. is able to deliver a mech game that is heavy on the action and loaded with all the things mech fans could ever ask for in a game. While battles can become somewhat repetitive and there aren’t many players online, this is still a fun game to try out. Rent this one if you’re a fan of mech games.