Custom Robo

 GameCube
User Score
8.1

Generally favorable reviews- based on 36 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 26 out of 36
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 36
  3. Negative: 1 out of 36
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. BobF.
    May 12, 2004
    9
    it is really good for action gammers.And the robo combonations are endless.
  2. Jeffbighead
    May 13, 2004
    8
    This games gameplay is a little weak but it compared to the great gameplay of sonic battle. The graphics are awesome and the sound is so clear you can here your robots feet clang along the ground even while your friends are blowing stuff up and making a lot of noise. I wish this game would have less talking and more fighting, and the story is kind of dumb, but in a way it is realistic, This games gameplay is a little weak but it compared to the great gameplay of sonic battle. The graphics are awesome and the sound is so clear you can here your robots feet clang along the ground even while your friends are blowing stuff up and making a lot of noise. I wish this game would have less talking and more fighting, and the story is kind of dumb, but in a way it is realistic, the way the people do the battles is kind of gay, because the mechs are only a couple inches high, and the whole holloseum stuff is dumb, i thought there was gonna be destruction all over the place. But this game is still good. Multiplayer is fun but the customizing makes it kind of complicated. So when you are gonna play with a friend make sure you know what guns your gonna use. So over I gave this game an 8 as you already know, but i still wish it were a little better. Also the mechs look cooler than mega man could ever be, and if they ever got in a fight, Ray 01 would kick his ass.… Expand
  3. [Anonymous]
    May 5, 2004
    6
    This game is decent, but not nearly as good as most Nintendo games. The gameplay is too simple and repetitive (but customizing is fun).
  4. MeD.
    Apr 21, 2004
    9
    Almost unlimited customize options make this game extremly replayable. Playing the excellent multiplayer game is one of the best gaming experiences I've ever had. Seriously, you must experiance it.
  5. RyanM.
    May 25, 2004
    7
    Starting off, Custom Robo is one of those sleeper hits of the year. Some people knew it was out, and were dying for the first American release. Well, this game does disappoint a bit. My biggest complaint is the character's response. The controls don't respond quickly enough. And when you play a 4 player match it gets confusing to see where you are and what your doing. I also Starting off, Custom Robo is one of those sleeper hits of the year. Some people knew it was out, and were dying for the first American release. Well, this game does disappoint a bit. My biggest complaint is the character's response. The controls don't respond quickly enough. And when you play a 4 player match it gets confusing to see where you are and what your doing. I also didn't enjoy all the talking and corny storyline. I was pressing the A button repeatedly to hear the dumb Custom Robo storyline then playing the game. Way too much dialogue, throughout the whole thing. But none the less, i managed to sqeeze out a fun enjoyable experience out of Custom Robo. for die hard melee fans. And also, the mechs in this game are the coolest looking things i have ever seen in all my life of looking at mechs. Custom Robo is a fast paced melee fighter with the action and gameplay of a good game, but the stroyline of a crappy game. … Expand
  6. LaughingJack
    May 27, 2004
    8
    Is is honestly possible that this game has received less critical acclaim than Phantasy Star Online III, when Custom Robo is almost certainly: better made, better written and more fun? Custom Robo is truly rapturous, refreshing and rambunctious; a title to be strongle recommended to any of the world's plethora of avid "collect and battle" enthusiasts, whose time and money could not Is is honestly possible that this game has received less critical acclaim than Phantasy Star Online III, when Custom Robo is almost certainly: better made, better written and more fun? Custom Robo is truly rapturous, refreshing and rambunctious; a title to be strongle recommended to any of the world's plethora of avid "collect and battle" enthusiasts, whose time and money could not be better spent.… Expand
  7. TimH.
    Jun 23, 2004
    6
    This would have been a great game in 1998!
  8. JeremyH.
    Aug 7, 2004
    10
    yeah i have a few like i would like to say this game is the funnest robot game i have ever played and i really think that it would be a tragedy to not see another sequel to the game but to spice up the second sequel they could put co-op in story mode and maybe even get to were you can build and customize your very own holoseums and even get to choose the color of the guns and booster pods yeah i have a few like i would like to say this game is the funnest robot game i have ever played and i really think that it would be a tragedy to not see another sequel to the game but to spice up the second sequel they could put co-op in story mode and maybe even get to were you can build and customize your very own holoseums and even get to choose the color of the guns and booster pods and also give us a wider variety of colors.… Expand
  9. AJR.
    Dec 19, 2005
    10
    Good game but not addictive when u beat it.
  10. SonicFan93
    Aug 10, 2006
    10
    This is an awesome game.Sure better than mario.
  11. Noel
    May 15, 2004
    10
    This game is awesome. I like the story and the fighting mode. This one of the best gamecube games.
  12. ChrisS.
    May 23, 2004
    10
    For the original pokemon fans who are now far too old, meet your new safe haven. This game has so much depth it's orgasmic.
  13. AxewhipeS.
    Dec 10, 2007
    9
    What a great game. I enjoyed the story mode of this game & not everyone may agree. This game is a great customizable game for anyone who likes to fight. You can customize alot with tons of weapons and robots ("robo"). I liked this game alot it plays great & the difficulty gets harder. The thing that could be said is they could have made the story even longer.
  14. redTurtle
    Nov 18, 2011
    5
    The customization and multiplayer aspects of this game are great, fantastic even! They were easy enough to jump right into, but hard enough to take time to master. I have gotten many hours of enjoyment out of the multiplayer. The REALLY BIG FLAW in this game is that you need to beat one player story mode to unlock all of the parts. I am sorry, but the single player mode was down rightThe customization and multiplayer aspects of this game are great, fantastic even! They were easy enough to jump right into, but hard enough to take time to master. I have gotten many hours of enjoyment out of the multiplayer. The REALLY BIG FLAW in this game is that you need to beat one player story mode to unlock all of the parts. I am sorry, but the single player mode was down right awful. The storyline, the adventure, the repetitiveness, everything. My score:
    single-player mode: 3
    multiplayer mode: 8    … Expand
  15. ragekoi
    Jul 20, 2013
    5
    Has a lot of potential, but wasn't executed well. Story elements are only explained through long segments of boring dialogue. Players will inevitably be mashing the A button just to skip the useless blocks of text. Due to the lack of voice acting and major development, none of the characters feel real or relatable, making the dialogue even more unimportant. If players can look beyond theHas a lot of potential, but wasn't executed well. Story elements are only explained through long segments of boring dialogue. Players will inevitably be mashing the A button just to skip the useless blocks of text. Due to the lack of voice acting and major development, none of the characters feel real or relatable, making the dialogue even more unimportant. If players can look beyond the massive segments of worthless dialogue and dull overworld segments, a game with a lot of potential is seen. The formula isn't perfected, seeing as how bombs and pods are mostly useless, but with more thought and better design, this franchise can really be something more than mediocre. Nintendo should improve the characters and story, improve the gameplay, and add more to the level design. The majority of the game is just walking around, then dialogue, than fighting. Adding more substance might exploit the real potential this game has.… Expand
  16. Waxhot
    Sep 17, 2015
    10
    Greatest game ever made. The customization and battle mechanics create a unique combat game. At my near adult age, i find myself coming back time and time again to custom. After a couple of hours in the story, multiplayer will compare to no other. Excellent and always exciting.
  17. StrawberryMagic
    Oct 24, 2015
    8
    Despite the story suffering from excessive amounts of unneeded text, it was not that bad, customization leads to tons of interesting play styles and multiplayer is a blast, providing countless hours of entertainment if you have a group of good friends. If this game was reworked with better graphics and a bit less needless dialogue i would buy it again in a heartbeat. I still find theDespite the story suffering from excessive amounts of unneeded text, it was not that bad, customization leads to tons of interesting play styles and multiplayer is a blast, providing countless hours of entertainment if you have a group of good friends. If this game was reworked with better graphics and a bit less needless dialogue i would buy it again in a heartbeat. I still find the characters to be quite memorable, but the music was quite lackluster sadly. Definitely on my list of GameCube essentials.… Expand
  18. aditya1101
    Oct 11, 2017
    8
    Super fun game, and one of my favorite mainstays from my childhood. There weren't that many great games for the gamecube, so this game really stood out as something that was super fun and super satisfying to play, as well as something that offered a lot of replay value.
  19. shootingstars99
    Aug 23, 2019
    5
    The game was fun but not challenging at all. I found myself using exploitable patterns to win most fights quickly, as there wasn't much depth or challenge to the fights at all. I remember with those things being said, having a lot of fun with the rental as a kid, and beating it fairly quickly. I probably would not play the game again, but for a rental it was okay 15 years ago.
  20. KumaSan
    Jul 30, 2020
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game feels like that one Starfox Assault side game that you play with friends but has the requirement of 200 battles for a single character. It may be fun and get you some value with it's customization but the rest of the package? It is obnoxious. The story mode tries to be this light yet dark theme but it fails mostly thanks to akward dialogue that happens just 50% of the time, the ''villains'' are your cliche ones ''harr harr rule over the world'' with nothing else, most things that happen are just annoying and the good parts of it? There are just not many, the game hits you with its plot twist yet it destroys said twist by having unnecessary moments. Especially right before the final boss where you are, and i'm not joking, forced to battle 15 times in a row with random enemies withing 2 rooms before the final boss to make it more long. If you really have the patience and time. Go ahead, get those parts and play with friends later. If you don't, avoid this game, its not worth trying to even complete 100% because of how stupid it is, there are almost 200 parts and that means almost 200 battles of the same, shooting and flying over and over with little to no variation.… Expand
  21. DKAwesome
    Jul 27, 2021
    9
    I had vague memories of playing this game back when the GameCube was Nintendo's newest console. I just replayed through the 1 player story today, and I have to say.. I really enjoyed it.

    The combat itself is fairly criticized for being repetitive. But I feel it's only an issue in the 1 player story mode. That being said, swapping parts allows many different playstyles, which made it fun    I had vague memories of playing this game back when the GameCube was Nintendo's newest console. I just replayed through the 1 player story today, and I have to say.. I really enjoyed it.

    The combat itself is fairly criticized for being repetitive. But I feel it's only an issue in the 1 player story mode. That being said, swapping parts allows many different playstyles, which made it fun for me. Fights that I may have failed once, would become extremely easy with the right choice of weaponry.
    But there's a reason that to this day there is still a competitive scene where people are playing Custom Robo online.

    The story is entirely told through text and character dialogue. Some of it is a little cliché, but I absolutely got caught up in it. The main cast of characters are very endearing. The side characters, and even the nameless extras all sharing the same 2-3 models are oozing with charm. It's easy to miss if you're just skipping through all of the dialogue to move along faster, but so many characters have funny, witty dialogue to make it worth the read.

    As I'm writing this, it's been about 17 years since the game originally released. And I doubt we'll hear from the Steel Hearts again in a new story. But when I finished the game I found myself really wanting to see more from these characters. I had a hard time saying goodbye.

    The 1 Player story doesn't have immediate reply value. But after a few years, once the details are a bit foggy in my mind... I see myself starting up Custom Robo.. To see Lucy, Ernest, Harry and Marcia again.

    In the mean time.... With the story complete, and a bunch of parts unlocked, it's time to invite some friends over for some multiplayer action!    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best GameCube Game of 2004
14
#14 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2004
6
#6 Most Shared GameCube Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
65

Mixed or average reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 31
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 31
  3. Negative: 4 out of 31
  1. GMR Magazine
    80
    This is quality gaming that's both fresh and exciting. [May 2004, p.92]
    Read full review
  2. games(TM)
    60
    Battles soon take their toll on your controllers due to their frenetic nature and generally lack the strategy or refinement of many other mechanical adventures. [July 2004, p.110]
  3. Edge Magazine
    50
    Subtitling this Battle Revolution could be considered a breach of advertising standards; it's about as revolutionary as a racing game with powerslides. But while Custom Robo lacks a fresh hook, it's done with such a diligent simplicity that it's hard not to take a shine to it. [July 2004, p.108]
See all critic reviews »