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

 PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Konami
  • Release Date: Sep 21, 2005
User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 15
  3. Negative: 2 out of 15
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  1. LEEAHD.
    Oct 9, 2005
    0
    Poor control, unnecessary (annoying, actually) dialogue. No improvement to its predecessor, the equally poor, if not poorer, phantom crash. Genki again develops a game that few would enjoy
  2. PKMN37
    Jan 17, 2013
    3
    I played the predecessor, Phantom Crash, and I loved it. Sure, it had a few annoyances, but overall, it was fun. The sequel, however, doesn't do it for me. All the shops are built into an awkwardly designed cyberspace-like map, where everything is spread out. Features that were once easy to access in the first game, like the save feature which was located in the living quarters before, isI played the predecessor, Phantom Crash, and I loved it. Sure, it had a few annoyances, but overall, it was fun. The sequel, however, doesn't do it for me. All the shops are built into an awkwardly designed cyberspace-like map, where everything is spread out. Features that were once easy to access in the first game, like the save feature which was located in the living quarters before, is now several feet away from said location. There are no familiar characters to make it feel like a sequel. There is no story connection with the predecessor, making it feel more like a different game with the same gameplay. Lower bosses (like D Rank), who should be weak and easier to kill than the later ones, are now ridiculously overpowered and can only be beaten by putting in an invincibility code. The Animal Chips (now called ICs; Intelligent Chips) now have Health Bars, for some reason. Now, you have to spend a lot of money just to keep the Chip in working order. There are more arenas to battle in, but now you have to spend a lot of cash to get to them. As a result, you can't afford to lose any matches. That brings up another problem: money is much harder to get in this game when most of your opponents have much better weapons than you do. It doesn't help the fact that your weapons themselves tend to break faster than before, oftentimes resulting in you having to retreat more often than you'd like to. In conclusion, I wouldn't recommend this title. Stick with the much better Phantom Crash.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Mixed or average reviews - based on 16 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 16
  3. Negative: 3 out of 16
  1. PSM Magazine
    75
    At its best in online multiplayer: the fast, smooth action really comes into its own when you're trying to slap that huge repair bill on other humans. [Nov 2005, p.88]
  2. TotalPlayStation
    85
    This is an incredibly well-designed mech shooter, period. Genki has a genuinely enjoyable mixture of combat, upgrades and globe-hopping Snow Crash-like dances across servers, and it's a fantastic mix indeed.
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  3. IGN
    70
    It's a huge game with a good deal of replay value and a very cool online mode (assuming it ever gets used). Coming to terms with the graphical and gameplay limitations means being able to enjoy a well presented, fresh experience, so at least give this one a try.
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