In 2002 a small Japanese game developer called Genki released Phantom Crash on the original Xbox. A young, fresh-faced reincarN8ed saw box art featuring a weird-looking robot while browsing the video game section of Blockbuster and decided to give it a shot. From the get-go, the game is sending mixed messages about what the hell it is. The first thing you see when you load it up is this intro cinematic that features two giant robots shooting at each other in an abandoned Japanese city with some music that was dated even in 2002. Based on that intro, you might think Phantom Crash was a military mech shooter, but you'd be dead wrong.

Phantom Crash takes place in a post-war Japan sometime in the near future. The major cities have been destroyed and abandoned, and mech pilots have moved in to host big televised battles in the ruined cities called Rumbles. The game is about making a name for yourself in this crazy new sport. You start with no status, no money, and a junker of a mech and rise through the ranks to defeat the champions of each region. A number of mechs, or SVs, are through into an area in a free-for-all deathmatch. Your goal is to fight until your SV is too badly damaged to continue. Enemies never stop spawning, so each Rumble is more of a personal endurance match than reaching a score or time limit. You earn money for each SV you destroy, but the longer you stay in the Rumble the more damage you take, and repairs cost money. Once you're satisfied with the money you've made for that day, you can leave the Rumble at any time with your winnings. If your SV is destroyed, you still keep your winnings, but you have to spend a ton of cash to replace the destroyed mech. There is an in-game calendar that shows upcoming matches through the season. Some days will offer bonuses, others will have setbacks like inclement weather, and some areas will be closed on certain days. Once your done fighting, you can spend your money on new parts, new SVs, tuning, paint jobs, decals, even music for your in-game playlist. There are SV dealerships that offer top-of-the-line brand new SVs if you can afford them, or an SV resale shop that has new stock every day. Throughout the game you also run into a number of NPCs that each have a story to tell, albeit a cliche story told entirely through text.

Combat in Phantom Crash is fast, fluid, and simplified. The game can be played in first or third person. Your SV can be outfitted with 2 arm weapons, 2 shoulder weapons, a dash, and a cloaking device. Outfitting and piloting you SV is not nearly as complex as a game like Mechwarrior Online, but it's no less fun. Phantom Crash is a game about mech battles and it wants to get you into the action as soon as possible. You mech is only limited by the weight capacity of its legs, so you don't have to worry about the amperage of the air conditioner slowing down your turning speed by 2%. Some people like having an entire Excel spreadsheet of components to tune in their mech games, but I prefer Phantom Crash's simplified tuning and customization system.

Phantom Crash never saw a sequel or a release outside of the original Xbox, and no game since has captured that same feeling of mech combat as a sport. I'm not even sure if Phantom Crash works on the Xbox 360, so the only way to play it now is with an original Xbox or an emulator.

submitted by /u/reincarN8ed
[link] [comments]

HITMAN™ 2 LEGACY PACK GAMEPLAY (PAX WEST)

Posted: 01 Sep 2018 01:16 PM PDT

submitted by /u/Wolfinston85
[link] [comments]

Nuclear Throne Developer Vlambeer Just Surprise Revealed a New Game - PAX West 2018 - IGN

Posted: 01 Sep 2018 03:52 PM PDT

submitted by /u/Ideas966
[link] [comments]

Football Manager 2018 sells 1 million copies. 6th consecutive game in the series to pass 1 million.

Posted: 01 Sep 2018 09:42 AM PDT

submitted by /u/zrkillerbush
[link] [comments]

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Year 1 Infographic

Posted: 01 Sep 2018 10:41 AM PDT