There have been plenty of giant battling robot games in the past, but Robot Alchemic Drive (RAD) will put a unique twist on the genre.  Instead of putting you in the role of a mechanized robot pilot, you are challenged to control a 20-story robot via remote control.  We were recently sent a one level demo of the game and we were able to try this unusual robot combat game out for ourselves.

When starting a new game of RAD you'll need to make two choices, selecting both a hero and a robot.  If you like the look of the game's characters, it's not too surprising.  Toshihiro Kawamoto of Cowboy Bebop fame is responsible for creating them.  As for the robots, there were three robots available in the demo and they force you to decide between speed and power.  The largest robot comes bristling with weapons, but is a slow juggernaut.  The smallest is nimble and can transform into a jet plane, but has a smaller arsenal of weapons. 

After you've made your selections, you are placed in control of your selected hero.  You have full control of your hero and can run through the streets of the city, and even jump to the top of tall buildings in a single bound.  The city is full of traffic, people, and a variety of buildings including a stadium complete with a soccer pitch.  With a big leap over the grandstands you can even run around on the field yourself.  However, there is no time for play because the city is under siege. A giant monster is rampaging through the streets destroying everything in its path.  Luckily for the citizens of your city, you just happen to have a giant robot that you can use to take on this unwelcome visitor.

With a press of the button, your PlayStation 2 controller is transformed into a remote robot controller.  Pressing R1 moves the robot's right foot forward and releasing it causes it to drop its foot.  Similarly, the L1 button controls the left foot.  By alternating between the two buttons, you can get your robot to walk forward.  The length of the press of each button and the time between presses will determine how fast your robot moves and the size of its gait. 

Your robot's arms are controlled via the two analog sticks.  Pressing a stick in a direction moves the corresponding arm in the same direction.  You can also perform special punches by pushing a stick in a certain direction and then rotating it to another.  This might all sound complicated, but you'd be surprised at how quickly you get the hang of it.  It then becomes quite intuitive to move your robot along and control his arms.  In addition to the arm and leg control, you'll also be able to charge up and fire your robot's special weapons quite easily with your controller as well.

So where's your hero during all of this?  Why controlling the robot of course!  In fact, as you are controlling the robot, you watch everything from your hero's vantage point.  If your hero is down on the street and your robot turns the corner behind a tall building, you'll lose sight of it.  Thus is important to put your hero in a spot that has a good view of the action, but far enough away that he does not get hurt.  Speeding cars, falling debris, and of course giant monsters can all spell doom for your hero if you are not careful to monitor his location.  As a result, the game forces you to keep an eye on both your hero and robot, switching between the two as the battle moves through the city.

The reason that your hero needs to be careful for falling debris (and should watch that the building he is standing on does not collapse beneath him) is that everything in the city is destructible.  The game calls this Catastrophic Urban Destruction, and this means that if you can see it, you can smash it.  Cut a corner too tightly, or punch a monster into a building, and the whole structure might come cascading down into a pile of rubble.

The battle in the game's demo was short one, but it certainly whet our appetites for the final game and some real, gargantuan-scale combat.  We were however able to learn a few additional things about the game.  First of all, the final game will feature over 50 different scenarios.  These won't be just battles against one or more opponents, but will also include diffusing bombs and using your robot to move things through the city.  Your robot will also improve as the game progresses.  You'll be able to research new weapons and technologies and turn your robot into an even more lethal machine.

Early indications are that RAD will be something different in the world of robot fighting games, and it will certainly warrant a close look when it is released.  We'll keep you posted on details of the game as they become available.  Look for RAD to be available in November 2002.