Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction (GBA)

Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction
Game Boy Advance Cover
Production Information
Developer	Warthog Games
Publisher	BBC Multimedia
Release Date	October 25, 2002
Game Information
Series	5, Extreme 1, US Season 2
Platform	Game Boy Advance
Genre	Action
Ratings	ELSPA: 3+

For the PC and Xbox release with the same title, see Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction (PC/Xbox).

"Robot combat has never been this real – engage in the most ferocious battles ever to grace the Game Boy Advance!"

— From the back of the Extreme Destruction box

Robot Wars: Extreme Destruction was the fourth out of five Robot Wars video games to be released. The Game Boy Advance version of the game was created by Warthog Games and released by BBC Multimedia in 2002. Despite having the same name as the PC and Xbox version of the game, the gameplay and available robots are very different from those of the console version of Extreme Destruction.

Arenas

The game features six different arenas, each with a variety of hazards including the Pit, Floor Flipper, Angle Grinders, pressurised Jets set into the floor (which varied between arenas), and the newly added Drop Zone and Floor Spinner/Disc of Doom. The arenas are as follows:

• Studio - The Series 6 and US Season 2 version of the Robot Wars Arena, with the Pit of Oblivion, Disc of Doom, Drop Zone and flame/CO₂ jets set into the floor.
• Melting Pot - A foundry-themed arena with flame/sulphur jets, the Disc of Doom and a large central container filled with boiling molten steel acting as the Pit.
• Acid Bath - An arena themed to a chemical plant, with corrosive acid/sulphur jets, the Disc of Doom, and a large central pit of toxic acid acting as the Pit.
• Deep Freeze - An arena set in what is presumed to be an Arctic weather station, with the Pit, Disc of Doom, Nitrogen/CO₂ jets, and slippery floors.
• Desert Storm - An arena located within an Oil refinery in the middle of the desert, with Sand/Acid jets, the Pit and Disc of Doom.
• Red Planet Rumble - An arena located on the surface of Mars, with sand/flame jets, the Disc of Doom and Pit, and much weaker gravity than the other arenas, allowing flippers to potentially throw opponents extremely high.

In addition to the above arenas, the game also features an Arena Editor, which the player can unlock by winning the Gold level on Red Planet Rumble. The Arena Editor enables the player to make up to three custom arenas using any of the six arenas and standard arena hazards. However, no House Robots are seen in the CPZs when they choose to play in any of the custom arenas.

Features

Making a Robot

The player builds their custom robots in Workshop, accessible from the main menu. Workshop differs from the console version's Robot Builder in that there is no money or credits system, with unlocked components becoming available instantly for the player to select and install on their robots. However, there is a weight limit of 100kg. Some components are locked at the beginning of the game, and can be unlocked by completing certain events.

Game Modes

Single Player

The player fights one or more AI robots in various tournaments and events in order to unlock more features, including components, playable robots and new arenas. Every event has the option of Bronze, Silver, or Gold levels, each offering different levels of difficulty (Bronze being the easiest, Gold the hardest) and specific robots to fight against. Initially, only Bronze level is unlocked in each event, successful completion of which unlocks Silver level. Gold level is unlocked upon completing the event at Silver level. The following combat-based gameplay modes are available:

• Quickstart - Accessible from the main menu, a one-on-one battle between a randomly selected player robot and a randomly selected AI robot. All three difficulty levels are unlocked from the start, and no unlockables can be won upon winning the battle regardless of difficulty level.
• Tournament - Four one-on-one battles.
• Mayhem - A four-way melee.
• Bash N' Dash - All three opponents are teamed up against the player; they only need to survive to the end of the battle to win.

A Gauntlet mode is also available in Single Player mode, in which the player must perform certain tasks and challenges within a given time limit. Like the battle modes, each challenge features a Bronze, Silver, and Gold level, each of varying difficulty. The Gauntlet challenges are:

• Slalom - Players guide their robot along a slalom course, marked by traffic cones. They may not touch the cones or go off the path.
• Skittles - Players must knock down all the bowling pins within the given time limit.
• Long Jump - Players drive their robots onto the Floor Flipper and land in the end zone to win. The distance required to win varies between Bronze, Silver and Gold levels.
• Sumo Basho - Players try to push Shunt out of the ring or immobilise him within the time limit. The amount of time required to defeat Shunt varies between levels (from 1:30 on Bronze to only 0:30 on Gold), and Shunt is allowed to use his axe on the Gold level.
• Dump - Players must push all the scrap into the pit. The player loses if they fall into the pit themselves or run out of time.
• Drop Zone - Four Drop Zones are constantly dropping barrels; players must destroy a specified number to win. Green barrels damage the player's robot on contact.

Multiplayer

Both the Bash N' Dash and Mayhem battle modes are also available as multiplayer modes, and can be played with up to four players. There is also a Grudge Match mode, exclusively for two players, in which each person gets to choose a robot to battle with.

Playable Robots

There are many playable robots, most of which must be unlocked to use. Also listed are the difficulty levels each robot can be fought against. Note that Stinger can only be played as and is never fought against.

• 101 (Bronze)
• Bigger Brother (Bronze)
• Dominator 2 (Bronze)
• Firestorm 3 (Bronze)
• Thermidor 2 (Bronze/Silver)
• Wheely Big Cheese (Bronze/Silver)
• Tornado (Bronze/Silver)
• Chaos 2 (Silver/Gold)
• Pussycat (Silver/Gold)
• Hypno-Disc (Silver/Gold)
• Destructive Criticism (Gold)
• Panzer Mk 4 (Gold)
• Propeller-Head (Gold)
• Razer (Gold)
• Rosie the Riveter 2 (Gold)
• Tricerabot 3.0 (Gold)
• Stinger

Voice Artists

Though there is no commentary in this game, Jonathan Pearce can be heard calling out "3... 2... 1... Activate!" at the beginning of each match and "Cease!" at the end.

Notes

The cartridge with the instruction book and box

Poster in Issue Two of Robot Wars: The Official Magazine, promoting the game

• Propeller-Head and Panzer Mk 4 are equipped with srimechs in order balance out the game, since every other robot is either invertible or can self-right. Some robots self-right in a different way than in real life, for example, Hypno-Disc flips itself from front to back rather than lifting itself back over sideways.
• Interestingly, Rosie the Riveter 2, Tricerabot 3.0, Thermidor 2 and Wheely Big Cheese are incapable of running inverted, even though they can in real life.
• Despite the immense power of the robots' flippers, out of the arena flips are not possible because every arena, including the main one, is completely enclosed.
• If the player completes a type of battle on a Gold difficulty level and then plays it again, they will face the house robots instead of normal competitors.
  • After beating the House Robots, there is a chance the player will either receive a Gold bot part, or will gain better weapons and motors.
• In a similar fashion to their real life counterparts, Hypno-Disc and Propeller-Head's weapons slow down upon hitting an opponent and armour being ripped away is depicted as small grey chunks flying from the robot. However, Destructive Criticism's disc is instead shown functioning similarly to a saw type weapon, and simply cuts into opponents while continuously spinning.
• All rotating weapons are automatic, and keep spinning during battles, whereas the real life counterparts of robots such as Hypno-Disc have rotating weapons that are activated through pressing a button.
• This is the only Robot Wars Game released to not include Behemoth, Diotoir or Panic Attack as playable robots. Had they appeared here, they would have been the only other competitors alongside Chaos 2 and Pussycat to appear in every Robot Wars video game.

Credits

• With thanks to all at Mentorn and special thanks to Steve Carsey, Tom Gutteridge, Bill Hobbins, Stuart McDonald, Julian Fullalove, Chris Reynolds, Derek Foxwell
• Robot Wars theme tune by Golden Break Music
• Game commentary by Jonathan Pearce

BBC Credits

• Producer: Gigi Misra
• Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
• Head of Rights and Acquisitions: Nick Lowe
• Testing Manager: Adrian Wood-Jones
• Technical Manager: Kish Hirani
• Acting Localisation Manager: Anton Lorton
• Localisation Assistant: Alejandra Jimenez
• Product Development Director: Sarah Hennings
• Director of Multimedia: Dave Lee

Warthog Credits

• Producer: Trevor Jones
• VP Mobile and Handheld: Tim Couple
• Design: Strangely Brown
• Programming: Tim Coupe, John Gibson, Paul A. Hodgson, Dave Mann, Andy Whyte
• Art: Mike Bareham, Brian Flanagan
• Audio: Semi Precious
• QA Manager: Tim Welch
• QA: John Radcliffe, Stuart Cook
• Special thanks to Paul Hughes
• With special thanks to the roboteers as there just would not be a show without them

Robot Team Members

• 101: Mike Franklin (Capt.), Amy Franklin, Steve Bickle
• Dominator 2: Peter Halloway (Capt.), Chris Hall, Elliott Smart
• Firestorm III: Graham Bone (Capt.), Alex Mordue, Hazel Heslop
• Bigger Brother: Joe Watts (Capt.), Ian Watts, Ellie Watts
• Stinger: Kevin Scott (Capt.), Karl Skinner, Tim Mann
• Thermidor II: David Harding (Capt.), Ian Harvey
• Tornado: Andrew Marchant (Capt.), David Gamble, Bryan Moss
• Wheely Big Cheese: Roger Plant (Capt.), John McGugan, Murray Wharf
• Hypno-Disc: Dave Rose (Capt.), Derek Rose, Ken Rose
• Chaos II: George Francis (Capt.), Ian Swann, Richard Swann
• Pussycat: Alan Gribble (Capt.), David Gribble, Robert Bettington
• Razer: Simon Scott (Capt.), Ian Lewis, Vincent Blood
• Tricerabot 3.0: Mike Morrow (Capt.), Nicole Morrow, Ron Ender
• Rosie the Riveter II: Chris Gattman (Capt.), Sharon Gattman, Thomas Vaeretti
• Propeller-Head: Mike Konshak (Capt.), Becky Konshak, Jacob Holland
• Destructive Criticism: Randy Eubanks (Capt.), Christian Gomez, Barry Young
• Panzer Mk4: Todd Mendenhall (Capt.), Valerie Mendenhall, Jim Hart