Line #29 VideoGame/MetalArmsGlitchInTheSystem


1	[[quoteright:249:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metal_arms_GITS_001_9727.png]]
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3	''Metal Arms: Glitch in the System'' is a ThirdPersonShooter released in 2003.
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5	The story begins on the war-torn planet Iron Star which, as fate would have it, is populated completely by robots. Under Colonel Alloy, the Droids have formed a resistance against the Milbot forces of the evil General Corrosive. On a routine patrol, a robot of mysterious origin is discovered by the rebels and brought back online to aid against the Mils. Having no memory other than his name "Glitch", he is quickly called into action to aid his new allies.
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7	Much ass-kicking follows as Glitch, unsurprisingly, turns out to be quite handy blowing enemy mooks to pieces. What follows is 42 missions of shooter action featuring some vehicular destruction, controlling ally characters and hacking enemies for good measure. Due in part to its limited commercial success and its reputation for being [[NintendoHard unkind]] to the casual gamer it's something of a underrated gem for its fans. For those who got past the tough gameplay there was a lot to like. Fun characters, novel weaponry and a light-hearted story made for a unique third-person shooter.
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9	!!''Metal Arms: Glitch in the System'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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11	* ActionBomb: Scouts, although they're a little smarter than your usual kamikaze in that they will raise an alarm and call for reinforcements ''before'' starting their suicide attack.
12	* AIIsACrapshoot: General Corrosive. Interesting example, as it's a [[RobotsEnslavingRobots robot rebelling against other robots.]]
13	* ArmCannon: ''Every robot'' with a dedicated weapon, with the singular exception of Guards.
14	* BadassAdorable: Glitch
15	* BigBad: Literally in General Corrosive, an office-building-sized psychotic machine. [[spoiler:Actually, he's really working for the real mastermind, Dr. Exavolt.]]
16	* BladeBelowTheShoulder: Troopers DualWield these.
17	* BoomStick: Guards, about the ''only'' robots who don't have {{Arm Cannon}}s, use these.
18	* ChekhovsGun: The brief focus on Glitch's apparent Morbot symbol likely meant the planned sequel would elaborate on his connection to the precursors. [[WhatCouldHaveBeen As the sequel was cancelled,]] [[TheUnsolvedMystery this question was left unanswered.]]
19	* ClusterFBomb: Most of the robots swear at least once, but Krunk is the king.
20	* CriticalExistenceFailure
21	** Played straight and {{justified\|Trope}} with Glitch as he is a robot capable of losing limbs and still functioning.
22	** Done to great comedic effect with the enemy Mils.
23	* CrystalSpiresAndTogas: The Morbot Region cities are the robotic equivalent.
24	* TheDragon: Turns out [[spoiler:General Corrosive is actually this to Dr. Exavolt]].
25	* TheFaceless: Agent Shush. An apparent master of stealth, only his green eyes are ever visible from the shadows.
26	* FakingTheDead: [[spoiler:The only way to escape certain death facing Corrosive in the arena is to make it look like he smashed you to bits. Glitch's "remains" are then dumped elsewhere and he puts himself back together.]]
27	* FinalBoss: [[spoiler:General ''fucking'' Corrosive. Despite having been badly damaged after ''crash-landing from space'', he's still very hard to kill]].
28	* FunWithAcronyms: The main automatic weapon of the game is called the "SPEW," meaning "Small Projectile Emitter Weapon."
29	* GladiatorGames: Corrosive's prisoners are often forced to enter a gladiator-style set of events, odds heavily against them. Winners go free. If they manage to reach the final event, their reward is to face General Corrosive personally, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption unarmed]].
30	* GlassCannon: The Troopers are fast, can fly, and have ''very'' powerful ranged and melee attacks. But, they have even less armor than the [[{{Mooks}} Grunts]].
31	* HarderThanHard: The aptly-named "Nuts of Steel" mode is for masochists only.
32	* HundredPercentCompletion: Secret Chips are hidden in each level. Locating them unlocks multiplayer levels but holds no bearing on the single-player experience other than simply wanting to collect everything.
33	* IdiotBall: Glitch enters General Corrosive's lair and activates a Control Console, [[PlotHole that can control the General for some reason]], and rather than attack and destroy the tower that Glitch is in, Dr. Exavolt orders his forces to destroy the [[NighInvulnerability invincible]] General, instead.
34	* ImprovisedWeapon: Many of Glitch's weapons are improvised or modified mining weaponry, from rivet guns to mining lasers.
35	* KillItWithFire: Strangely, in a game featuring metal enemies, there exists flamethrowers and Magma grenades. An entire level playing as Slosh, a flamethrower unit, involves burning swarms of spiderbots.
36	* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: In a world where sapient robots exist, ballistic weapons and explosives turn out to be surprisingly effective against them.
37	* LeftHanging: [[spoiler:Who ''were'' the Morbots, and what is Glitch's connection to them? Why did Exavolt join the Mills? What is his new plan for Glitch?]] All of these questions were apparently setups for the currently non-existent sequel.
38	%%* LostTechnology: It's implied Glitch may in fact have been built by the Morbots.%%ZCE, please add context
39	%%* MadScientist: Dr. Exavolt.%%ZCE, please add context
40	%%* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:Dr. Exavolt]].%%ZCE, please add context
41	* MeaningfulName: Glitch's two ill-fated comrades, Screwed and Hosed. They end up biting it after the first level.
42	* MechaMooks: The Mils.
43	* MechanicalLifeforms: The robots of Iron Star have long moved beyond simplistic A.I.
44	* MentorOccupationalHazard: Played straight and hilariously lampshaded by the fact that the two Droids who take you through the tutorial are named Hosed and Screwed. Any guesses what they become when they run into a grenade on a few pipes?
45	%%* MoreDakka: Titans.%%ZCE, please add context
46	%%* MrFixit: Krunk.%%ZCE, please add context
47	* MultiPlatform: Released on the Playstation 2, Xbox & Gamecube. Now downloadable for Xbox 360.
48	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: General Corrosive.
49	* NiceJobGuidingUsHero: [[spoiler:Bringing Exavolt back to Droid Town proves disastrous]].
50	* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Zombiebots. Cannibalistic Robot Monsters.
51	* NintendoHard: Skill, trial & error and luck will serve you well through the more hellish parts of the game. Special mention goes to the Final Boss. God help you on the hardest difficulty level, cos nothing else will.
52	* NonStandardGameOver: [[spoiler:After the HQ of the Rebel Droids is discovered and invaded by Mils]] if you lose too many friendly bots it results in a very depressing and possibly traumatizing cutscence [[spoiler:in which the casualties are too high and the rebels surrender.]]
53	* NoWaterproofingInTheFuture: Even stepping in puddles causes damage and shorting-out sounds.
54	* NoZombieCannibals: Averted, as Zombiebots who are allied with Glitch will attack other Zombiebots.
55	* ObviouslyEvil: [[spoiler:Dr. Exavolt. His evil mad scientist vibe is difficult to miss.]]
56	* OneManArmy: Considering the sheer amount of enemies he destroys, Glitch certainly qualifies.
57	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: The Zombots in the Scrapyard mission "hunger for fresh oil" and have to be killed twice. They're the undead remains of Iron Star's MechanicalLifeforms.
58	* {{Precursors}}: The Morbots, creators of Iron Star. Unusual for normal precursors, [[SubvertedTrope they were said to still be around]] and just underground, generating power that seeps to the surface and is used by the Droids and Mils (though until the events of the game, everyone's still scared boltless of even trying to go see them, as "no-one has come back alive"). [[spoiler:But then it turns out they've all mysteriously vanished anyway, although their cities are still in perfect condition, and they left behind swarms of tiny robobugs. It's implied they all went on an exodus into space, and since everyone's still scared of going down there because of the aforementioned "none came back alive", it may have been recent. It was also implied Corrosive was intending to follow them.]]
59	* PullingThemselvesTogether
60	** Zombiebots will reassemble if not blown into smaller pieces.
61	** [[spoiler:Glitch does this after faking his death.]]
62	* PunnyName: So many. Even the game's actual name itself is a pun.
63	* LaResistance: The Droids lead by Alloy.
64	* RobotDog: Zobby, who can also operate armoured vehicles.
65	* RobotsEnslavingRobots: The reason for the war against Corrosive.
66	* SetAMookToKillAMook: The Control Tether allows Glitch to hack and control any enemy he encounters, provided he can sneak up behind them and access their control port. Eventually he [[spoiler:even manages to control Corrosive briefly near the end]].
67	* SequelHook: The game ends with an obvious one, but the sequel never came to be.
68	* ShoutOut
69	** Apparently level design was inspired by Creator/DouglasAdams' ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' trilogy.
70	** [[spoiler:Corrosive]] rising from the [[OutOfTheInferno burning ruins]] brings to mind the Franchise/{{Terminator}}.
71	** Titans are a lot like [[Franchise/RoboCop ED-209]].
72	** The name of the first driving level ("Wasteland Thunder") is one to ''VideoGame/HydroThunder''. Swingin' Ape Studio was founded by developers of that game.
73	* SirSwearsALot: ''Krunk.'' He has to be bleeped out constantly. There's a level where you play as him, and ''that'' title has to be censored as well, this time via SymbolSwearing.
74	* SoundEffectBleep: Krunk's swearing is kept at bay by a bleep machine. Likely to keep the teen rating.
75	* SufferTheSlings: The Slingshot seems like an out-of-place weapon in a futuristic robot world, though considering the Droid Rebellion's lack of resources it's justified. It's also quite useful in that it allows Glitch to throw grenades farther and more accurately than he normally could by hand.
76	* SuperDrowningSkills: {{Justified\|Trope}}, all the characters are robots and apparenly not made to be waterproof.
77	* SupervillainLair: Not only is this lair in {{space\|Base}}, but in true supervillain fashion it's revealed [[spoiler:the moon orbiting the planet isn't actually a moon at all, rather a giant disc with a space station behind it.]]
78	* ThatsNoMoon: [[spoiler:Quite literally. Iron Star's moon is actually a Mil space station with a big moon-shaped disc in front of it.]] Glitch does a huge DoubleTake followed by a [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments disbelieving headshake]] when he finds out.
79	* TrialAndErrorGameplay: Certain situations require exact tactics to stand a chance.
80	* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters: The General was created by a group of scientists trying to improve on existing robot brains. He immediately destroyed them all the moment he became aware. [[spoiler:At least that's what Dr. Exavolt wanted people to believe]].
81	* TheUnfought: [[spoiler:Dr. Exavolt]].
82	* VideoGameCrueltyPotential: Being able to dismantle enemy Mils piece by piece can lead to amusing consequences. Destroying a leg forces mooks to hop and damaging the weapon arm can lead to pathetic attempts to fire in your direction.
83	* WeWillMeetAgain: [[spoiler:Dr. Exavolt]] delivers one of these in classic ''you'll pay for this'' fashion.
84	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Swinging Ape deliberately invoked this trope, using robots so the Cruelty Potential mentioned above wouldn't get labeled as {{Gorn}}.
85	* WhyDontYaJustShootHim: Glitch, ''the single biggest'' threat to the Milbots in existence is captured and sent off to be executed gladiator-style instead of destroyed on the spot. Somewhat justified by the fact he wasn't strictly known as the sole Bot to have taken out all those Mills before. [[OneManArmy He'd destroyed more or less every Mill witness]]. Although the policy of having rebels killed off in a grand arena seemingly ForTheEvulz, instead of quickly executing them, is definitely this trope. It seems villains are compelled to make public executions complicated and spectacular.
86	** Tragically averted in the NonStandardGameOver in the Droid Town levels. [[spoiler:All surrendering Droids are executed by firing squad.]]

Context VideoGame / MetalArmsGlitchInTheSystem