The video game Phantom Crash, released for the Xbox in 2002, has a successor for the Playstation 2 called S.L.A.I. – Steel Lancer Arena International. Forty years have passed since the events of Phantom Crash, and the story takes place in a world where cyberpunk athletes continue to compete with their robots in stadiums constructed from demolished areas that are uninhabitable.
S.L.A.I., which is pronounced “slay,” is a robot fighting game that takes place in an arena. The controls are very similar to those of most console first-person shooters. However, the camera may be toggled between a first-person cockpit perspective and a third-person view from behind the robot. New adversaries will replace those defeated until the current player is eliminated, quits the arena, or time runs out. The amount of money earned is proportional to the robot’s performance and may be spent on purchasing new robot parts or improving the speed and power of existing features. Finally, the “animal chip” onboard the robot receives experience based on its performance, enhancing its lock-on speed, armor, reticule size, and other attributes.
