Robots, collectibles, and customization; what more could you want? Megabyte Punch is a platforming beat-em-up that gives players a lot of control over how their fighter handles. Both the entire Adventure mode and Versus mode can be played locally with up to 4 players, and players can test their mettle against the AI in Tournament mode.

In Adventure mode, players travel from their base of operations to 6 different areas and beat up everything in sight. Each area has 3 levels, and each level has plenty of enemies to fight and parts to collect. Once you get the hang of fighting a lot of enemies won't pose a serious threat, but as a whole Adventure mode is well paced and great for players who want to collect everything.

Customization is where the game really shines. Once you defeat an enemy and collect their scraps, combine the looted parts into a brawling robot that fits your style. Want to get up close and personal? Teleport point blank and slide kick into the enemy. Prefer ranged combat? There's a sniper rifle and a minigun for that. Need defense? Bring a shield and load up on armor. Don't care about fancy moves? Stock up on stat boosters and extra jumps. And if you want to be a real pain, there's always poison attacks and mines. If you want to be both functional and fashionable, several parts grant the same bonuses so your creation will look and feel just right.

When you think you've perfected your mechanized marauder, take them to Versus mode and Tournament mode. Up to four players can duke it out in one of the Versus stages, or you can even make your own custom levels [forum.reptile-games.com]. If you don't have anyone around to challenge, take the fight to Tournament mode to demolish computer opponents and collect rare parts.

The game isn't perfect; there's no online multiplayer, limited versus options, and the Tournament AI can be punishing. While there are a lot of parts, many share the same abilities and can leave you wanting more by the end. The walljumping mechanic is nice, but I can't count the number of times I've accidentally bounced off a wall into a painful death. One big problem is the single save file; if you want to start a new game with your friends, it'll wipe out any progress you've made. You can get around this by going into the root folder for the game and copying the save file and moving it back later, it's just not as easy as having more than one save file in the game.

Despite any imperfections, this game is certainly worth it. Whether you want to track down all 150 parts or tackle some friends in Versus, Megabyte Punch will keep you coming back for more.