Did you catch our interview with the development team of Phantom Crash on page 50 of Issue 09? If so, then you'll know what we mean when we ask you, Wirehead, to mount up your Scoobee and get ready to Rumble. If not, then listen up.

In 2025, the Japanese government, faced with choking air pollution and economic disaster, moves the entire populace of Tokyo into Neo Tokyo, a custom-built dome on the fringe of the city. 'Old Tokyo', the crumbling urban sprawl left behind, swiftly becomes a playground for a future sport known as Rumbling, where players (the Wireheads) battle one another in mobile attack vehicles (called Scoobees).

Enter you, in 2031 when Rumbling is the most popular form of entertainment. It's your job to pilot a fledgling Scoobee, and slowly blast out a name for yourself on the Rumbling scene. Sound good? Well, it is.

This is the stuff of Manga comics and Anime cartoons, two staple components of the Japanese pop culture diet. Phantom Crash bears many of the hallmarks of both forms, from the bemusing Blue Sky Brings Tears subtitle, to the intricate threads of plot and surreal conversations that take place before each match, to the soundtrack, which offers nothing but cheesy metal, bop-a-long jazz and airy synth music. But as a whole, the game offers far more than just Japanese quirkiness; much more in fact.

You see, Phantom Crash is actually Gran Turismo for big robots. Your main goal is to establish yourself as the ultimate Wirehead, achieve leaderboard stardom and maybe even find romance along the way. Every in-game day, you can take part in one of three events. And it's through this choice that you realise just how much Phantom Crash has to offer.

Do you want to enter a ranking event against a league of Wireheads from a particular league? Or do you want to take an extreme risk and dive in with the big boys (if you can afford the entry fee) in order to fly up the rankings? Or just pootle open in an all-comers event, where you can rack up some casual cash?

There are no rigid stages; you can leave the battlegrounds whenever you like, but if you stay there's no telling who'll suddenly turn up. There are always Scoobees active in each arena; when one is destroyed, another will join the fray.

Once you've offed a sufficient number of opponents, an area ranker may take interest in you, and decide to step in. Again, you've got a choice - stay and scrap it out, with victory bringing special items and kudos, or leave with your current profit and make a confident return after upgrading your mech? You're given a great amount of freedom to choose how quickly you'd like to progress.

There are only three Rumbling arenas, which is a little stingy, but there's plenty of room within them for developing your tactics. Each one has multiple stories, meaning you can use your boost to perch atop a crumbled tower and snipe from up on high. You can camp, if that's your thing, and destroy power-ups to prevent the opposition snaffling them.

Or you could use your optical camouflage - invisibility by any other name - to carry out some hit-'n-run melee attacks. Or you can just steam right in, strafing and letting rip with everything you've got. The action itself, though, can be a little messy.

On the whole, it plays out tremendously well, and you can use all your weapon slots in unison to pull off some dazzling attacks. But if you get caught in the crossfire of several Scoobees, there's little you can do but make a run for it and regroup.

Also, certain diagonal movements feel clunky. Strafing left to right and boosting back and forth is fine, but trying to manoeuvre your mech in a smooth circular curve can be quite awkward at times.

There's not a lot you can do about that, but as far as the rest of this orignal game goes, it's not just your career path that's highly customisable. Every aspect of the mechs can be altered, upgraded or re-sprayed to suit your own tastes.

Your Scoobee quickly becomes a treasured pet, albeit one that's death-on-wheels. You quickly become attached to it, sucking you deeper into the colourful, upbeat world of Phantom Crash.

Tender loving care has been lavished on the details, so that every little facet of your experience, from the music (but, strangely, not allowing you to use tunes on the hard disk) to the weight, colour and toughness of your machine gun arm, contributes toward the overall feeling of quality.

Even your on-board Al chips have personality. They are represented by household pets, and divvy out fairly pointless advice as the match progresses (my Al chip is currently a level 24 Border Collie called Twix). Keeping tabs on the chatter between the other Scoobee pilots, both among themselves or with their animal avatars, is just plain fun.

So, are you curious yet? This is the kind of game traditionally enjoyed by a niche audience - and the fanboys are going to love this one - but don't let it pass you by. It's deceptively deep, and offers a career mode the likes of which can only be matched by the most detailed driving simulations out there.

There's lots of fast-paced action, colourful entertainment and it offers you more choices than a street full of Italian sandwich bars. Phantom Crash looks and sounds great, plays well, is packed with style and brims with a sense of bright, breezy fun. Get into it and grin.

1. Looks lovely!
2. Action-packed
3. Tinker and tweak stuff to your heart's content
4. Full of fun, charm and freedom

1. Controls can be awkward at times
2. Needs more arenas

Power
Detailed visuals and slick, pacy action. The loading times are barely noticeable.

Style
Big explosions, lots of scorched metal and twee muzak. Vibrant stuff; a break from the mech norm.

Immersion
You can employ varied tactics to keep the action fresh. Controlling your mech is tricky sometimes.

Lifespan
The main mode can take you away for days at a time, and there are several Scoobee types to master.

Summary
Extremely enjoyable robotic frolic, unique on Xbox. Frantic action backed up with an impressive career mode.