Robot Combat League

Have you ever been in a mood to watch mindless violence but without the blood and guts? Do you want to see fights that have no motivation whatsoever? Did you think "Scrapheap Wars" was one of the greatest TV series ever? If you do, Robot Combat League is right up your alley. Otherwise, not so much.

The robots are hydraulically driven and from the show appear to be loaded with design flaws. Two have literally fallen in half. The teams don't get to build or modify the robots - just attempt to fix them after each round. There's no intelligence on the robots. They are just driven by a team of two operators.

The show lacks action. There's too much badly hyped talk and far too little whoop ass.

Could the show make it? It would need to change its format. Get in deep, allowing the teams to customize them from more bare units and show their design trade-offs and decision making. Have victories allow each bot to add something, maybe an upgrade.

Many viewers have said what I wanted to say. Bad camera work. fake enthusiasm by audience. lame robots. nothing advanced about it. Leaves you feeling empty inside if your a robot geek like me. Bottom line is this is hardly robot combat. Much more like rock-em sock-em robots on a big scale and the production is lame and insulting. I got 3 shows in and could not stomach any more. I will not be watching this show any longer. Robot Wars was a million times better and was 'real'. The producers need to learn from that show and take that format to the next level. I would be excited to see robot teams that have a set amount of money to work with and a base frame to work from that are not tethered. Hell, just bring back robot wars!

OK; listen-up, all you haters: first off, you need to stop whining and whimpering about how this ain't 'Real Steel' (NO KIDDING - WE AIN'T THERE YET, HELLLLO..). But, if you'd just quit crying long enough to wipe away and see through those impatient-little-boy tears, you'd see that you ARE witnessing its birth in this wicked-cool and (for the most part) well-thought-out series. Those who still want to sniffle need to just step-off and go watch something lame and adolescent-boy-targeted like reruns of the little, remote-controlled, bumper-car-action of 'Robot Wars' or some such. Because, honestly, RCL is AWEZOM. The robots are BOXERS - simple as that. So, take this unique and incredibly-cool series for what it is: Rockem-Sockem' for grownups... and the DAWN of the eventual reality of 'Real Steel' robot combat. BE PATIENT AND ENJOY WATCHING THE EVOLUTION - for, surely, this series will be remembered as its BIRTH.

The attraction (for me) is in picking my favorite team and rooting them onward through each, subsequent battle. Being a born-again, Gaea-worshiping, Female-adoring, radical Eco-Feminist means that I cannot help myself but to cheer for those teams being rightfully led by the Gals.

In fact, I wouldn't doubt that MOST of the reason all these waa-waa-boys are *REALLY* sniffling is because it's totally possible (and perhaps even probable, hehe) for a five-foot-tall, ninety-five-pound Woman to use Her superior intellect and intuition to whoop-ass on some big, beasty MMA/Olympic boys. And sadly, most boys cry when Girls beat them. But I *like* that, muhahaha ;) As for the contestants, they're OK - although it IS kinda difficult for me to identify TOO closely with Intel employees and NASA scientists (i.e., I'd like to see more 'regular' people - like myself - as contestants; peeps who could otherwise likely never HOPE to see $100k in their miserable lives, lol). Heh; I'm pretty sure that designer-guy of the Mars CURIOSITY rover never struggles to choose which two to pay among his rent/food/car bills the way we normal, recession-pounded people often must.

Aside from that, (and a tidbit of annoyance with the show's current 'bit-more-talking-than-punching' format), I hereby wish this outstanding series (and it's progeny) at least twenty more seasons of TRUE, robot-battle carnage - different robots and jocks/techs but the same, basic format. Change little other than new and identifiable contestants and new/improved robots and I'll watch those twenty seasons, I promise.

SYFY scored a KO with this one. Among the best things on TV these days... imho.

Oh; and I've never been 'into' any sport, really - until THIS.

Right away 5 stars are taken away because of the contestants. Another 1 star gone because of the cheesy pyro-technics.

The Robot Combat League itself is a good concept. I added 3 back because of the future potential of the series.

First thing you need to know is the robots are standardized. They are all the same frame and hydraulics. They are all built to take 'some' punishment not too much or fights would last forever. The difference is in their armors and weapons. I think the standard sub frame is a good idea but they should let the contestants design the armor and weapons.

I get the cheesy pyro, the annoying contestants, and the camera angles- they are there to keep the audience interested. You can't compare it to Robot Wars because Robot Wars got really one sided with all the robots being low to the floor machines with a high-powered drum spinning in the front. Why do think it got canceled because the robots were boring boxes; all the creative designs were tossed out for what works.

When you boil Robot Combat League down you do get rock-em sock-em robots but that was a fun game for us... then we grew up and moved to Mech- warrior and the internet. Then we grew up again and either built our own bots or went into programming. Robot Combat League needs to grow up a little and given the right rules and people it can.

First of all, some of these negative comments are a bit too critical. Understand that this show has more entertainment value rather than the technical expertise put into these bots. Unlike Battlebots which seemed like different varieties of shoe boxes always close to the ground with damaging weapons and little design creativity, this show takes it to the next level with different upright bot characters and strengths and weaknesses, giving it an entertaining value. Mind you this show has just premiered and the first of its kind which itself is impressive, regardless of it's choppy movement and limited mobilities. If the show survives several seasons then hopefully the creators of the show will seek out improvements and advancements to make this bots more fluid and agile. As far as the hydraulic fluids and the robotic sparks, understand that those may not be due to actual damage but is there for climax and entertainment value, making the show more enticing. Overall look at the show for it's entertainment value as well as it's infancy into a new arena of combat entertainment. Don't expect it to mimic the movie Real Steel or compare it to boxing and wrestling as the show isn't at the level yet but give it enough chance and support and who knows that the show may be just around the corner.