List of Crap #109: Top 50 Robots Countdown! Part 2: Electric Boogaloo!

[Johnny Unusual]

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/4YJ3BTKMILw" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/4YJ3BTKMILw</a>

Robots.  Once existing only in the realm of science fiction, now they are science fact!  Building our cars.  Vacuuming our floors.  Taking long strolls on the beach.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/P0s7aRUIoTw" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/P0s7aRUIoTw</a>

Yep robots are here to stay.  It's hard not to love a robot.  Especially when they are programmed for love (no, no one voted for the Cherry 2000).  Humans tend to want to project themselves onto things that aren't human.  Here, you guys got to have your say on your favourite robots!  There are a few cyborgs on here, to be sure.  There's also an entry that I feel totally isn't a robot, but we'll get to that later.  Despite this, please be respectful of other people, even if you don't think an entry "counts".  There's room for debate, but just be courteous.

It's going to be about three entries a day for most of these, with certain exceptions.  I want to thank everyone for participating and hope you guys are happy with the results.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/-wop47G2qeY" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/-wop47G2qeY</a>

[Johnny Unusual]

#50a

Bit



23 Points, 1 of 15 Lists, Top vote: #3 RVR II

Program Assist programs

Bit is a binary digit associated with a program that appears in the film Tron.  Though there are various bits in the world of Tron, one appears as a key character in the film.  After Bit's program, CLU, is captured, it meets up with Kevin Flynn, the computer programmer who created CLU.  Due to the fact that CLU and Flynn are nearly identical, Bit assisted Flynn in his adventure through cyberspace.  Bits have shown up in the Tron franchise since then, though usually in much smaller roles.

Though bits can understand complex language, they can only speak in "Yes" and "No" due to their binary nature.  In addition, they speak monotonally and seem, by nature, to be very simple though they can express emotion, usually by repeating answers over and over.  Bits are associated with programs, seeming to act as assistants to them, providing advice and assistance.  They appear as floating polyhedral shapes, constantly shifting in form and stellating into different shapes when speaking.

Trivia There is a product on Sony's PlayStation Home (PS3) allowing players to own a Bit inside of their game home. It doesn't communicate, but does perform the animations at random times.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/_fGujzulsas" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/_fGujzulsas</a>

[RVR II]

HA! I wasn't sure if Bit would qualify but YES!

[Russoguru]

I always thought Bit was more of a program than a robot. That's just me though.

[Darth Geek]

I always thought Bit was more of a program than a robot. That's just me though.

Yeah, me too. Not that Bit would have been on my list, but it's why I didn't include anything from TRON.

[Johnny Unusual]

#50b

Emerald Weapon



23 Points, 1 of 15 Lists, Top vote: #3 Retro Muppet Pastor

Program To hang around in the ocean and mess people up

Emerald Weapon is one of the two superbosses in the video game Final Fantasy VII, along with Ruby Weapon.  The game's most powerful enemy, even more than the game's final boss, Emerald Weapon is ridiculously durable and has several powerful attacks, including the Aire Tam Storm, which damages people based on how many materia (objects used to give increased properties to weapons and armor) they are weilding at the time.  In addition, the fight takes place underwater, meaning they have 20 minutes to complete the battle unless they have the Underwater Materia.

The origins of the Emerald Weapon remain unknown, but after the villain Sephiroth summoned a magical meteor, the Weapon (along with it's five counterparts) was awakened and began to hang around in the ocean.  Though this enemy isn't needed to be beated to complete the game, doing so will give players considerable rewards.  It can only be reached with the assistance of a submarine.

Trivia Aire Tam is materia spelled backwards.  Or is it goblin?

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/MYnZbG-MXLw" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/MYnZbG-MXLw</a>

[Russoguru]

Okay, that's cool, but mostly I always just thought Emerald Weapon was a HUGE PITA. The only thing worse? Ruby Weapon of course.

[Pastor of Muppets]

Okay, that's cool, but mostly I always just thought Emerald Weapon was a HUGE PITA. The only thing worse? Ruby Weapon of course.

Emerald WEAPON was a pretty fun fight.  There are a lot of different ways to beat it.  The big thing is figuring out how to deal with Aire Tam Storm, which deals 1,111 damage per piece of materia equipped.  Which means that if any character has 9 or more materia, it's instant death.  So you could either reduce materia (making you a little weaker) or figure out a way to recover.  I would usually pair Final materia (support materia -- attached spell is cast just before you die) with Phoenix (revives all members).

Emerald Weapon is also unusual for a post-game boss because it appears in the middle of the game.  I did not at first realize that it was optional.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

I have the perfect soundtrack for this list on vinyl, but it has a bad scratch on one little spot that ruins one track.  I played the crap out of it when I was a kid.

The darn thing is not available anywhere now other than used vinyl.

The entire album is on youtube:

MOOG: The Electric Eclectics Of Dick Hyman (1969)
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/BIutWZqoK-4" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/BIutWZqoK-4</a>

I'd say the best track is at 15:03.

[Russoguru]

Okay, that's cool, but mostly I always just thought Emerald Weapon was a HUGE PITA. The only thing worse? Ruby Weapon of course.

Emerald WEAPON was a pretty fun fight.  There are a lot of different ways to beat it.  The big thing is figuring out how to deal with Aire Tam Storm, which deals 1,111 damage per piece of materia equipped.  Which means that if any character has 9 or more materia, it's instant death.  So you could either reduce materia (making you a little weaker) or figure out a way to recover.  I would usually pair Final materia (support materia -- attached spell is cast just before you die) with Phoenix (revives all members).

Emerald Weapon is also unusual for a post-game boss because it appears in the middle of the game.  I did not at first realize that it was optional.

I would most often just try and face him with Cloud having Omnislash. KoTRT takes well over a minute so that's just completely impractical. plus, I didn't really think of him for my list because he's just completely without personality and only would fall on my list as a machine of total death and destruction but apart from that he doesn't really exude a lot of character.

I think the best song for this list would of course be Domo Arigato Mister Roboto by Styx.

[Pastor of Muppets]

I didn't really think of him for my list because he's just completely without personality and only would fall on my list as a machine of total death and destruction but apart from that he doesn't really exude a lot of character.

....but that's the best kind of robot.... 

[Johnny Unusual]

#50c

Gundam



23 Points, 1 of 15 Lists, Top vote: #3 Psycho Goatee

Program Fight in space wars

RX-78-2 Gundam, also known as The Gundam, is a pilotable robot that appeared in the TV series Mobile Suit Gundam.  In the future, Earth has created multiple space colonies and a war broke out between the Earth Federation and the colony nation known as the Principality of Zeon, who decided the only way to gain independence was through war.  Zeon gained an advantage with giant weapons called "Mobile Suits" and the Earth eventually created their own known as the Gundam.

The Gundam and it's pilot, Amuro Ray, soon began to be feared by the Zeon army, giving them the nickname "The White Devil".  It achieved many military victories until the last battle ended with it's destruction as it's price for victory.  However, over the years and other conflicts that followed, the Gundam was continually upgraded and recreated.

Trivia The strange name has some unusual etymology.  Gun is... well, guns.  The creators decided, after considering many names with gun in it, is that the "dam" part would be related to the fact that it had enough firepower to hold off countless enemies "like a hydroelectric dam".  Odd choice, but whatevs.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/LGDTdcgIIP8" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/LGDTdcgIIP8</a>

[Johnny Unusual]

#50d

Josef



23 Points, 1 of 15 Lists, Top vote: #3 Pak-Man

Program Helping the Mayor

Josef is the lead character in the puzzle/adventure game Machinarium.  Josef is a small friendly robot living in an old decaying city full of strange and unusual robots. He had a girlfriend named Berta that he used to spend many hours with. They would play paintball, go swimming, share birthdays or just sit together. Josef and Berta used to help the Mayor of Machinarium in the Castle tower. It was on such an occasion that the leader of a group of gangsters called the Black Cap Brotherhood ruined Josef’s happy life. The Black Cap Leader entered the Castle and disabled the mayor but the mayor was just quick enough to press the emergency button to call the security guards. The Flying Security Robot arrived and the Black Cap Leader tried to make his escape but the Flying Security Robot attempted to capture the Black Cap Leader. In a cruel twist of fate the Flying Security Robot captured Josef instead and took him off to the Junkyard. The Castle Guard then arrived in his helicopter which was the cue for the Black Cap Leader to make a hasty retreat; on the way out he picked up Berta and made off with her. He enslaved Berta in the Kitchen of the Black Cap Brotherhood’s hideout, to cook for them. Josef must now find a way back into the city, rescue Berta, save the Mayor of Machinarium and defeat the Black Cap Brotherhood.

I actually wrote an entry myself, then accidentally typed over it.  So... thanks game wiki.

Trivia Josef is named after Josef Capek, the man who originated the word "robot".

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/uwZBdWRSBRs" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/uwZBdWRSBRs</a>

[Russoguru]

I might have voted for one of the numerous Gundams... but they're all just basically the same to me, just like Voltron-- piloted by puny humans. When I put robots on my list, I made sure that most(if not ALL) my choices had achieved sentience.

[Johnny Unusual]

#50e

Sonny



23 Points, 1 of 15 Lists, Top vote: #3 Charles Castle

Program Save humanity

Sonny is a robot who appears in the film "I, Robot".  He is an NS-5 robot, part of a group designed to serve humanity, that had been modified by robotics expert Alfred Lanning.  Lanning was convinced that the three laws of robotics, which would be used to keep people safe, would actually lead to robots revolting against humanity.

Lanning is later murdered and Sonny is suspected of being the killer.  Sonny is, in fact, capable of it, due to the fact that the modifications made to him make him capable of overcoming the three laws of robotics.  Eventually, Sonny must team up with technophobic Detective Spooner and robotics expert Dr. Susan Calvin to avert a robot uprising.

Trivia Wil Wheaton and Emilio Estevez auditioned for the part of Sonny the suspect robot.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/rL6RRIOZyCM" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/rL6RRIOZyCM</a>