RoboCop

The actual film Robocop is one of my all-time favourites and the coin-op managed to capture a lot of the atmosphere of the movie. The Amiga version does pretty much the same thing – starting with the intro sequence and followed by the accurate arcade-quality graphics of the game itself. Rather than going for an all-out conversion, Ocean has gone for a 'half and half' format combining the best bits from the arcade version and adding strategy elements. The game is tough and will take some completing but rather than a chore. I'm sure that it will be an enjoyable experience. See for yourself – buy Robocop today!

Ocean should really congratulate themselves, for what was excellent on 8-bit formats has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis to be reborn with samples, digitised pictures, superb presentation and all the other extras that boost it far beyond just being a very good entertainment.

Ocean should really congratulate themselves, for what was excellent on 8-bit formats has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis to be reborn with samples, digitised pictures, superb presentation and all the other extras that boost it far beyond just being a very good entertainment.

Robocop will succeed, as it has done on every other format. Compared to these its quality is more than good enough, but I cannot help voicing some of the disappointment that others will feel when they see this. It could have been superb.

The game provides no room for improvisation, there is one way to go through each stage, Robocop knows what to do, all you have to do is move the joystick and press the fire button. Not as dull as it sounds; graphics, sounds and intermediate games are good, it's the endless scrolling along hitting and shooting people stages that I found a bit pointless.

Para combater os criminosos de Detroit (EUA), uma empresa, a O.C.P., devolveu à vida um policial assassinado, usando seu corpo e dotando-o de cérebro e membros eletrônicos. Assim nasceu Robocop. Impiedoso com marginais, há apenas uma restrição em sua programação: a Diretiva 4, que o impede de atacar membros da O.C.P.

The game Robocop has you heading through various levels of Detroit and following along with the movie's plotline. Numbers of enemies will chase and attack you, and you will either punch them or blast away with your weapons. At the end of the levels, you will fight a boss. Between some levels there is a mini-game where you shoot at targets to earn energy and lives, but there's not any variation beyond that. Robocop follows a classic formula, so what's important is to see if it works.

It's a nicely put-together platform shoot 'em up which fans of the film will be well pleased with. As a game in its own right it's stands up, but it's not terrific and you'll complete it sooner rather than later. From then on, the only real reason to keep playing lies in constant attempts at improving to your score.

Auf dem ST macht das Spiel zum Robocop-Film eine gute Figur: Saubere Grafik, präzise Steuerung und eine stimmungsvolle Anfangssequenz mit digitalisierter Sprache sorgen für einen tollen Eindruck. Die ST-Version ist allerdings eine Spur zu leicht.

Robocop is well presented, the game plan has been thought through and it is enjoyable to play. I didn't like the compulsory musical accompaniment nor Robocop's relatively slow rate of movement - although the latter did add to the difficulty factor, which seemed to be pitched about right.

Robocop does well in combining a favoured gamestyle with a variety of additional extras. The variety gained from the sub-games makes the game a whole lot more interesting to play than if it were a straight Rolling Thunder clone. There is still that question of the extra fiver Ocean is charging over the £19.95 ST version. With two games coming from one chunk of source code, the argument of longer development time is counterbalanced, and the days of ST games outselling their Amiga counterparts are gone. Still, pricing aside, it must be said that Robocop is a great game, and one that no arcade addict will want to be without.

Now for the bad news. RoboCop is incredibly difficult owing in no small part to the fact that Murphy’s cybernetic parts didn’t include a leg upgrade. RoboCop moves pretty slow and jumps pretty poorly. Dodging bullets takes a lot of practice and a dash of ESP. Beating a boss usually entails taking a beating yourself, but as long as you have a shred of life left you'll be full at the start of the next level. Fighting bosses, especially the first, entails getting in a position you can hit them before they get on screen and hitting your fire button faster than they do. But if you can make your lives last you get to pick up cool weapons upgrades including my personal favorite, the fireball launcher. In short, clunky controls, beeps and boops for sound, but a decent translation of a movie to a game for the time, I say RoboCop is good for a look and give it 3.

RoboCop isn't a terrible game, but it's not great either. It lies somewhere slightly above average because of the good use of style in cinemas and the license, but otherwise there is nothing more than base play mechanics with a license attached, with nothing in the way of innovation or features to set it apart from others. RoboCop will appeal merely to fans of the license looking for a decent action title, but won't impress anyone with so many better titles available.

Robocop is another of those ill-conceived licensed titles I keep carping about. It's kind of sad when the music and sound are the best things about a game, but that's the case here. The graphics are slightly above average but the game is just another uninspired side-scrolling arcade title, the like of which we've seen a thousand times before. It's also too slow; I don't like games where the enemies move faster than I can. The blurb on the packagaging says "Part man, part machine, all game"; I say "Part man, part machine, no play"

Robocop's graphics are better than average, and the city skylines are particularly impressive. Brief cut-scenes between stages show Robocop striking various poses, and the first one is unintentionally hilarious. He's supposed to be talking, but the way his bottom lip quivers, it looks more like he's about to break down and cry! The game is generally fun, but a few annoying glitches hinder you from performing simple actions like punching a wall or exiting an elevator. I also hate how Robocop's energy is always running low. It's a real drag when you're totally kicking ass and suddenly Robocop keels over due to a lack of energy. The sound effects are minimal, but the game's theme song is terrific and hard to get out of your head. Though uneven, Robocop serves its purpose as a standard crime-fighting side-scroller.

I remember getting this game for my tenth birthday and feeling a little disappointed because all of my other friends got a Power Glove just a month prior for Christmas. This game hasn’t survived the years well, but it most assuredly survived better than the Power Glove. Looks like I got the last laugh on that one. Either way, Robocop is the lesser of the two evils and by no means the best movie game on the NES or for the franchise for that matter. If you want a true Robocop experience, play the original arcade game, which this one attempts to imitate and falls flat on its face. Do what Robocop says and “stay out of trouble” this game is a waste of time and patience. Thank you for your cooperation.

Oh dear, oh dear, what a disappointment. With the success of the movie and the original game, you'd think a console version could be just as good, if not better. Wrong! The graphics are dull and drab, and the sprites jerk and flicker about the screen like ghostly puppets. Robocop himself slides about like a metallic Michael Jackson, and would more than likely make any crook laugh to death rather than quiver in his boots. The main title theme is enough to have you reaching for the volume in seconds, and the minimal pops and phuts do nothing to enhance the atmosphere any. Leave this one on the shelf.

You'll play Robocop for about five minutes - hey, you might even finish the first level - but beyond that there is nothing special here. Ocean should hang their heads in shame! A poor conversion.

A few control problems can be ignored if the game is fun. However, Robocop is not. Frustratingly difficult fighting scenes are followed up by difficult boss/hostage negotiation scenes. The poor control sure won't make this game seem any less tedious than it is, either. Get the game or the ROM, if not for the game, at least listen to the music. (OK, I REALLY REALLY like the music, so I mentioned it 12093 times in this review. So sue me).

It might look dangerously tempting, but stay away from it! Everything feels very flat and amateurish, and exudes an overpowering odour of wasted potential. It's boring, more than anything else, and certainly nothing like the RoboCop film I watched.