Game 1 of 2024: Robocop: Rogue City

Robocop: Rogue City

Developer: Teyon
Publisher: Nacon
Platform: PC
Genre: Action, FPS

Difficulty: Moderate
Hours: ~10

Finished: No
Final Rating: 6.8/10

Robocop: Rogue City presses all the right nostalgia buttons for 80s action movie fans while delivering what I would describe as a fairly mid experience. 

The game is faithful to the source material to a fault. Our protagonist, Robocop, is rendered in loving detail (seriously, he looks fantastic) and is even voiced by Peter Weller.  Detroit looks like it does in the movies, that is, a bombed out urban wasteland populated by desperate lowlifes and the corporate crooks that profit from human misery.

gee real subtle guys

First, the gameplay. Robocop moves around just like he does in the movies: slowly, with heavy footsteps. You can sprint, but it doesn't give you too much of a speed boost. You clear stages the same way Robocop would, by slowly and methodically shooting all the bad guys.

Robocop always has his trusty Auto-9, which has unlimited ammo, but can also pick up weapons from fallen enemies, like assault rifles and shotguns. The Auto-9 sounds like it does in the movie, and it's great fun to watch the blood fly as you blast away at the bad guys. What is less fun is the enemies themselves. You spend levels mowing down waves of the same three dudes whose AI ranges from ok to downright stupid. The game makes up dumb enemies by making enemies unerring marksmen that see you as soon as you appear on the level.

The enemies become bullet sponges later in the game, which can be a bit frustrating. Especially ED-209.

yooo fuck this guy

Robocop: Rogue City's environments and protagonist look amazing, but the character models could use a little work. They're fairly generic and often kinda creepy lookin'. Peter Weller's voice acting is excellent, but the same can't be said for the rest of the cast, who range from passable to downright cringey.

One of the best things about the action movies of the era is that they didn't overstay their welcome. They got in, did what they needed to do in around 90 minutes, and got out. They knew what you were there for and respected your time.

I can't really say the same thing for Robocop: Rogue City. I spent more time wandering the police station and hospital making idle chitchat (something that could have been a quick cutscene) and completing silly side quests like fetching a towel for some dude in the shower. I think the game clocks in at around 20 hours, which is way too long for a game like this in my opinion. You can skip side quests, but then you miss out on experience you can use to upgrade your abilities. Speaking of abilities, some seem downright useless (Psychology) while others are absolutely necessary (Armor).

Robocop: Rogue City is a decent game, but I can really only recommend this to diehard fans. If you're interested, maybe wait for a sale.