NES Game Reviews #17 – RoboCop
Much of RoboCop’s challenge comes from working out what your actually supposed to do half the time. For what appears a simple run n gun, there are a few WTF moments! Combined with trying not to run out of power (time) there is a significant challenge here!
RoboCop is a bit of a mixed bag really, in some ways it excels, in others it is very mediocre. Graphically for example, the cut scenes look excellent, some of the sprite design is also impressive, Robocop & ED-209 for example. However other sprites look more like cut-outs from a Tiger handheld game and the backgrounds are all dull and washed out. One could argue it was an artistic choice to mimic the dystopian look of the film, though if you compare to the rich palette used for something like Probotector you realise it’s very possible to achieve both.
Looking at the HUD display,You’d be forgiven for thinking the game offered quite a variety of Robocop’s features. However once you start playing you soon realize the four icons are really there just there for show. The first two, fist and gun, seem to switch for no good reason at random points in each level. You’ll be happily mowing down goons with the pistol, then suddenly Robocop will tuck away his firearm and you’re down to using fists. Have these goons not broken as many laws? The final icons supposedly flash to indicate hints, they’re both completely useless! Firstly you don’t need something to tell you when you’re near a boss, you’re not going miss the boss, the game only has one direction to go. As for the X-ray vision you only need it once, where your supposed to punch through a wall, the icon is so small and insignificant that i’d be very surprised if anyone notices it.
There are more cryptic moments throughout, but with practice it’s a very manageable challenge. Your biggest adversary is not ED-209 but time. The final level has NO power ups. Unless you happen to have a spare life (you can only earn 1), then you simply don’t have enough time to complete the final level. ED-209 is the most redundant fight of the game, his main attack should not be your time limit!
