RoboCop: Rogue City

It's a journey you are obligated to take if you were ever a fan of RoboCop, and it's an escape into the world of old Detroit once more. It could also be an escape into a newly formed Delta City, depending on who you are voting for. However, that is just the tip of the iceberg. See the city through the eyes of RoboCop and become the main character of the films you loved or grew up watching. Returning to voice one of our favorite protagonists from the eighties is Peter Weller as the part-man, part-machine serving the public trust! "He's a cyborg, you idiot!"-yes, a cyborg with a lot of heart and emotional trauma. Yet this time, you'll be in control of those emotions. You will decide who to empathize with, who you believe is telling the truth, and who should serve time and face true justice. This is a homage to the first few films and pays tribute by including lots of Easter eggs from both the first and second films.

Developed by Teyon and published by Nacon, this first-person shooter is the most intimate experience as RoboCop so far. Creating a new, original storyline based on the films, you must clean up the streets of Detroit and rid the city of crime and corruption. The story continues from where RoboCop 2 left off, with traces of Nuke still present. The atmospheric level designs are so reminiscent of the films that it's incredible what they produced using Unreal Engine. The nostalgia that brought so many to the dance in the first place will reign supreme.

RoboCop: Rogue City introduces a variety of new characters while still maintaining familiarity with some of the original ones. Anne Lewis returns, of course, alongside a few other favorites such as Sergeant Warren Reed, reporter Casey Wong, and OCP's top dog and CEO, known as "The Old Man."

So, why should you invest some time into this game, and what do I love about it? First of all, it captures the essence of what made RoboCop such a great film in the first place. The depiction of the run-down, dystopian-like old Detroit juxtaposes with the future of Delta City in the works. Still, Delta City never seems to arrive-it's like an illusion, a smoke-and-mirrors act, a false promise of what could be. Paul Verhoeven's original has been difficult to emulate since, with the sequels never quite living up to what true RoboCop fans know as canon. However, this game closely resembles parts of both the Weller films; it is worthy of being called RoboCop 3 more so than the actual RoboCop 3. Often, as sequels progress, they never quite live up to the first, but now, more than ever, I, as an avid RoboCop fan, wanted to relive some of that magic. The 2014 RoboCop was a million light-years away from what I wanted to see-even going as far as to say I'd happily watch RoboCop 3 instead. Now though, thanks to the world of gaming, we are able to relive RoboCop in a fresh way like never before.

The story of this game will evolve depending on your decisions and the choices you make throughout the game. In this version, it isn't guaranteed that you'll have the same ending as me, but it is likely you'll have a hell of a ride.

If you're a fan of the RoboCop character, then I haven't any issues recommending this game to you. It's isn't a fully fledged AAA and in some areas you are able to see that but for the budget of the game and the price it costs you more than get your money's worth. Peter Weller does a fantastic job yet again playing the character and it was a surprise to have him in this game, it goes to share the care and attention from the developers to ask the original actor to be in the game.

The gameplay is also a lot of fun, maybe a little too easy, which I can see being an issue to some people, but in a game where you play as RoboCop I think it's just natural to feel overpowered for a lot of the game. His movements are perfect and gun fights are a lot of fun. Also fun are all the smaller side quests you're able to do when you're in the little sandbox areas. It adds a lot to the world of the game and some of the side missions really had me surprised just by how much effort was put into side content. Without giving away too much or anything, the ending is also really great and feels like something out of a movie. If you catch this game, play it.

The gameplay is so fun, walking around like a tank and destroying enemies with the most powerful handgun in existent. But I would recommend playing it on normal, because you get the power fantasy of being robocrop, when you are playing on the higher difficulties it loses it.

The mini open world sequence just feel so good to play. Being the robo man and solving crime and talking to the people that are down on their luck. It is so fun and feels like a part of the movie that we never got to experience.

They hit the comedic tone of robocop so perfect. It's so hard not to have a grin on my face, when the robot man is saying something corny to the civilians and giving them a ticket. The story feels like a sequel to the first one with the RoboCop mind and how he processes the trauma. Is told sincere, so it still touching.

The sound effects are so good the headshot sounds so goddamn satisfying and the heroic music they use from the movie gives me goosebumps. It just feels so good.

All The Small Things That Make You Feel Like RoboCop. Like the big steps sound. Being taller than everybody else. And the clunky movement and no jump button, I really enjoy how it makes you feel like a RoboCop.

An amazingly charming game that is maybe a bit too long but what can I say. It is a fun experience.

RoboCop: Rogue City is an amazing movie licensed game. It makes you feel like Robocop, you're slow like a tank, and you feel heavy compared to other FPS games like Call Of Duty. And the whole world and such feels true to the movies (from what i vaguely remember. I haven't seen the movies in years) The only negative thing i have to say is, that i don't think the story is as interesting as just playing the game (it's just how i've always been with most games, i don't even think the story is awful by any means of course. I just get a bit bored of watching the cutscenes because i have both Autism and ADHD) But the game in itself is not bad or boring at all, it's a pretty fun game that shows love and care to the source material. And the best part of the game is that Peter Weller is returning as Robocop instead of ''just'' a impressionist or a whole other voice.

Despite the 15+ hours of fun I had, there are clear and obvious flaws with Robocop Rogue City, But from the previous work of this games development studio they've improved leaps and bounds.

I'll try and keep my review as short and concise as possible explaining everything you need to know if you're planning on getting the game, or if you want to know what someone who's beat the entire game feels about Robocop Rogue City. Let's start with story.

Story: 8/10. This is the games strong point. As someone who was born in the early 90's right in between Robocop 2 and 3, I can say I was brought up on Alex Murphy and his tin can. I remember watching at a much younger age than I should have been, but being truly amazed at such a unique and often startling world of Robocops Detroit. Rogue city takes place right in that sweet spot between movies and has all the usual cast of characters who play their part excellently. I especially enjoyed seeing Anne Lewis again in all her bubble popping glory. The main actors do a great job and Peter Weller even reprises his role as Alex Murphy which sounds great in game. I won't spoil any story points but I will say it does a really good job at keeping you immersed in its plot and egging Robocop on to get the bad guy.

Visuals: 5/10. Not great. A weird mashup of modern techniques like raytracing clash with what seems like ancient character models and outdated mechanics, which make a sometimes graphically off putting game. The game starts with an awful cutscene where one particular characters hair was waving about like he was free falling from an airplane, despite being inside a building. Not a good start at all. The worst thing without doubt is the characters mouth movement. It just looks like they should be speaking in a PS3/Xbox 360 game from nearly 20 years ago. The downtown city itself is decent looking especially at night with raytraced reflections in things like pools of water on the ground, but the overall look of the game during the day isn't as good. Cutscenes as mentioned can be jarring and off putting so if you're buying this to test the limits of what your PS5/Series X can do, then this really isn't the game for you.

Performance: 7/10. Solid enough. Weirdly on PS5 the game starts in fidelity/Quality mode, which is by far the worst mode. It feels slow and impacts gameplay because shooting and moving in 30FPS just isn't it in 2024. The performance mode however does a good enough job to try and maintain 60FPS. There are drops in the framerate for sure, especially in certain areas/sections but for the most part it's passable with no major issues.

Gameplay: 8/10. Really fun, slightly repetitive. Shooting is awesome, it feels fluid and responsive, you have a decent amount of guns to swap between, I especially like the mounted guns you can rip from their mount and blast fools away like you're Arnie. There is dashes, flashes and a few more abilities you have your disposal, but by far the best is the slow mo. It's not Max Payne good but come on, who doesn't love a bit of slo mo shooting in your games, it's just plain fun. The movement is limited as you would expect playing as Robocop but they make it just agile enough to where it doesn't feel too sluggish. The ability to put chips on your main gun is something that adds a little mini game which can be a nice distraction now and then. Skill points are gained each time you level up and are a very basic but welcome addition. Later on in the game the gunplay does feel slightly repetitive but picking up items like PC's, gas canisters and TV's to throw at your enemies mix it up enough. Still very enjoyable for the most part.

Overall: a mixed bag of a game with solid gameplay and entertaining storyline that is slightly let down by some questionable and outdated graphics, mediocre performance and can be limited in enjoyment depending if you're a Robocop fan or not. Far from perfect but a charming game that does just enough to keep you entertained throughout. 7/10.