Data East Corporation developed and published RoboCop in the late eighties, shortly after the release of the movie bearing the same title. The arcade version, which is where RoboCop was originally released, was developed by Ocean Software. Since its release to the arcade, RoboCop was sent to just about every format available, most recently the mobile phone. It is a run and gun platform game that is loosely based on the movie. It spawned numerous sequels, including one that featured a head-to-head version of RoboCop versus the Terminator in a cyber on cyber battle.
This version is a fully licensed title, making even more similar to the movie.
Patrolman Alex Murphy was killed in Detroit City when a gunfight breaks out between the police and a criminal faction. He is not the first officer to fall in the growing violence of the city and the Omni Consumer Products Company sees dollar signs when they introduce a new breed of law enforcement to the troubled city. By taking the remains of Murphy, the OCP creates a half man and half machine officer that are perfect for taking on the tough Detroit criminals. The cyber is encased in titanium armor, loaded for bear, and is supposed to have none of his own memory remaining, making him a true law enforcing machine.
He is loosed to clean the streets of its rabble and bring down the kingpin that killed him and so many others Clarence Boddicker. Unfortunately, it appears as though Boddicker may just be a lackey in the grand scheme of things. It is up to RoboCop to straighten it all out.
The majority of RoboCop is a side scrolling shoot ‘em up. RoboCop can shoot, punch, and move left and right, but he is too heavy to jump. He can acquire a variety of weapons to help in his quest to rid Detroit of criminal activity. He is also able to attack unarmed citizens, but he can only punch them; they can’t be shot at. The game features a first person shooting bonus round that is reached when RoboCop matches a mug shot with a criminal’s face.
Overall, RoboCop is a pretty good conversion from the arcade, and is a nice compliment to the movie. The game features some sound effects from the movie, as well as a couple of famous lines. It is basically a platform shooter, and the addition of the bonus round is the only thing the game really adds to the genre, and the EGA graphics are certainly the best. However, the game is what one would expect for a shooter of this age, and it has plenty of merit as a movie inspired shooter, and many gamers will enjoy it for its faithfulness to the movie.
