Welcome to another edition of Playing With Power. The review article that looks at all things Nintendo Entertainment System. There were plenty of NES games based on hit movies released at the time. And I’ve looked at some of the good and the bad. The good, like Batman, or Gremlins 2. And then the bad like Home Alone, The Addams Family, Bill and Ted, Back to the Future, Home Alone 2…
The point is there were definitely more bad movie titles then there were good on the NES. Does this week’s game of choice change that perception, or is it another one for the junk pile? Let’s find out with the game based on the greatest cybernetic supercop of all time. Let’s review Robocop for the NES
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1989
PUBLISHER: Data East/Ocean
GENRE: Action Shooter
Robocop was an action/sci-fi film released on July 17th, 1987. The film about a cop killed in action, who was rebuilt as the ultimate cybernetic law enforcer seeking revenge became an instant hit, doing solid numbers of 53 million in the box office. The popularity of Robocop, especially among kids, opened the door for tons of licensed stuff based on the character. Everything from toys, to a short lived cartoon series, to of course, Video Games.
The first major Robocop game was released in the arcades in 1988. The game’s modest success in the arcade would lead to multiple ports of the game to various systems, including the ZX Spectrum, the Game Boy, and the NES. The ZX Spectrum version of the game is often the one given the most critical praise, while the NES version has often been considered one of the worst licensed games on the NES. Is this accurate? Let’s go further in.
COVER STORY
Another simple movie game cover, but it works. I’ve always loved the design of Robocop. Such a bad ass old school robotic aesthetic. I also love the reflection of the police light coming off his chrome body. It’s a definite eye catch cover.
STORY
Alex Murphy is a cop who’s first day as a part of the Old Detroit force becomes his last. While trying to stop the evil criminal Clarence Boddicker, Murphy is brutally mutilated by Boddicker and his men. But before Murphy is a goner, he is rebuilt as the ultimate super cop. Now more machine than man, the newly coined Robocop sets out to fight crime. But slowly Murphy’s memories return, and he sets out to get revenge on Clarence Boddicker and his men. But could there be someone more powerful than Boddicker to worry about?
GAMEPLAY
Robocop is a 1 player action platformer, although the term platformer can definitely be used loosely. You control Robocop through 6 stages that while exaggerated, do follow the flow of the movie. You can move Robocop with the D-Pad, punch with A, shoot with A when the game prompts it, and punch with B if the weapon is out. Also, in case you’re wondering, there is no jump button, which makes some sense as Robocop is a rather heavy machine, but it’s still quite cumbersome when you try to avoid certain enemies.
As I mentioned, the game follows the story in each level, albeit the levels are definitely exaggerated, often with robots and lasers to deal with. The first level will have Robocop deal with the thug robbing the convenience store. In level two you end the stage by trying to save the mayor who’s been held hostage. You’ll face Clarence’s gang in stage 3, and learn that the real man in charge is OCP Executive Dick Jones, who in level four sics his robotic beast ED-209 on you.In stage 5 you have your final battle with Clarence Boddicker, and in stage 6 after finally destroying ED-209, you defeat Dick Jones, albeit in a rather underwhelming cut scene.
Robocop has two different health meters. One is level time, and the other is his health. If either run out, it’s game over. Yes, this is one of those game where the main character only has one life. You get unlimited continues, but will start at the beginning of the level. The game does give you restorative items like p bottles that refill your health bar, and batteries that restore the timer.
You move straightforward through each level, dealing with the many enemies that come in your way. From random thugs, dogs, and bikers, to more powerful enemies like heavy bruisers. So, you’d think that you could just whip out the gun throughout each level and just go to town, right? Wrong. The game actually does not let you use the gun in all areas. You have to get to a certain part of the stage where Robocop actually finally gets to draw his weapon. It’s annoying, and the range the gun gets is halfway decent, but otherwise, it’s cumbersome. You can shoot in nine directions though. Seven normal directions, and crouched shots as well. You also get to find other weapons for Robocop to use, which you can shuffle through after pausing the game.
At the end of certain levels, you’ll get a training mode mini-game. In this game, you must move the crosshair onto the targets and fire your gun at as many as possible. Can be tricky to line up just right with the D-Pad, but otherwise it’s a fun little distraction from the rest of the game.
Controls in the game are annoying. Main issue being that you can’t jump, making you vulnerable to many attacks. But also things as easy as going up and down stairs can be a chore, as I find sometimes the game wants you to be pixel perfect when traversing down a certain set of stairs. Hit detection is also very lax, and at times you can either not get a hit in perfect, or the A.I can really start to lay into you with shots.
Before I wrap up, I will mention the one boss fight I hate the most in this game as it requires near pixel perfect timing. In level two of the game, Robocop has to deal with the criminal holding the mayor hostage. Robocop has to shoot him, while missing the Mayor. This is a pain, as you have to wait until the mayor ducks your shot, then get a quick shot in while ducking the criminal’s gun. This is almost always where my travels end in the game due to just how easy it is to hit the mayor. Also any shots taken to the mayor counts as damage to Robocop, meaning easy game overs.
GRAPHICS
Graphics for the game are actually not too bad. Cut scenes look really well done for the time, levels use the limited NES palette to their utmost potential. Robocop’s sprite looks great, and major characters like ED-209 and Clarence Boddicker are well represented. Level design at times does seem a bit bland, but they aren’t overly distracting. All in all, Data East brought out the best in the game graphically.
SOUND
There isn’t too many tracks in the game, but the ones used are pretty decent. The main theme you’ll hear throughout the game is the Robocop theme music. And it’s actually a solid representation of the classic movie theme. The boss music is also pretty decent. For what little there is, there’s nothing that feels annoying or out of place.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Robocop is a faithful enough film-to-game adaptation, sticking close enough to the major events of the film. However, it’s bogged by terrible controls, and annoying gameplay. Which is a shame, because Robocop is such a great hero to make a game from that there shouldn’t be issues in making quality titles about him. But to be honest, this one is still far better than the sequel games, but we’ll get to them in a later time. In the end, I wouldn’t buy this for a dollar. This one deserves to be put in the scap heap.
RATING: Thumbs Down