''RoboCop'' is a series of video games based on the ''
RoboCop'' movies that were produced on various platforms by several companies between 1988 and 2014.
''RoboCop''
''RoboCop'' is a
run & gun and
beat 'em up
The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, ...
hybrid
arcade game developed and published by
Data East
, also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The A ...
. In the game, a player controls RoboCop who advances through various stages that are taken from the 1987 movie. The bonus screen is a target shooting range that uses a first-person perspective. The intermission features digitized voices from the actors. ''RoboCop'' was licensed to Data East by UK-based
Ocean Software
Ocean Software Ltd was a British software development company that became one of the biggest European video game developers and publishers of the 1980s and 1990s.
The company was founded by David Ward and Jon Woods and was based in Manchester. ...
who in turn had obtained the rights straight from
Orion Pictures at the script stage.
''RoboCop 2''
''RoboCop 2'' is a side-scrolling platform game developed for
Amiga,
Amstrad GX4000
The GX4000 is a video game console that was manufactured by Amstrad. It was the company's short-lived attempt to enter the games console market. The console was released in Europe in 1990 and was an upgraded design based on the then still-popular ...
,
Atari ST,
Commodore 64,
Game Boy
The is an 8-bit fourth generation handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on April 21, 1989, in North America later the same year, and in Europe in late 1990. It was designed by the same t ...
,
Nintendo Entertainment System, and
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
.
Ocean Software
Ocean Software Ltd was a British software development company that became one of the biggest European video game developers and publishers of the 1980s and 1990s.
The company was founded by David Ward and Jon Woods and was based in Manchester. ...
developed and published several versions, and
Data East
, also abbreviated as DECO, was a Japanese video game, pinball and electronic engineering company. The company was in operation from 1976 to 2003, and released 150 video game titles. Its main headquarters were located in Suginami, Tokyo. The A ...
manufactured an
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
version.
''RoboCop 3''
''RoboCop 3'' is a
1991
File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
developed by
Digital Image Design
Digital Image Design (DID) was a British video game developer founded by Martin Kenwright and Phillip Allsopp in 1989. It was originally based in Runcorn, Cheshire in England. The company specialized in aircraft simulator games, mostly published ...
and published by Ocean for the
Amiga. The game features multiple gameplay styles. During 1992 and 1993, other versions consisting of
side-scrolling platform game
A platform game (often simplified as platformer and sometimes called a jump 'n' run game) is a sub-genre of action video games in which the core objective is to move the player character between points in an environment. Platform games are charac ...
play were released for the
Atari ST,
Commodore 64,
Game Gear
The is an 8-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation handheld game console released by Sega on October 6, 1990, in Japan, in April 1991 throughout North America and Europe, and during 1992 in Australia. The Game Gear pri ...
,
Nintendo Entertainment System (NES),
Sega Genesis,
Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), and
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...
. The SNES version had what many considered to be extremely difficult gameplay. It was largely critically panned upon release.
Flying Edge
Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game publisher from Long Island, active from 1987 until filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on September 1, 2004. Through a series of acquisitions between 1990 and 2002, Acclaim built itself a large portfo ...
(a subsidiary of
Acclaim Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game publisher based in Glen Cove, New York. Originally formed by Greg Fischbach, Robert Holmes and Jim Scoroposki out of an Oyster Bay storefront in 1987, the company established a worldwide ...
) would later publish this version to the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis,
Sega Master System
The is an 8-bit
third-generation home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was originally a remodeled export version of the Sega Mark III, the third iteration of the SG-1000 series of consoles, which was released in Japan in 1985 and ...
and Sega Game Gear.
''RoboCop Versus The Terminator''
''RoboCop Versus The Terminator'' was released for a number of platforms and based on the ''
RoboCop'' and ''
Terminator
Terminator may refer to:
Science and technology
Genetics
* Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription
* Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...
'' franchises.
In the future, human soldiers of
John Connor
John Connor is a fictional character in the ''Terminator'' franchise. Created by writer and director James Cameron, the character is first referred to in the 1984 film ''The Terminator'' and first appears in its 1991 sequel '' Terminator 2: Jud ...
's resistance force against the machines are fighting a losing war against
Skynet and its robot forces. Discovering that one of the foundation technologies for Skynet is the cybernetics technology used in the creation of cyborg police officer
RoboCop, Flo, a resistance soldier, is sent back in time to destroy RoboCop and stop Skynet from being built. However, Skynet learns of the time travel attempt and sends
Terminators to stop Flo.
In the game, the player controls RoboCop, who may move across the screen, jump, fire and exchange weapons. RoboCop starts with the Auto-9 which has unlimited ammunition. Other weapons may be more powerful and carry unlimited ammunition as well. Beginning the game on a mission of law enforcement, RoboCop soon meets up with Flo and must engage in battle against Terminators, the forces of OCP and several obstacles. Upon discovering one of the Terminators has infiltrated the OCP building, RoboCop plugs himself into a console to reprogram the security, only to fall into a trap and be digitized. After his body is disassembled and used for building Skynet, RoboCop watches Skynet come to power before using his digitized mind to seize control of an abandoned robotics factory, rebuild himself, and begin to destroy Skynet in the future.
''RoboCop'' (2001)
In 1999,
Titus Software acquired the rights for ''RoboCop'' video games. By 2001, Titus had begun development of a ''RoboCop'' game for the
Game Boy Color (GBC) and
Game Boy Advance
The (GBA) is a 32-bit handheld game console developed, manufactured and marketed by Nintendo as the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001, in North America on June 11, 2001, in the PAL region on June 22, ...
(GBA), with an expected release in the fourth quarter of 2001. The GBA version featured identical gameplay to the 1988 ''RoboCop'' game. The GBC version was released later that year. In May 2002, Titus unveiled more screenshots of the GBA version, which was expected for release in October 2002, but the game was ultimately cancelled.
''RoboCop'' (2003)
''RoboCop'' was developed and published by Titus in 2003, for
Microsoft Windows,
PlayStation 2, and
Xbox
Xbox is a video gaming brand created and owned by Microsoft. The brand consists of five video game consoles, as well as applications (games), streaming services, an online service by the name of Xbox network, and the development arm by the ...
. The following year, Titus released a
GameCube version in Japan, under the title . The game allows the player to play as RoboCop and to uncover a sinister plot involving OCP, local gangsters dealing a deadly new synthetic drug and a powerful cyborg known only as MIND. As a last hope, RoboCop must capture, destroy, or arrest hostile characters in a desperate search for clues and evidence. The Xbox version received "unfavorable" reviews according to the
review aggregation
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
website
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
.
''RoboCop'' (2004)
''RoboCop'' is a side-scrolling action platform game. It was released for
mobile phone
A mobile phone, cellular phone, cell phone, cellphone, handphone, hand phone or pocket phone, sometimes shortened to simply mobile, cell, or just phone, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link whi ...
s and is based on the 1987 film, featuring RoboCop as he attempts to stop Clarence Boddicker and his gang.
[ Developer Digital Bridges announced the game in May 2004, as part of an agreement with ]MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
to produce video games based on the studio's film franchises. ''RoboCop'' was released in North America in October 2004. IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
rated the game 8.5 out of 10, praising the graphics and music.
''RoboCop'' (2014)
''RoboCop'' is a 2014 free-to-play
Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...
shooter game developed and published by Glu Mobile
Glu Mobile LLC is an American developer and publisher of video games for mobile phones and tablet computers. Founded in San Francisco, California, in 2004, Glu offers products to multiple platforms including Java ME-based devices, Android, Wind ...
for iOS
iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...
and Android. The game served as a tie-in
A tie-in work is a work of fiction or other product based on a media property such as a film, video game, television series, board game, web site, role-playing game or literary property. Tie-ins are authorized by the owners of the original prop ...
to the 2014 ''RoboCop'' remake film,[ although it follows a different plot in which RoboCop fights against holographic enemies and robots in a training simulation.][ ''RoboCop'' is played as a ]third-person shooter
Third-person shooter (TPS) is a subgenre of 3D computer graphics, 3D shooter games in which the gameplay consists primarily of shooting. It is closely related to first-person shooters, but with the player character visible on-screen during play. ...
. RoboCop can use various weapons throughout the game's missions, and can also take cover behind objects.[ ''RoboCop'' was in a ]soft launch
A soft launch, also known as a soft opening, is a preview release of a product or service to a limited audience prior to the general public. Soft-launching a product is sometimes used to gather data or customer feedback, prior to making it widely ...
phase in Canada as of October 2013. The game was released for iOS on January 7, 2014, while the Android version was released on January 15,[ prior to the film's release in February 2014.][
''RoboCop'' received "Mixed or average reviews" according to Metacritic. Some reviewers criticized the game's free-to-play aspects.][ Slide to Play, while praising the game's cover system, was critical of "some of the most aggressive attempts at monetization that we've seen yet," stating that the game's "best weapons are enormously expensive, and some premium weapons cost over $100 in in-app purchases." However, Slide to Play stated that the game was fun by focusing on its progression and action while ignoring the microtransactions.] TouchArcade
''TouchArcade'' is a mobile video game website that launched in 2008. Arnold Kim of ''MacRumors'' worked on the site and its editor-in-chief was Eli Hodapp from 2009 to 2019.
''TouchArcade'' has been recognized as one of the best mobile game ...
wrote that the game "suffers greatly" from the free-to-play elements, but praised the gameplay, graphics, sounds, and controls, stating that "It's probably one of the more competent Robocop games ever made, actually." Pete Davison of USgamer
Gamer Network Limited (formerly Eurogamer Network Limited) is a British mass media company based in Brighton. Founded in 1999 by Rupert and Nick Loman, it owns brands—primarily editorial websites—relating to video game journalism and oth ...
called it a "technically impressive but shallow, derivative, money-hungry waste of time," stating that, "Being a freemium mobile game, Robocop comes with all the annoyances we've come to expect." Steven Burns of VideoGamer.com considered the game to be boring and repetitive, while stating that the free-to-play aspect "negatively affects what little gameplay is there".
Peter Willington of Pocket Gamer praised the game as "quick to understand, and simple to play," but criticized it as repetitive, ultimately calling it "competent but forgettable". Alex de Vore of Gamezebo praised the graphics but criticized the "Boring, needless dialog" and the "utterly forgettable" music, and concluded, "Everything from the boring shooting to the lack of any real control just reeks of a rush job." IGN
''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
called the game "formulaic and forgettable".
''RoboCop: Rogue City'' (2023)
''RoboCop: Rogue City'' is an upcoming shooter game developed and published by Teyon
Teyon is a Polish video games developer, producer and online publisher for all leading platforms including PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and mobiles. Founded in 2006, the company has two offices in Poland (Kraków and Łódź) a ...
and Nacon
Nacon (formerly Bigben Interactive) is a French video game company based in Lesquin. It designs and distributes gaming accessories, and publishes and distributes video games for various platforms. In 2020 Bigben Group was consolidated to form Na ...
for PC and consoles. It is based on the original trilogy of films and will be all-new adventure about the future of law enforcement. The game is scheduled for release in 2023, making it the first ''Robocop'' game made for consoles since 2003. Peter Weller is set to reprise his role as the character for the game.
References
External links
*
Robocop
at CPC Zone
Information on several games in the franchise.
Robocop at MobyGames
* http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/robocop/review.html
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:RoboCop video games
Lists of video games based on works
Video games set in Detroit