Zzap


Robocop
By Ocean
Amiga 500

 
Published in Zzap #49

Robocop

Come on, do I really have to tell you the plot of the film? Is there anyone out there who hasn't actually seen the film? Well, I know one... or maybe two... OK, OK!

Alex Murphy is a cop transferred from a pretty safe area to the dangerous Old Detroit precinct. On his first day out, he is brutally murdered by a gang of bank robbers and left a physical wreck. Meanwhile, the powerful OmniConsumer Products - the company that runs the police in Detroit - are due to build a new complex named Delta city. With huge robot guards (Enforcement Droid 209) being used to keep the peace. However, at a meeting of OCP officials, the ED-209 prototype malfunctions and kills an executive.

Bob Morton steps in with his plan - to use newly-killed cops in robot frames for better efficiency. Thus the Robocop program is started, with Murphy being virtually brought back from the dead and placed in a robot body.

Robocop

You play the part of Murphy in his quest to clean up the streets of Old Detroit. The action begins with him walking along the streets fending off attackers with a well-aimed punch or two.

Next he comes across armed criminals and so takes out his leg-mounted machine-pistol to fight his way along. The end of the level pits Robocop against a biker which has to be punched off his mount to be destroyed. Somehow that biker looks familiar...

Not that he's got time to think about that. There's a vicious ED-209 right in front of him and Murphy's got to get rid of him before he can go to the photofit screen to identify the biker (the one he took out before, remember). When he finds the ID, the face is linked with the murder of one Alex J. Murphy. The memories begin to stir...

Robocop

The information leads him to a warehouse where the gang that killed him hang out. Here he learns of the corruption in the OCP company, one thing leads to another (like several levels later) and he ends up at the OCP building for the final confrontation. Round of applause, please.

Maff

The actual film Robocop is one of my all-time favourites and the coin-op managed to capture a lot of the atmosphere of the movie. The Amiga version does pretty much the same thing - starting with the intro sequence and followed by the accurate arcade-quality graphics of the game itself.

Rather than going for an all-out conversion, Ocean have gone for a 'half and half' format combining the best bits from the arcade version and adding strategy elements. The game is tough and will take some completing but rather than a chore. I'm sure that it will be an enjoyable experience. See for yourself - buy Robocop today!

Kati

Robocop

He's mean, he's tough, he's made of metal and he walks just like he does in the movie - oh yeah and the coin-op, of course. In fact, it looks, plays and feels a lot like the arcade machine, even though the gameplay itself isn't exactly the same. The graphics are slick, the action is tough (when I say tough, I mean really tough) and the strategy and arcade elements really work together well.

The heads in the photofit section are digitised which makes fitting them together a realistically creepy affair. Fancy blowing a few namby-pamby criminals away and throwing together some grisly looking chins and ears? Right then, shove loads of baby food into your mouth, start practising the robotics and rush out to your friendly software dealer now.

Verdict

Presentation 92%
Speedy multi-load and a very cinematic intro sequence.

Robocop

Graphics 91%
High quality sprites, scenery and animation perfectly capture the feel of the coin-op.

Sound 88%
Good music and appropriate spot effects enhance the action.

Hookability 94%
Who doesn't want to have a go at being Robocop?

Lastability 90%
Extra-tough action is designed to keep you glued to your 'stick.

Overall 92%
A great adaptation of the coin-op. It's not the same, but it's just as much fun.