Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s, almost every action movie got a video-game tie-in. The problem was, at the time, this form of media wasn’t up-to-snuff if you compare it to 30 years later. That’s why now, more than ever, we’re seeing old film franchises get resurrected in the gaming sphere, resulting in great efforts that are essential playing for fans of said franchises. The stellar Terminator Resistance that Teyon developed in 2019 went under a lot of radars, but was something of a hidden gem and a faithful incarnation of a dormant franchise that peaked decades ago. In the realm of RoboCop, does Teyon nail it again in Rogue City?

It’s not the first RoboCop game, but Rogue City is as faithful to the titular franchise as I’ve ever seen a film adaptation in my life. Managing to recruit Peter Weller back to the iconic role at age 76 and deliver a seamless performance is a godsend and is immediately the reason every RoboCop fan should pick this up.

Tack on incredible character models for the return of characters like his partner Lewis, Sargent Reed, and Mayor Kuzak, the universe was captured perfectly. It’s further cemented by the locales that RoboCop visits, scaling Detroit’s dystopia in between movies 2 and 3 without a hitch. Not since Ghostbusters: The Video Game has a video game been as one-to-one.

The gameplay loop within RoboCop: Rogue City is captivating enough for me to have kept coming back to it with bated breath on several sittings. Alex Murphy is tasked with traveling to a section of Detroit, and resolving a crime/taking down a baddie in the wide-open areas. There are side objectives to be completed at every turn, eventually rewarding RoboCop afterwards with additional XP for much-needed skill points. Past the run-and-gun first-person shooter segments, there are impactful dialogue choices, easy-to-grasp puzzles, and plenty to discover across your playthrough.

RoboCop: Rogue City has more complexity to it than a typical FPS. You’ll eventually unlock a PCB board that allows you to modify your gun’s damage, armor penetration, reload speed, and more through a neat circuit system. With narrative choices that really do matter in the ending, the way you approach your skill tree in determining if you’re a tough, powerful RoboCop or an insightful, technical mastermind is key to how you aim to succeed in tense scenarios. With the subtle RPG touches in place, I had even more reason to see my playthrough until its conclusion before I gave my final verdict.

I can’t believe RoboCop: Rogue City came from the same studio that gave us seminal Worst Game of the Year candidate Rambo: The Video Game in 2014. Talk about a studio that learned from its mistakes and rose like a graceful phoenix from its ashes. RoboCop: Rogue City is not without its jankiness and some technical issues that hindered it from being the perfect movie game.

However, what I will say is that it was so perfectly entwined with its source material that I WANTED to stop playing early on to rewatch RoboCop 1 and 2 to get the best possible experience. Maybe we’ll see Teyon tackle other franchises from the 80s or 90s now? They most definitely deserve it after RoboCop: Rogue City. With a new “New Game Plus” update now, it’s the best time to try out RoboCop: Rogue City.

A PC review copy of RoboCop: Rogue City was provided by Nacon for the purpose of this review.

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RoboCop: Rogue City

$49.99

8.5

Score

8.5/10

Pros

• Basically RoboCop 3
• Perfect Gameplay Loop
• Gorgeous Graphics

Cons

• Poor Checkpoints
• Issues Loading from Saves
• Hit-or-miss Voice Acting