RoboCop vs The Terminator
Sega Genesis
Nostalgia Factor:
I rented this game back when it first came out. I really don't remember much about it. I know that I played it. I think I beat it, but I can't say that I did with absolute certainty. I know a lot of people have really fond memories of this game, but to me - it was just another weekend rental, akin to something like Taz: Escape from Mars, Demolition Man, or a Chester Cheetah game. It did not leave a giant impression on me.
30 years have passed. Now that I am listening to a lot of retro gaming podcasts, this game has been brought back onto my radar. It's been discussed on many of my favorite podcasts, and everyone always seems to love it and say glowing things about it.
I decided that it was a good time to come back and revisit this game. I'd always written it off as forgettable, but maybe I hadn't given it the proper chance. Let's jump in.
*quick note, I have recently played and reviewed the SNES version of the game. I reference it a few times here, but please note that it is a completely different game
Story:
This game's story is very thin, but I can't imagine anyone actually plays this game for the story. In short, Skynet has been born out of the technology used in RoboCop. Now, RoboCop must fight against Skynet both in the present, and in the future. You progress from fighting human enemies in modern Detroit, to Terminators and other robots in the future.
Like I said, the game is very thin on story. Pretty much the only area where the SNES game has this one beat is in the story, which is told through comic book style panels. This game doesn't even try.
Gameplay:
This is a 2D side scrolling shooter. Aside from the d-pad, you only use three buttons: jump, shoot, and switch back and forth between weapons. You control RoboCop. Generally, your goal is to make it to the end of the level and defeat a boss. Some levels are straightforward, point A to point B. Others contain objectives like rescue all the hostages. Some are maze-like in structure.
From the moment you pick up the controller, you are going to find that this game is quite action packed. Your best strategy is to just keep firing ahead of you as you are walking. Enemies come at you from all angles, and you always have to be on the top of your game. There are are several different weapons to pick up as you are playing: grenades, a spread gun, a rapid fire gun, a lazer, a wavy projectile weapon. There's even a gun that shoots homing missiles at your enemies. I think I found this gun in one of the earlier levels in the game. It quickly became my go-to. But when you die in this game, you lose your weapon. I lost mine early on, and then never got one back again.
Although the game is tough and throws a lot of enemies at you, there are lots of health items to replenish your health meter as you move forward. You can earn extra lives by hitting certain point milestones. There are also extra life icons hidden in the stages. There are unlimited continues as well. Plus, when you die, you respawn exactly where you died, with a few seconds of invincibility. You don't go back to a checkpoint or anything, like in a lot of platformers. This becomes very important, especially during boss battles. You're going to want to save up those extra lives.
Although you are mainly just walking forward and blasting everything in sight, there is a little strategy involved. Knowing which weapon to use against which enemy. Switching weapons when you die so you can hang onto your favorite one. You also learn to spread your line of fire all over the screen, up and down. Enemies come at your from every angle. And the best way to stay alive is to get them before you get you. That is what makes it essential you hang onto your good weapons. When you get knocked all the way back to your standard pea shooter, it is not good news. Especially in the later levels. The default gun does almost nothing against your enemies.
There is a lot of trial and error involved. The more you play (and replay) certain areas, the more you understand what the game expects of you. It shouldn't take you too long to complete. I believe it is only 10 or 11 stages long. And most of these stages take between 5 and 10 minutes to complete.
Graphics:
The graphics for this game look pretty good. The characters are large and well animated. RoboCop looks like RoboCop. The Terminator looks like The Terminator. The backgrounds and the stage design can be a little repetitive. But at least they look good, right?
The blood and gore is one of the first things you'll probably notice. And this is something I do remember from when I played this as a kid. It gives the game a lot of edge and a lot of character. Both movie franchises don't hold back when it comes to violence, and I'm glad this game doesn't water things down, and it follows suit.
Sound:
I really enjoyed listening to this game as I played it. I don't know how to describe it, but this game just has SUCH a Genesis feel to it. The music is nice and crunchy, full of bass. At times it actually makes me think of Ecco the Dolphin, which is about as different a game from this that you can imagine. And there are sound effects that I swear are pulled from other games, too. Like X-Men for the Genesis. The sound of Wolverine's claws popping out definitely is something I heard in this game. Among other sound effects.
Overall:
This game was good, I suppose. I'm not going to lie or cave into internet pressure, though. So I'll be honest: it didn't do a whole lot for me.
I'm sorry. I know this game is well beloved among retro gamers. But to me, the gameplay is nothing special. The game looks good, it sounds good, and it can be fun to feel like an unstoppable force, sowing destruction everywhere you go. But was I actually enjoying myself as I played through this? I can't always say that I was.
I played this with save states. I can't imagine playing without them. Not that the game is that hard. It just takes a lot of patience and some trial and error. But the bosses, mainly the last boss. They can drain your lives quickly. The last boss is a freaking joke. Even armed with two great weapons, seven extra lives, and prodigious use of save states, I still struggled. The last boss is a ridiculous bullet sponge that takes forever to defeat. You can stand there with the rapid fire weapon and just poor your ammo into it life after life after lifer after life, and you still can't beat it. I did cheese my way through with save states, but I just can't imagine doing it without. You probably go back to the beginning of the level, with just three extra lives. You essentially have to be flawless to make it back to the boss with any chance at all. And fewer lives.
I just can't muster up the excitement to give this game more than an "above average" review score. You walk forward and you shoot. Climb ladders and shoot. Jump over gaps and shoot. Pick up items. Cycle between weapons. But always moving, always shooting. It gets tiresome after a while, especially when you factor in some of the game's more frustratingly difficult areas.
So while I will say this game is slightly above average, it's actually going to get the same review score as its SNES counterpart. I don't think the gap between games is as big as people make it out to be. I think this one is probably slightly better, but not enough to warrant a higher review score than the other game. They'll be forever tied together even on my blog, as games that got C pluses together.
THE GRADE:
C+
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