Samuel Harper

There's a lot of things about this game that are "bad", or "downright cheesy". But in the context of RoboCop, I feel like that's one of the things that makes it funny, unique and special, in a way that many other games could not pull off (especially because it takes place in the '80s, so it can get away with the level of cheesiness you would find in '80s TV shows and movies that any other game could not). Most games try to take themselves seriously, and this is a game that still has that element of seriousness the RoboCop movie tried to go for, but in whole knows not to take itself too seriously either. It perfectly retained that '80s vibe and level of cheesiness, and it's a welcome departure from the modern day with cell phones, internet and social media into a world where cell phone booths, terrible haircut styles, large tube TVs, and cell phones that are the size of a brick and can only make phone calls live. And let's not forget the hyper cliche villains, most of whom are the ones covered in piercings and tattoos with brightly colored mohawks. They're so obvious that I think even they know they're the bad guys. Or they are bikers who look tough, wear leather coats and pants, and ride motorcycles. Or they are prestigious looking men with sociopathic tendencies who also happen to smoke. Either way, all the villains in this game give a very obvious indication in some direction or another that they are bad guys, and they proudly seem to own that! For context, if you are looking for a really solid first person shooter game like Call of Duty, RoboCop: Rogue City is definitely not for you. RoboCop is incredibly slow, and it's impossible to not get shot a ton of times, unlike many other shooters where you can run fast, duck, use, cover efficiently, and be more strategic. Robocop just walks into a room, gets shot a ton of times, and blasts bad guys apart and into often explodes their heads into red mist. But there's also something kind of awesome to be said about being a walking, talking, tank. And it makes you feel like a true badass in a way you don't as a typical soldier in another video game. And let's not forget the dialogue. It's not always cheesy, but it definitely has its moments. For example, when I was issuing a warning to a citizen for committing a crime, Robocop said "I will let you off with a warning this time. But remember, breaking the law is like singing out of tune. It disrupts everything". In any other video game, dialogue like that would be terrible and cringy. But this game constantly reminds you at every turn that you are in the '80s when cheesy dialogue was the norm, and if anything that makes the game funny and enjoyable, at least for me. I also love that you can do side missions that don't involve shooting bad guys heads off. For example, there's many opportunities to assign parking violations, handle disruptive teenagers, issue citations for public drinking and littering, etc. Those little side missions can be just as, if not even more fun and hilarious than the missions where combat is happening. My favorite one among all of them was where you handle the line of customer complaints at the police station, the people you talk to are ridiculous in the best way possible. This is definitely a casual game, it's not something you are going to be playing competitively online with friends. Which is where I think things like the inferior first person shooter mechanics get a pass, it retains the trueness of the RoboCop series as a trade-off. But as I stated, this was a wonderful, nostalgic game and I'm okay with that trade off.