Developer: Probe Publisher: Ocean Release: 08/92 Genre: Action
Robocop simply cannot catch a break on the NES. The first game by Data East was a valiant attempt at following the movie and offering a different experience from the fantastic arcade game. But it was a slow plodding mess of a game that was not fun. Ocean would pick up the license and there version of Robocop 2 was a disaster and one of the worst Nintendo games of all time. Is the third time the charm? No, it is not. Robocop 3 tries to add some unique flavor to an otherwise average action game and is worse for it.
Although it has problems I will give Robocop 3 credit; it returns to the gritty style of the first game for the most part and is more representative of the film. Robocop 2 was a visual clown show of garish bright colors that was hideous and out of place. It is still there a little bit but that is more a result of the system’s limited color palette. Robocop himself is a chunky little sprite but whatever it fits with the look of the rest of the game. While the graphics are better the music is just as bad, full of generic European techno that hurt my ears.
The biggest area that has seen the biggest improvement is the control. Robocop does not slide around like he has ice skates and moves like a normal….character. He is heavier as a result and cannot jump around as nimbly as in the second title but the feel of the character is so much better. You can aim diagonally which is also a massive improvement. It is still a bit weird you cannot fire straight upward but I digress. The arsenal of weapons is larger, from spread shots to different varieties of missiles. These all have infinite ammo as well. In a nod to the film you get to wield the jet pack in a level that is more frustrating than fun. I appreciate the attempt but the game is better off without it.
Thankfully you no longer have to collect canisters of Nuke or save civilians. This is a straightforward action game now. Robocop 3 introduces a maintenance system that is an attempt to add depth. Instead it is frustrating and mars the experience. Robocop’s body parts have separate damage meters that when depleted will cause a malfunction. If your legs take too much damage you cannot jump temporarily. When your arms are broken your weapons fire erratically or will not shoot at all. Worst of all is the body; take too much damage and Robocop will temporarily immobilize randomly. Cool idea in theory but in practice is annoying. Even worse, repair tokens are scarce. Between levels you use these to patch up your body. But you will have so few you can barely fix one limb let alone the whole body.
Because of the screwed up repair system the game’s difficulty is all over the place. When all of Robocop’s parts are working correctly you can breeze through the game fairly quickly. Unfortunately that is a rare occurrence. Because repair items are so rare you’ll always have to deal with some part of his body being broken and the myriad frustrations that causes. At its slightest you will be unable to shoot; switching weapons will fix it. At its worst you will be completely immobilized and unable to jump which basically forces you to die to continue. The only saving grace (if you can call it that) is the game’s brevity. With a sparse five levels the more determined can finish this in a little over an hour. But why would you?
Although the movie was a mess the sad thing is this game had the chance to be good! If they had ditched the stupid repair system the game would have at least been bearable. I’m not trying to paint the picture of an awesome Contra level run and gun action game hidden beneath busted mechanics but at least the few remaining fans of Robocop in 1992 could have had a decent game to make up for the movie’s shortcomings. Oh well.
In Closing
Robocop 3 is an admirable attempt to correct the sins of its awful predecessor. It succeeds somewhat but has flaws of its own that ultimately bring the game down. A few tweaks could have made this a semi decent action game. But as it is Robocop 3 is a missed opportunity. Because of its late release it commands a high price. Trust me it is not worth it.
