IGN has shared a 10-minute preview of the upcoming future-of-law-enforcement FPS Robocop: Rogue City, and I am sorry to say that regardless of our 2022 optimism, it actually does not look excellent.
Robocop: Rogue Metropolis is ready between the occasions of Robocop 2 and Robocop 3, neither of which I can keep in mind a factor about. (I am unable to even say with certainty that I’ve ever really seen Robocop 3.) However I am sufficient of a fan of the unique to say that every one the surface-level trappings seem like current: The gun, the accomplice, the put-upon sergeant, the overworked cops, the crumbling metropolis. What I do not see, although, is the guts and soul, and even the mind, that made the movie such a subversive and efficient satire. That side of the sport might be extra suited to a full assessment, sure, however I see nothing on this preview that means any a part of it’s going to land with the affect of, say, a “Dick, I’m very disappointed.”
However even taking a look at it as a easy shooter with nothing to say, Robocop: Rogue Metropolis does not appear very thrilling. Robocop himself is mainly a strolling tank—he strikes slowly and intentionally, with no seen lateral movement (though IGN’s video says his motion velocity might be upgraded to “a heavy, brisk stroll”) and as an alternative of evasive motion he simply walks straight into gunfire, which appears to have little (if any) affect. The firepower is equally unimpressive: Robocop can choose up dropped weapons and use them till they run dry, however by and huge he is counting on his Auto 9 sidearm. I count on we’ll get time with different well-known Robocop {hardware}, just like the Cobra Assault Cannon, however provided that the Auto 9 has its personal separate improve tree it appears like it should be the go-to gun for many, if not all, of the sport.
Enemy animations look sluggish and clunky, the AI appears unimpressive (Emil no less than had sufficient sense to try getting away, as an alternative of standing in the course of a room blasting away), and the NPC interactions look straight out of a mid-tier RPG from 2017. Even the voice is not proper: Sure, it is Peter Weller again within the title position, nevertheless it’s outdated Peter Weller (he is 75 now, ), not the deep, metallic timbre from 1987. I do not usually say this, however that is one case the place a stand-in actually would have been a greater match for the job.
Robocop: Rogue Metropolis remains to be just a few months away, and a 10-minute preview isn’t any substitute for a correct assessment primarily based on the total recreation. The difficulty is that I do not see something on this preview that will get me excited for extra: There’s nothing inherently incorrect with mid-tier shooters seeking to capitalize on a license (I genuinely liked Necromunda: Hired Gun), however this simply appears form of half-assed.
We’ll have a greater thought about how the total recreation comes collectively quickly sufficient: Robocop: Rogue Metropolis is at the moment set to come back out someday in September on Steam and the Epic Games Store.
