Game Review: RoboCop: Rogue City (Xbox Series X)

From Teyon, the developer who brought us the solid Terminator: Resistance, comes RoboCop: Rogue City. A first-person shooter game based on the RoboCop films, but featuring its own original storyline.

Robocop, the movie, is a product of its time and attempts to capture its charm or replicate it, has failed countless times. Its over-the-top violence, strong effects, satirical social commentary, and pithy dialogue really struck a chord with audiences. Yet, fans have had to wait a very long time for a game that manages to capture both the look and feel of the RoboCop universe.

Something that Teyon have absolutely nailed with RoboCop: Rogue City. Creating a really authentic vibe that has a ton of charm. Rising above many of its issues, in a similar vein to Terminator: Resistance, but proving to be a more memorable experience.

Although that memorability does not come from the story, which couldn’t be duller if it tried. A basic plot surrounding an evil villain who is using the nuke-fuelled gangs of Detroit to steal human bodies for his nefarious plans. The police force is at loggerheads with the OCP corporation, and RoboCop’s reliability is being called into question as he is beginning to have issues that are affecting his performance.

Issues that relate to his past as Officer Alex Murphy, his family, colleagues, and his position within an ever-changing world. Issues that make for the most compelling aspect of the overall story and it’s great to hear Peter Weller reprising the role he made so famous.

Who cares about the story though, right? You’re RoboCop, you’re a law-enforcement machine, and your job is to get out there and blow the heads and groins off the scum on the streets.

On that front, RoboCop absolutely nails it. Making the player feel immensely powerful with the Auto 9 gun, and delivering weighty and substantial gunplay that is violent and bloody. The sight of limbs being blown off, heads exploding, and mangled bodies flying in the air, never gets old.

To make this even more fun, and to at least make the game a bit challenging, enemies are figuratively thrown at you, and increase in difficulty as you progress through the story. Instead of just dealing with pistol-wielding gangs, you’ll have to face off against rogue robots, armoured mercenaries, rocket-launcher-touting baddies, snipers, and even ED-209. The variety in enemies force players to switch up their approach, using the wonderful destructive environments, guns dropped by enemies, throwable items such as TVs, chairs, motorbikes, explosive barrels, and RoboCop’s upgrades, to continue on.

Yep, Robocop has a progression system, one that is quite basic but does allow you to improve the abilities of the tinman. Abilities such as increasing damage resistance, improving the scope of RoboCop’s scanner, allowing turrets to be hacked, improving RoboCop’s ‘charm’ so more dialogue options are available, and so on. This progression system relies on XP that is earned from completing side quests that become available in the ‘open’ sections of the game. As well as coming from general gameplay, and items that are picked up. There’s nothing immensely special about Rogue City’s progression system, but it does encourage players to go off the beaten path to get the XP needed.

Strangely enough, it’s the side-quests and optional missions that really make RoboCop: Rogue City a more substantial game. Whereas some are just basic police work stuff and result in a lot of going from A to B, others are lengthy narratives spread over the entire game and have far-reaching results that end in satisfying ways.

Sure, being RoboCop and handing out tickets for minor public infractions is fun, but helping a family deal with loss or helping an addict police informer find meaning in is life, is far more rewarding. Also, you almost always get to shoot the hell out of some baddies.

Players who take the time to do everything, will find plenty of hours to sink into the game. We’re talking easily 15 hours plus here. All taking place in an authentic-looking and sounding world. It might actually make you feel quite nostalgic.

Yet, for all these positives, RoboCop: Rogue City has issues. As previously stated, the main story is extremely boring and the game has a lot of cutscenes/dialogue heavy moments that drag on. Some sections of go on far too long, and you’ll find yourself bored of checking every corner for pickups and rushing to the objective.

It also overstays its welcome, having a clear end point, yet going on just that little bit longer to its detriment.

Alongside that, the game gives you a ton of dialogue options, but none of what you say has any real bearing on the main storyline. Similar to Terminator: Resistance, you can make friends and/or support certain characters with their actions, but it all feels inconsequential. Although, at least there’s no weirdly awkward sex-scenes in this game.

Also similar to Terminator Resistance, there’s the shell of a AAA game here but without the AAA budget and sometimes that shows. Iffy character models, disappearing enemies, and audio problems. Nothing game-breaking, but it shows the lack of polish the game has overall.

Yet, we have to say that RoboCop: Rogue City is a recommended play, and not just if you’re a fan of the movies. It delivers some of the most enjoyably nostalgic action seen in some time. Where the simplicity of just blasting the hell out of enemies is all that matters, but it still has enough depth to keep you playing on.