So, there's this copper, right, and he gets killed, yeah, then brought back to life as a robotic copper, right, and then he goes after the people who killed him. Sounds lame, but the movie was great then, and is now. So much so, Ocean decided to make a game about it. It done well. Very well, in fact. I bought a copy on the Spectrum and loved it (well, what 7 year old wouldn't?). Then the second movie came out. Which was as good as the first. So, naturally, Ocean made a game of this as well. Which was.......well.....
The second outing sees you going after the drug lord Kane and his gang of drug heads. He's made this drug called 'Nuke' (which really looks like sweet & sour sauce) that drug takers are going mad for. Thats the first part which is a platforming bit in the factory. Though not once did I see Robocopper jump on a floaty platform thing that you can control whilst collecting coke cans, which fall from the sky and make you fall a bit, with various power up's in. And thats where the controls let you down. A hell of a lot. See, controlling the hoverboard-cum-lift thingy is akin to controlling a car on ice. You'll spend about 3 mintues trying to get to the top, only for you to fall, having to do it all over again, ad infinitum. Oh, did I mention you have a time limit to do it in? Oh, well then, you have a timne limit to do it in. Once the times up, you lose a life. The next part sees you destroying all the red chips (errors) in Robo's posotronic relay thingymabob, again within a time limit. This part is well done with the puzzle not too taxing but not too easy. Then you have to go after Kane after his transformation into Robocop 2.
The graphics are really the best thing in this game. They look amazing, with some smoot animation on old Rustbuckethead and the perps he's shooting in the nuts. There's even digitised stills in between levels and a digitised Robo on the title screen, which is great. The levels, apart from the puzzle one, aren't that well though out though. Saying that, there is a bit where you can bust through the wall to get to the next bit. Why couldn't they have done this twice and left out the lift? And why, in every game, does there have to be conveyor belts? They take near enough all your time trying to fathom out as well. The music and sounds are good, with some good gun effects, some awesome music and groans of pain when the bad guys get shot. the status bar isn't as good as the Speccy and C64's though. Where those versions have Robo's chestplate (which looks awesome), we get generic status bar # 2. The energy bar is the best bit, with it being represented by a coke can which gets a bit more crushed the more you lose energy.
The Controls are the worst thing about this. The jumping is abysmal to say the least. He flies through the air without the greatest of ease and with the graceness of a leadweight (I know he's sposed to be a cyborg made of steel, but bloody hell!).
My opinion is divided on this one. While it does look (apart from the status bar) and sound good, it plays like a dog with bad level design marred by godawful controls. Only try if you're of a curious disposition
2.4/5
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