Summary
Games based on movies have historically had a rough time finding critical and commercial favor save for a few exceptions. Some games in recent years have managed to crack the code to make a good game based on a movie, including 2023’sRoboCop: Rogue City.
It certainly took enough time, as the ranking of theRoboCopgames below will show. Some of them failed completely, and others were almost there but were missing some of the “special sauce.” While the history ofRoboCopgames is not pretty, fans can finally be satisfied knowing there is a faithful, entertaining, and violent video game adaptation of the series.
Some of the older games on this list do not have recorded Metacritic scores. Additionally, their exact release dates are also unspecified, so the release year is marked instead
7RoboCop (2003)
It’s Barely Playable
It is interesting to compare this game to the newerRogue City. Many of the complaints lobbied at this 2003 title were also features inRogue City,but they work so much better in the more recent title.
The slow movement, lack of any cover system, and high difficulty all contribute to making players feel likeRoboCopin the 2023 game, but they serve as points of frustration in the 2003 game. The game does not feel designed around it in the same way it is inRogue City, and it lacks polish and refinement, feeling like a broken game right from the start.
6RoboCop (2014)
Free-To-Play, Uninspired Tie-In To The Movie Remake
The 2014RoboCopremake was not what fans wanted from the series. It looks sleeker, but the character lacks the recognizable heaviness that made the original look so iconic. It lacked a real tie-in game and instead was supported by a mobile title.
Now, such efforts can produce good products, but theRoboCopgame on mobile devices lacks anything compelling other than being a quickly put-together shooting gallery. It also ran on amicrotransaction-heavy free-to-play model, so any of its faults were exacerbated by the need to grind unless one forked over more money.
5Robocop 3 (1991)
One Of The Few Cases Where The Game Is Better Than The Movie
RoboCop 3the movie is often considered one of the worst movies ever made. In addition to toning down the violence to the point where it is almost non-existent,it also lacks worldbuildingand does not expand upon the social commentary of the first two movies. Fortunately, the game fared a little better.
At the time,console video games were aimed more towards kids, so the decrease in violence did not hurt the game.It is a rare instance in the 1990swhere the video game adaptation is almost universally considered better than the movie. The game varies depending on the system, with some levels being radically different and certain versions even including shooting segments with a top-down camera to spice up the side-scrolling gameplay.
4RoboCop Versus The Terminator
A Little More Than Just A Novelty
These days, it’s all about crossovers, and certain games likeFortniteindulge in the number of licensed characters they bring into their world.RoboCop Versus The Terminatorwas ahead of the curve in this respect, pitting two iconic science fiction characters against each other.
The game was met with a surprisingly warm reception, too, having value as a video game far beyond the novelty of putting these two characters together on-screen. It is based on a comic book, so it is not a crossover unique to video games.
BothRoboCopandThe Terminatorwould have an opportunity to duke it out again inMortal Kombat 11,where both characters were featured as guests on the roster.
3RoboCop 2 (1990)
Perfectly Competent Side-Scrolling Shooter
RoboCop 2followed thetraditional sequel formulaof giving audiences more of what madeRoboCopgreat. It loses a bit of the nuance of the first movie but makes up for it by being even more violent than its predecessor, if one can even believe that.
The game adaptation is mostly what one would expect from a video game from 1990. The levels are side-scrolling mixes between shooting and platforming. Certain versions of the era’s home computer versions do mix it up more with puzzles and even some first-person segments.
2RoboCop (1988)
Good Game Even If It Misses Some Of The Movie’s Nuance
The funny thing aboutRoboCopis just how violent and oppressive it is mixed with how much it was marketed towards children.It is as ifJohn Wickhad a set of Burger King Happy Meal toys to accompany its film releases.
At least this strange marketing ploy gave gamers a decentRoboCopvideo game. It was made for arcades, so it eschewed the witty commentary and cyberpunk plot for a more straightforward action game, but it rises above what one would expect from a licensed game of the time.
Developer Teyon had adapted franchises from the 1980s before, but they were always ignored or received negative reviews, althoughTerminator: Resistancehad its charms. They finallyhit the ball out of the park withRoboCop:Rogue City,which successfully recreates the gritty vision of future Detroit from the films. The controls, shooting, and skills make players feel like RoboCop, even if the slow movement is a detriment to some players.
Gunfights are gorey splat fests filled with gut-wrenching dismemberment and the calmer world-building side quests help balance the extreme action with more tranquil moments. It goes above and beyond all the other games on this list to be the most genuine RoboCopexperience players could have.
