ROBOCOP VS. TERMINATOR by Virgin

  Platform: Sega Genesis
      Size: 16 Meg
   Players: 1 Difficulty: Hard

The very moment I popped this cart into my Genesis, I knew I was going to like it. The first thing I was treated to was a very well done sample of Robocop saying "Excellent" as the Sega logo flashed onscreen. The intro music was very well done, and the intro screen came up literally with guns blazing. Virgin has a reputation for high-quality games, and I knew I wasn't going to be let down.

The premise to this game is fairly simple; the Robocop and Terminator worlds have been meshed together. Apparently, Skynet, the computer system which takes over the world in the Terminator storyline, was designed using much of the technology derived from the Robocop, the "only successful linking of human mind and computer".. for some reason, Skynet wants Robocop out of the way and sends Terminators to get him. Now that we understand that, let's score some kill!!

The game is nicely done, as I would expect from Virgin. The game moves smoothly, the graphics are outstanding (and bloody!), the sound effects are some of the best I've heard on the Genesis for quite some time, and background tunes, while they are not great by any means, are pretty decent. The game is pretty hard, even on the "wimpy" setting.. this may be frustrating for some, but keeps the game a challenge. If I had to make a comparison of this game, I could only say to imagine Sega's classic E-SWAT on steroids. This game plays like E-SWAT in many respects, but is just so good-looking and sounding that it pales in comparison any game I can think of in its genre.

I had heard this was a rather bloody game, and I wondered how Virgin worked blood into it when the main players were Robocop and some Terminators. The answer is that you don't even fight any Terminators on the first couple of levels. And believe me, you'll thank Virgin after you see some of the bosses you have to kill!

The first couple of levels are really fun in a sick kind of way; these puny street rats try to kill you, and you basically get to waltz through the level and waste them with your awesome firepower. When they are hit, they explode in a bloody fury. Sounds fun, eh? It gets better. You have several weapons you can pick up along the way, including a guided rocket launcher, a flamethrower, and a laser which evaporates any terminators in your path. You can hold two guns and switch back and forth between them, but beware! If you die, you lose the weapon currently selected. Virgin added a lot of nice graphic touches like when Robo shoots his gun, you can see the reflection of the light from the gunshot on his metallic chest. Things like this make a game GREAT. Plus, they made sure there was a lot of interaction with the backgrounds, which are beautifully done as well (if a landscape of a slummy futuristic Detroit can be beautiful). You can shoot many background elements like fire hydrants (yes, water does shoot out) and TV screens (yes, they do blow up). A very nice job with the graphics.

The sound effects are VERY well done, and lend a lot to the game. Some games it seems like the sound just doesn't fit with the game; this one is definitely not one of those. The effects are very clean and some sound as if they have been sampled directly from the Robocop films. There is even a phrase or two by Robocop, such as when he kills the boss of the second level and announces "You're Terminated!". Very well done. As I mentioned before, the background music is nothing to write home about, but is not a distraction during game play. I didn't think it added much to gameplay, but was not a liability either.

Robocop moves very well and is easy to control. You can shoot in almost any direction (which is a must in later levels), and he jumps quite high for a solid steel cyborg. Perhaps a little too high, but I think Virgin figured if they made him as slow as he is in the movies, the game would be rather boring. The game is a side-scroller, but you do a lot of climbing up and down ladders, chains, and various other things, as well as walking back and forth. The scrolling is smooth and unlike many games, you can walk back into a screen you were just on, and the enemies you just killed DON'T re-animate. There are options to change button configuration and to turn off sound and music for the gamer who prefers a quiet chaos. You can change difficult levels, which are labeled "Killer", "Normal", and "Wimpy". All the standard options gamers have come to expect are here. Since the game is pretty straightforward, you won't be needing to read that manual.

All in all, I think Virgin did an excellent job of bringing this futuristic battle to the Genesis. The graphics are outstanding, and the interaction with the background keeps things interesting, if not excruciatingly frustrating. The biggest problem the game has is the fact that when you die you lose the weapon you had selected, which can be a backbreaker in the higher levels, where Robocop's default automatic pistol just doesn't pack enough punch to take out the hordes of Skynet. However, if you're quick on the draw, you can switch to your other weapon as you are dying to prevent this. I found the game to be an entertaining game and a good use of the full capabilities of the Genesis. Parents may want to keep this out of the hands of young kids, as it is exceedingly violent.