Thanks to the folks at Nacon, we’ve been delving into Old Detroit to bring you our full RoboCop rogue City review. This one takes a look at the title with our usual five-point quality check. Alongside, as ever, you can find our common-sense parent’s guide for RoboCop Rogue City, which will let you know if the title is safe for kids.
Watch below for our full video review, or keep reading for our extended written review for RoboCop Rogue City. Don’t forget if you like things faster, we have our Tik Tok review in under a minute, available over here.
The Basics – What is Robocop Rogue City About?
Available on: PC (Steam / Epic), Xbox Series, PlayStation 5
Price: £45 – £60
Type: Slow-Paced Police Shooter
Download: 39.5GB (PC – Steam)
In Rogue City, players will get to step into the metal shoes of the great cyborg OCP Crime Prevention Unit 001, better known as RoboCop. This slow-paced action shooter provides a full range of Robo powers, as we move through gang hideouts, private residences and the gritty streets of Old Detroit.
The title is set following the events of 1990’s RoboCop 2, shortly after Alex Murphy has put a dent in the streets’ supply of Nuke, and dealing with his not-so-successful successor. Nuke is still a problem here in Detroit, providing a steady stream of dealers and gang antagonists to take care of.
Moreover, a new crime lord has also hit the streets of the Motor City, and players will need to investigate and take a hammer (or an Auto-9, at least) to the syndicate. During this adventure Murphy will be joined by a whole host of familiar fan-favourite characters. This also includes original actor Peter Weller, lending his likeness and voice as he reprises his character after over 30 years. We also see Lewis, Sergeant Reed and even old rival ED-209.
RoboCop Rogue City is an intensely gory shooter, taking very much after the film franchise. In addition, we do have some RPG-lite elements, as well as in-depth customisation of Robo’s abilities and the infamous Auto-9 service pistol. Your choices in this one do matter, with levelling up abilities unlocking new ways to investigate crime scenes, and with your conduct in game leading to multiple endings.
RoboCop Rogue City is a deeply thoughtful homage to the franchise. Teyon’s teams worked closely with MGM studios, as well as original RoboCop actor Peter Weller who has provided his likeness and voice for this new seemingly canon entry to the series. There are also a huge number of nods to the films, even down to the way Robo moves, but more importantly Rogue City has really captured the feel of RoboCop and the dirty streets of Old Detroit.
Is Robocop Rogue City Safe for Children?
Rating: Adults Only.
RoboCop rogue City is rated by PEGI at 18 and above and by the ESRB as a Mature 17+. This one is packed with violence and associated gore, just like the original RoboCop films. There’s also a huge amount of bad language, constant drug references, plenty of sexual themes and all around it’s one which is not safe for younger gamers.
Is Robocop Rogue City Accessible?
Rating: Low Barrier.
There are some decent accessibility options here, starting with varied difficulty settings including a story mode. In addition, players can remap all controls, and various audio settings including reducing the sound of Robo’s loud footsteps.
In addition, both in and out of RoboVision, players will get icons showing which items can be interacted with, and the 80’s high-contrast computer visual effects make things pretty clear as you make your way around the game.
The Run Down – Our Five-Point Rating for Robocop Rogue City
Gameplay – 4: Rogue City is a slow but satisfying shooter. The title provides players with the “unstoppable machine” feeling walking in Robo’s shoes while still providing a decent challenge. Investigation is relatively light touch but more than we were expecting, and the need to level up to unlock abilities to help feels intuitive. Overall, while objectives can get a little samey the action gameplay just captures the spirit of the franchise, and makes it fun to play.
Visuals – 4: Graphics are a tough one here in Rogue City. In cutscenes, character animations and lip synching seems far off what it could be, but in contrast gameplay looks pretty fabulous most of the time. Detroit’s gritty environments have been well realised and we’ve loved Murphy’s scan-line RoboVision effects.
Audio – 5: The title has brought back RoboCop’s epic soundtrack with a reimagined score, and the return of Peter Weller for Alex Murphy’s vocals was a masterstroke. In-game chatter from bad guys, soundtrack stings and the various sound effects all contribute to the feeling of really stepping into the films.
Narrative – 4: The title takes the setup of the first two well-received RoboCop films, with a new bad guy linked to Alex Murphy’s previous adventures. In addition to a campaign length of 20 to 30 hours, and players’ choices will have a genuine effect on the outcome of your journey.
Replay – 4: Each area of the game has various pickups to find, and varied side quests as well. In addition, with players’ choices actually making changes to your outcomes and various options for levelling up your skills and abilities, it’s worth jumping back in, and giving it another play through if you’re a completionist.
The Verdict – Is Robocop Rogue City Worth It?
Overall our Pixel Bandits’ I’d Buy That For a Dollar Level for Robocop Rogue City is an Outstanding 9 / 10. It’s not a fast paced shooter but RoboCop’s slow but inevitable progress feels intricately tied to the film franchise. If you’ve never seen the films before, there’s a decent action shooter here, with the police investigation aspects giving some decent if light alternative gameplay. Objectives aren’t always incredibly interesting, but the overall story does pull through.
If you have seen the films, however, Rogue City is a triumphant return to the streets of Old Detroit. Murphy’s partnerships, weapons, voice, soundtrack and action combat will pull players back into the gritty world of OCP’s 2024 Detroit city. The gore, visuals and cast all strike the right chords and while objectives mostly follow similar lines, the action is what really makes it pop.
If you’re looking for a slightly faster action RPG shooter, you should also definitely check out Remnant II. If you’re here for old Sci-Fi film adaptations the early access Starship Troopers Extermination is also worth a look. for a grounded SWAT experience for police sim lovers, Ready or Not is still in development but very playable now. And lastly, if you just like big robots then Armored Core VI is here for you.
As ever, to provide this review and common-sense parent’s guide, we received a free copy of Robocop Rogue City from the folks at Nacon.
