The endless sprawl of modern action and action-adjacent games is a common source of frustration for me. While I admire the detailed, expansive worlds some of these games evoke, sometimes I just want to play a level-based game that feels like the slimmed-down action adventures of my youth. Which is why I was absolutely delighted with RoboCop: Rogue City, a fun first-person shooter with very little excess, pushing you repeatedly into the action. It’s currently one of PlayStation Plus’ April games, and it is free to download for PS Plus members until May 5. Grab it now, and it will stay in your library as long as you remain a member. (And if you’re not, it’s also currently on sale on Steam!)
Rogue City recreates the kitschy charm of Paul Verhoeven’s all-time sci-fi classic, with a dark sense of humor, a heaping of extreme violence, and Peter Weller returning to voice Alex Murphy/RoboCop. I could tell you about the game’s narrative or setting (taking place in between RoboCop 2 and 3), but none of that is all that relevant to your enjoyment. The strength is in its gameplay, with satisfying shooter mechanics that play to RoboCop’s extreme power. Enemies go flying when you shoot or punch them, giving the game a strong mix of power fantasy and physics-based humor.
In contrast to the massive open-world RPGs that often dominate the single-player game ecosystem, it’s really refreshing to play a well-executed game that feels like a collection of closed levels. Yes, there is a minor open-world element, but it’s not too intrusive, and my lack of engagement with that element of the game didn’t hinder my enjoyment. Instead, RoboCop: Rogue City reminded me of the kind of goofy arcade shooters I used to play with my brother at a laser tag spot, quickly moving from level to level and dispatching enemies with aplomb.
With a 2D side-scrolling Terminator 2 game around the corner, I hope this suggests the start of an era of nostalgic adaptations that actually use that nostalgia to bring back older (and successful!) approaches to game design. A stand-alone sequel, RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business, is officially on the way, so at the very least, there will be more satisfying RoboCop action in store for us in the near future.
