RoboCop
Introduction
RoboCop for the NES was developed by Japanese studio SAS Sakata and published by Data East in 1989, following on from Data East’s own 1988 arcade version but built as a distinct, console-tailored adaptation of the Paul Verhoeven film rather than a straight port, with Ocean bringing it to Europe in 1991. Players control the titular cyborg policeman across a series of side-scrolling stages loosely following the movie’s plot, walking forward at a deliberately slow, heavy pace befitting RoboCop’s armored bulk while punching enemies at close range or shooting them with a pistol that can be upgraded through pickups found in the environment. Between straightforward action stages, the game also includes puzzle-like sections such as diffusing bombs by matching wires and a shooting-gallery style bonus stage, breaking up the beat-em-up-meets-shooter core gameplay with some variety. Its slow, methodical movement and mix of genres divided opinion at the time, but its faithful attempt at capturing RoboCop’s on-screen presence has kept it a notable, if imperfect, entry in the era’s crowded field of movie-licensed NES games.
