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.