Robocop

Robocop is a game adaptation of the movie hit of the same name, and on the Atari ST it was one of the most successful licensed titles from Ocean Software of the late 1980s. The player takes on the role of the cyborg policeman and goes through a series of levels inspired by key scenes from the film, from a skirmish in a drug den through shootouts in a factory to the final confrontation with the main villain, while between missions watching brief screens with period-style police reports and text messages evoking the television broadcasts from the movie.

The gameplay combines the slow, lumbering walk typical of the Robocop character with shooting at attackers and simple platforming sections where the player has to jump over obstacles or destroy specific targets against the clock. Between levels there are brief bonus sequences, such as shooting at targets on a firing range, which gave the game an arcade-like pace and referenced specific moments from the film, such as the famous training scene with targets distinguishing armed attackers from innocent bystanders. On the Atari ST the game benefits from striking, digitized character graphics and a fairly atmospheric soundscape, though the controls were criticized at the time for being stiff and slow to respond, which to some extent matches the slow, sturdy walk of the main character as viewers know it from the film. The musical score is sparse but effectively underscores the oppressive atmosphere of a crime-ridden city.

At the time of release, Robocop became one of the most commercially successful movie adaptations on home computers and cemented Ocean Software's reputation as a specialist in licensed titles based on Hollywood blockbusters of the 1980s. Today it comes across more as a memorable example of late-1980s game design than a timeless classic, yet it remains a pleasant nostalgic memory for fans of the film and of the action platformer genre of the time who grew up specifically on the Atari ST.

Why play it: For a nostalgic memory of an 1980s movie license rather than a timeless experience - but fans of the film and of period platformers will get their money's worth.