Robotron XSYSTEM: Sony
Playstation
DEVELOPER: Midway
PRODUCER: Midway Home Entertainmen Inc.
PRICE: We paid $12.95, We've seen it for as high as $49.95
RATED: Kids to Adults
Robotron 2084 was/is my all time favorite game. As a boy, I probably dropped enough quarters into it to buy my own arcade unit. I just loved that game! I got so good that I was able to play 8 1/2 hours on a single quarter. I found that there are 300 different waves, and it resets after that to give even harder play. If my memory serves me right (this was over 15 years ago), I completed 1100 waves. I only quit because I was tired. I played very long, and had many extra lives, but I had to finally quit. In those days, the video mags had the world high scores listed. I remember looking up Robotron 2084, and it was listed at 72 Million. My final score was 24 Million. Not even a third of the record, but the game wasn't getting any harder. I still think if I would've stuck it out, I could've broken the record.
Needless to say, I was overjoyed when I heard of the sequel! This was the game that I have waited over 1 1/2 decades for (15+ years in lamens terms). I was expecting big things, but I'll tell you right now, I am extremely dissapointed!
The story is simple, and I'll quote it directly from the games documentation: "In 2084, inspired by his never ending quest for progress, man perfects the Robotrons, a robot species so advanced that man is inferior to his own creation. Guided by their infallible logic, The Robotrons conclude the human race is inefficient and therefore must be destroyed. You are the last hope of mankind. Due to a genetic engineering error you possess superhuman powers. Your mission is to stop The Robotrons and save the last human family."
The game is like the original, but this time it is polygon based rather then sprite based. It sounds good on paper, but in actual gameplay the polygons hurt rather then help the game. There is a very low amount of polygons used in the characters so they all tend to look blocky. I'm sure this is because of the high amount of onscreen enemies, but it doesn't help to create a decent graphical game. Also, the movent of the characters look extremely jerky. They tried to dress up the game with some animations (which weren't in the original), but too few frames were used. This also detracts from it's graphical appeal.
Most of the original enemies are there, and all have been updated. I was pleased to see the Grunts, Hulks, Tanks, and Brains. These are just some of the enemies that you must eliminate, there are many more. Gameplay is very fast paced, and you must constantly figure out what to shoot next, and where to move. This is what I liked most about Robotron 2084. There was never a dull moment, and you always had to be thinking. The update is similar, but it just doesn't have the same qualities as the former game. In 2084, you had to look for a hole, and head in shooting. No turning back once you've decided your path, because immediatly you are surrounded by enemies. It was very intense. In X it's just not the same. You do the same things, but the intensity just isn't there. You fire slower, there are fewer enemies, and the control just can't match the arcade with it's dual joysticks. In other words, it's just not as good as the original.
I would've liked to give this game a great review, but sadly I cannot. The programmers did try to make it better by using polygons, animations, 3D grid view, ect.. but in gameplay, it just doesn't match up. It is however fun for a few hours, but not a worthy sequel to one of the greatest arcade games ever!
RATINGS
GRAPHICS 70%
SOUND 65%
GAMEPLAY 80%
ORIGINALITY 65%
REPLAY VALUE 65%
OVERALL 69%
