While my preview session no doubt opened with a bang, what left a bigger impression on me was the hub-like section of Detroit I was able to explore in between the heavy action. Blasting away at enemies while manoeuvring slower than your typical FPS protagonist feels odd at first, but Robocop not being able to crouch, mantle, or climb forced me to know when to take bullet fire and when to think more tactically. What follows is a bloodbath’s worth of gang shootouts, snappy one-liners and handgun auto targeting.

Before you know it, Robocop is called to the scene as the only officer equipped to enter the building.

Set between the events of the Robocop 2 and 3, events begin when a group of punks take over the local news tower and hold the staff hostage. Robocop: Rogue City wastes no time putting you in the hot seat. And while I admit, I’m not as brushed up on my Robocop lore as I am the other 80s sci-fi series with a cyborg at the centre of it, from the three hours I recently played, Robocop: Rogue City is another win for the fans, utilising increased scope, deep RPG mechanics and improved visuals to truly realise the concept of Paul Verhoeven’s original movie in video game form.

I say this because, for as budget as this canonical sequel (and prequel) to James Cameron’s first two movies was, developer Teyon clearly cared about the universe as much as I do – with a healthy sprinkling of Easter eggs, cameos and call-backs. I’m pretty sure I’m the only games journalist on the planet that truly loved 2019’s Terminator: Resistance. Robocop diehards finally get the game they deserve with a rough-around-the-edges shooter that is equal parts charming and clunky.

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