RoboCop: Rogue City - An Unlikely Showcase for Unreal Engine 5 and a Total Blast to Play

Remember the "AA" game? It seems like they've vanished. Nowadays, it's either a colossal AAA title like Starfield or a surprise indie hit such as Unpacking. Games are either created with massive budgets or shoestring resources, leaving little room in between.

However, there was a time, especially in the 2010s, when AA games were a thing. Think of them as the "direct-to-video" version of the gaming world. I'm talking about games like NeverDead (where you control a decapitated head) and Rogue Warrior (which somehow roped in Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning actor Mickey Rourke, breaking the record for virtual cuss words).

While it looks leagues better than the two titles mentioned, RoboCop: Rogue City firmly sits as a AA game. If it were 1995, you'd probably be renting it from your local Blockbuster. Fortunately, it's 2024, and I've been immersing myself in this surprisingly excellent tie-in to one of the '80s most beloved action films through the Epic Games Store on one of the best gaming PCs. And oh boy, it's a massively violent surprise package. Despite its relatively low budget, it's a visually stunning game that utilizes Unreal Engine 5 better than any other title I've seen so far, putting you in the formidable metal shoes of one of the most iconic movie characters ever.

Let's face it

This is unmistakably the RoboCop from Paul Verhoeven’s legendary action flick. Developer Teyon managed to get actor Peter Weller to reprise the role, instantly giving Rogue City an authenticity that most licensed games lack. You sound like RoboCop, you look like RoboCop, and boy, do you feel like RoboCop.

Controlling "OCP Crime Prevention Unit 001" makes you feel like a walking tank. While the metal shell of Alex Murphy may not zip around like Sonic the Hedgehog, Rogue City feels refreshingly slick in its moment-to-moment gameplay.

A lot of that has to do with the fact that the game won't stop throwing enemies at you, and thankfully, you can throw them right back. Literally. I've lost count of the times I've tossed a mohawked baddie in a denim vest through a 20th-floor window.

Murphy’s iconic service weapon, the Auto 9, is a major reason why RoboCop

Rogue City is such a blast to play. The rat-a-tat sensation of emptying clips into goons never fails to bring a grin, with the added bonus that the game's default gun never runs out of ammo.

This isn’t a brain-dead shooter by any means. Teyon intelligently mixes things up with sandbox-style side missions that involve solving crimes scattered throughout sections of Old Detroit. It's in these moments where RoboCop can act like an actual policeman, albeit one more tanked up than The Terminator. Strangely, these optional side tasks remind me of the indie hit Papers, Please. Bureaucracy is the name of the game regarding these civilian-focused distractions. Murphy is about upholding the "Public’s Trust," you can either boost or tank this in-game meter by going strictly by the book or letting offenders off easy.

Whether you choose to be a by-the-book cop or a lead-blasting Robo freakin' Cop, Rogue City is one of the best-looking games I've ever played. It runs smoothly in its performance mode on PS5 and Xbox Series X, but it's next-level buttery on my RTX 4090-powered PC.

Considering developer Teyon didn't have Rocstar Games' budget levels, it's hugely impressive to see RoboCop: Rogue City deploy advanced Unreal 5 graphical features, like Nanite geometry that boosts background details and Lumen GI reflections. This is a game that legitimately looks better than Starfield, and one that was made for a fraction of Bethesda’s somewhat divisive sci-fi epic.

While overall review scores have been a little mixed, I heartily recommend you give Rogue City a chance. It’s an old-school shooter running on cutting-edge tech that’s often a delight to play. The only problem? It’s left me desperate for a decent single-player Predator game.

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