Robotica

If you've been clamoring for some nasty, first-person perspective action, take a chance with Robotica. Acclaim is bringing this one out for the Sega Saturn, and it looks pretty cool. You control a heavily armed droid, seeking out enemies in a giant space station.

Along the way you'll arm yourself with more and more weapons. All the better to wreak carnage on your Sega Saturn.

FIRST IMPRESSION

The cinema that starts this game tells the story and really gets you ready for action. In the first level, I was impressed by the smooth motion and the way your vital information is spread around the screen without being obtrusive.

BEST FEATURE

The best features include the graphics and the control, which are both top-notch. The game also runs very smoothly without the interference of a lot of loading time.

WHAT'S MISSING

Variety plain and simple. After five or so levels, I began to get a little bored. The objective is the same in every level: Find the key and get out. This can get really monotonous.

WILL YOU LIKE IT?

Only hard-core fans of first-person action games will really like this game. If you are expecting a game with a lot of secrets and hidden areas like Doom, you will be disappointed at how straightforward the levels are.

DIFFICULTY - Hard

THEME - Action

NUMBER OF PLAYERS - 1

People say:

6.5

Robotica has a cool opening that tells you the story and gets you hyped-up for an intense adventure. Sad to say. the game fails to carry through on its promise and only delivers another first-person run around and shoot-em-up. The objective on the levels is always the same and there are no secrets. There are no other guns besides the ones you start out with and even though you can power these up. the icons that do so are few and far between. It just didn't have it.

7.0

If companies are going to make more Doom rip-offs, they should take a look at Robotica on how to rip off with some originality! I liked the control, as compared to my disappointment with Kileak. Intelligence actually makes a difference in this game. Unlike other Doom-type games, you can think through strategies of familiar enemies, and devise strategies around them. Oh, and control! You can actually glean control from this game. Strategy, fun and control...imagine that.

7.5

Robotica is yet another futuristic Doom clone. However, the graphics are pretty good (although not as crisp as those on Kileak), the audio is above average and the enemies are cool looking. The technique is more refined here. Most hits from the enemy can be avoided with a little forethought. The control was easy to get into, and it responded well. Robotica has an excellent story. I would recommend this CD. It's fun--one of the better games of the genre.

7.5

This is a pretty decent Doom clone with a lot of what makes Doom a great game. There are a wide variety of weapons and options, such as a' shield and the ability to hover. Where this game breaks down a little is in the levels--they really start to look redundant. Also. I wish you could power-up your guns but that's asking a bit much since Doom doesn't even have that feature. Overall, it's rather cool and plays well, but I got bored due to the redundant backgrounds.