Rise of the Robots Longplay (PC DOS) [60 FPS]
518Developed by Mirage and published by Time Warner Interactive in 1994.
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Although I recently reviewed the SNES version of Rise of the Robots, I wanted to do a video on the original DOS PC version of the game since this was the version I owned. I finally found a way to record this version without having to include all the footage of me losing/dying/sucking at the game (believe me, there was a lot of it...), so I I'm pleased to be able to bring you this video much sooner than I'd anticipated.
For those who missed my SNES review, I've copied the story summary:
The story involves a computer virus that has infected the robots of a large mega-corporation. Many of these robots are top-secret military projects that pose a serious threat to the populace's safety, so a highly advanced prototype Cyborg combat unit is deployed to tackle the threat and to take the robots offline.
So, why go to the trouble of recording the PC version you ask? For one thing, it has the best graphics of all the versions available and the console versions really didn't do the game much justice on this front. Not only do the pre-rendered 3D sprites in the PC version knock spots off any of the other versions, but it runs at a resolution of 640 x 400; SVGA graphics still weren't common even in 1994.
The quality of the sound effects are also noticeably higher quality than the console counterparts, although it's a shame that there isn't more music. In fact, Brian May's contribution seems to be a short guitar riff during the opening credits and little else.
To my knowledge, the CD-based versions of the game on 3DO (and possibly CD-i/PC CD-ROM versions) had an expanded audio score and longer cut-scenes between the fights.
Unfortunately, the actual playability of the PC version is even more woeful than the SNES. The game is considerably more difficult owing to the fact that the opponents are often psychic, countering your moves before you even attack. There's also an extremely annoying tendency for enemy attacks to override your own, so you take damage even though your Cyborg clearly made contact with the enemy. Things become somewhat more manageable if you can pull off the special moves, but certain enemies, the green Crusher droid especially, will have you crying out in frustration.
The game decides to go all Ghosts 'n Goblins on you by sending you back to the beginning of the game after you defeat the red Sentry droid, forcing you to fight all of the opponents for a second time. Only if you prevail are you allowed to have a final showdown with the Supervisor.
The PC version also suffers from some pretty clunky controls. Unlike other versions of the game, here you have an attack power meter that can be charged by holding down the fire button. Releasing the button and pushing left or right will unleash an attack, but the console versions clearly have the edge with joypads that support multiple buttons.
Despite improved graphics, the PC version of Rise is even more of a dog's dinner than the console versions. In fact, eating a dog's dinner would be preferable to playing this rubbish!
#retrogaming