Robots - Australian Review (Reviews)

Chris Stead, GamePro Australia

31/05/2005 11:37:32

Robot City is a bustling hive of activity. It's dominated by spectacular panoramas, memorable characters, funny dialogue and one seriously wired transport system and this energetic and vibrant metropolis has been wonderfully captured in Robots, the video game. Indeed, its rich atmosphere and good-natured charm make for great escapism, helping you experience every step of young hero Rodney Copperbottom's journey as he leaves the safety of his hometown for the big city to realize his dreams of being a successful inventor.

Unfortunately, especially for older gamers, this only gets the game halfway and despite the universal appeal of the film, Robots aims for a pre-teen audience. Gameplay sticks to a very basic platforming template dominated by lots of collecting, repetitive 'search and find' missions and non-challenging combat. There are some nice ideas to help spice up proceedings, like pod-driving (where you control a steel cage along futuristic roads) and robot flying, but these are too rare to be exciting.

One interesting concept is the use of scrap metal. Scrap metal is Robots currency, but also its ammo, so the more bullets you fire, the less money you will have to spend in the shop (on weapon upgrades, equipment, health and behind-the-scenes extras). Rather than this being an interesting strategy dynamic, however, it simply leads you to use your melee weapon (wrench) in most combat situations.

Still, Robots does a very good job at creating the illusion of non-linearity. Multiple quests can run concurrently, levels feel open and ripe for exploration, NPCs deliver a wide range of funny dialogue and you are constantly upgrading your equipment. The presentation is ace as well! In the end, however, some frustrating control issues (especially with the camera, weapon changing and sensitivity) and a lack of challenge leave this game only worthy of the youngest gamers.

Verdict
A fun platformer that is bursting with life and ambition, but only delivers gameplay and challenge for the youngest gamers.
Pros: Visually stunning, free-roaming world, interesting characters.
Cons: Plenty of control bugs, bugger-all challenge, no multiplayer.

Score = 7.5/10



[ Printer Friendly Version ]
[ Other stories about Gameplay, HIS Limited ]



Graphics: 4.5 Sound: 4.0 Control: 3.5 Fun Factor: Fun Factor
Scoring scale: 1-5
Publisher: Vivendi / Developer: Eurocom Entertainment / Retail Price: $69.95 (GameCube) /, $49.95 (PC) /, $69.95 (PlayStation 2) /, $69.95 (Xbox) / Release date: 15/04/2004 / Genre: Action, Adventure / OFLC Rating: G