The 80’s were full of epic ‘versus’ moments. From Coca Cola vs Pepsi, to Alien vs Predator to Schwarzenegger vs Stallone, there were some epic playground debates over who would come out on top. Little did I know that, in 2023, one of the most epic grudge matches was set to return. Sort of. Both of the 1980s’ most famous androids have had games released this year, RoboCop: Rogue City and Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition.
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And since both games have come from the same studio, Polish developers Teyon, we thought it might be fun have these two 80’s icons duel. Detroit’s top robot cop faces off against the might of Skynet for your hard-earned cash. We’ll cover several categories to compare the two as they engage in code-to-code combat.
Story
Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition tells a tale set in LA in 2028. You play as Jacob Rivers, a solider who can change the path of the future. On the whole, it bolts onto the overall Terminator series story well by setting up the events of first movie.
With this being the Complete Edition there are also a few extras to be found in the mix; like Infiltrator Mode and the DLC Annihilation Line.
Infiltrator Mode lets you fill the boots of a lone damaged T-800 with one goal. That is, to kill everything that moves. Annihilation Line is a beefier offering, that was originally a standalone DLC. It throws you right into the action taking place midway through the main game.
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RoboCop: Rogue City is set between the RoboCop 2 and RoboCop 3 movies. So, Murphy is fairly set up in terms of his suit, and in terms of his position on the force and in the world.
Its main hook tells of OCP trying to replace him with less advanced models, as RoboCop deals with gangs poisoning the city with their new synthetic drug, Nuke. This gang oddly is lead by a man who looks the spitting image of Die Hard’s bad guy, Hans Gruber, played by movie legend Alan Rickman. RIP.
Those two threads wind around each other loosely, and you’ll also have to try and keep the mean streets of Detroit clean and uphold the law while you tackle your main troubles.
Winner – RoboCop: Rogue City
Terminator tells a tale we have all seen, there is no fate than the one we make and all that. RoboCop lets you play more of a part in his development, adding in moments where you can make him more human.
It’s a tale that feels like a missing movie script that would have made a much better film than we got with RoboCop 2. Fans of both will enjoy the care and respect Teyon have given to both licences in terms of their stories and lore, but RoboCop: Rogue City does more with its story.
Gameplay
Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition splits its gameplay into two sides. One, an open-level blaster, The other, spending way too long walking around camps, talking to people in a sort of Mass Effect style. This wandering and chit-chat gives you side missions as well as backstory.
The shooting and gunplay does the job in Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition but it can feel clumsy and awkward. Especially if you’re coming to it from the likes of Call of Duty or Halo. That said, there are lots of nods to fans, and being able to blast T-800s with complete with the iconic din of Terminator series weapons is undeniably fun.
But these thrills can’t save Terminator: Resistance from being a dull affair sometimes. The action never reaches the crescendo you feel coming. And for an enemy billed as an unstoppable force, the Terminators don’t really deliver either. 98% of the time, they just stand there as big shiny bullet sponges, firing back at you now and again.
Annihilation Line gives us 3 to 4 hours of better-paced added content. The other big addition, ‘Infiltrator Mode’ ticks the power fantasy box. ‘Infiltrator Mode’ also adds a bit of a roguelike element to the game.
RoboCop: Rogue City‘s gunplay and movement is very weighty, and, at times, clunky. However, it gets away with this deliberate, and sometimes sticky, movement as you are RoboCop, who is as graceful as a brick in a tumble dryer. Every step you take makes the iconic robotic thud and it helps sell the style.
When not busting crooks, you’ll be giving out tickets and fines, or at the station talking to your brothers in blue or getting worked on. There is a beefy upgrade system at play in the game. Unlocking these will let you slow down time, and even throw up a shield to block high calibre rounds.
Winner – Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition
RoboCop puts up a good fight, but he’s a bit stiff. This can be frustrating, even if it’s thematically sound. Additionally, that iconic thud will get on your nerves after the first half an hour or so.
In Terminator: Resistance, you fight as a relatively nimble human, and over an eight-hour run-time, this makes a huge difference. On top of that, the DLC and the alternative playstyle offered in Inflitration Mode add a lot of quality and variety to the base game.
Visuals
Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition hits that Terminator vibe, as you run through the ruins of a destroyed city. But the visual presentation overall is about adequate. Character models look a bit artificial with a weird doll-like quality to them.
RoboCop: Rogue City fares about as well as Terminator: Resistance. It nails the big screen iteration of Detroit. RoboCop: Rogue City shows a great level of care and attention went into its environment, from the slums to the skyscrapers. But like Terminator: Resistance, it can look dated in places.
Winner – Tie
Both games fully embody their sources and visually look the part; from the areas you fight through, to the little touches like RoboCop’s aim finder or the T-800 battle system vision. Plus, you can tell both games came from the same studio (just a touch).
Audio Presentation
Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition‘s voice acting is just about passable. However, the tone is all over the shop. When given what’s happening around you, though the remix of the Terminator theme is outstanding and overall soundtrack does the job.
RoboCop: Rogue City nails the sounds of the city and its surroundings, making outstanding use of audio from the movies; like ED-209 or your Auto 9 gun. It also goes one better than Terminator and sees Peter Weller reprising his role as RoboCop, adding even more weight to the character. Sadly, no Nancy Allen as your partner, Lewis.
RoboCop: Rogue City also features the full fat theme song, which plays during a few key missions, and really helps to get you in the mood for dishing out justice.
Winner – RoboCop: Rogue City
RoboCop takes the prize easily on the audio front, on the sole fact it bring back Peter Weller to voice of RoboCop after so many years, as he adds a real prestige to the game that Terminator: Resistance just lacks – that no doubt Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton or Michael Biehn could have added.
Overall
Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition is a game from 2019 with a few added extras for 2023. But, if you’re a fan, there is a hefty and loving pile of nods and winks to the movies. Some of these feel a bit dated, and, if we are honest, some of the gameplay feels that way too.
But, overall, much of Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition is a game based on much-loved movie series done right. And you can clearly see Teyon having learned lessons from Terminator.
If you’re looking for an FPS with a bit of a twist, RoboCop: Rogue City is worth the look. RoboCop: Rogue City is so much more than mindless shooting, and goes in some really interesting directions as Murphy coming to terms with what he has become.
Whereas Terminator: Resistance – Complete Edition delivers a fun, if a bit slow paced, core title, that is elevated by some excellent DLC and game options that make it a more complete package.
But going by the scores on the boards this epic face-off between two silver screen titans has gone to RoboCop: Rogue City, which is a tighter package overall, and has real heart. And this is something its Cybernetic Organism living-tissue-over-metal-endoskeleton brother is missing.