Revisit the Future: Navigating RoboCop: Rogue City

RoboCop: Rogue City could well be the first 3D video game to truly do justice to the timeless, hyper-violent original movie. And with the mechanical tones of original RoboCop actor Peter Weller issuing from your cyborg self as you deal with Old Detroit’s urban miscreants, justice is what you’ll dispense. Intel Gaming Access fused man and machine to chase down Piotr Latocha, game director on RoboCop: Rogue City at developer Teyon, and make him spill the beans.

Set following the events of the 1990 film RoboCop 2, the original story in RoboCop: Rogue City sees Lewis and Reed back at Murphy’s side as he heads back into battle with Old Detroit’s revitalised criminal underbelly. Extra spice is provided by the return of RoboCop’s even more robotic nemesis, ED-209, and the introduction of an all-new criminal mastermind, who naturally has little love for our iconic man-machine.

The 80s action flick genre never grows old when it comes to delivering visceral thrills, a belief the Teyon team subscribes to wholeheartedly. “The inspiration for RoboCop: Rogue City primarily comes from the beloved RoboCop films, which have left a significant mark on popular culture,” said Piotr. “We aimed to capture the essence of the character and the gritty, futuristic world of Old Detroit. Additionally, we drew inspiration from classic 80s action films, ensuring that the gameplay and storytelling would resonate with fans of the genre.”

There’s gloves-off violence and copious blood-letting in RoboCop: Rogue City, but not only. The game delivers a blend of exploration and investigation elements, and invites players to use RoboCop’s retro-futuristic onboard tech to solve crimes and unearth secrets hidden in the city’s dark corners. “Players can expect an immersive experience,” Piotr promised. “They will delve into a gripping narrative, make impactful choices that affect the game’s outcome, and engage in intense and brutal action sequences.”

As we know, Murphy’s superlative firepower (handily stashed in his robo-leg, of course) packs a heck of a punch, which required some careful managing by Teyon to keep the fun level as high as the body count. “One notable challenge was striking the right balance between RoboCop’s immense power and the need for engaging gameplay,” Piotr explained. “We wanted players to feel like RoboCop, while maintaining a challenge level that keeps the game exciting. Iterative design and player feedback were crucial in finding that balance.”

When it comes to tearing up the streets of Old Detroit on PC, the Teyon team recommends players go in fully armed. “PC performance is vital for RoboCop: Rogue City because we want players to have a seamless and immersive experience,” said Piotr. “We recommend playing on a high-performance PC that meets or exceeds the game’s minimum system requirements, to ensure that players can enjoy the game at its best, with smooth graphics and quick load times.”

To help max out the potential of the game on PC, the team entered into a new collaboration with Intel, which is paying dividends. “It’s the first time we have directly collaborated with Intel,” Piotr noted. “The game has been constantly tested by Intel’s QA team, with feedback regarding its performance and stability.”

Another way the collaboration will directly benefit players is through the integration of Intel? Xe Super Sampling (XeSS). “We used the official XeSS plugin to quickly turn on the XeSS Upscaling in Unreal Engine, and we received Intel? ArcTM GPUs to test our game in the office,” Piotr explained. “The XeSS plugin integration was smooth, and our Intel contacts were proactively suggesting solutions to enhance the experience on Intel hardware.”

To close, Piotr shows his RoboCop fan stripes with this fun factoid: “Most of the scenes of the original 1987 RoboCop film were shot in Dallas, although the story takes place in Detroit,” he said, adding intriguingly: “We even have an Easter egg about that in the game.” Time to hit the mean streets and hunt down Piotr’s hidden egg. And mete out some RoboCop justice from the business end of your trusty Auto-9 pistol, while you’re at it.

Pre-purchase RoboCop: Rogue City on Steam