Rise of the Robots
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| Rise of the Robots | |
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| Developer(s) | Mirage |
| Publisher(s) | Time Warner Interactive |
| Designer(s) | Andy Clark, Richard Joseph, Kwan Lee, Sean Naden, Jason Page |
| Release date(s) | 1994 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Two player |
| Rating(s) | ELSPA: 3+ ESRB: K-A (SNES, Genesis, 3DO, Sega CD) |
| Platform(s) | 3DO, Amiga (1200/4000), Amiga CD32, Arcade, CD-i, Game Boy, PC, Game Gear, Sega Master System, Sega Mega Drive, SNES, |
| Media | CD-ROM, 3½ inch Floppy (Amiga version) |
| Input | Joystick, Keyboard |
Rise of the Robots is a computer game developed by Mirage Media, released by Time Warner Interactive in 1994 and ported to numerous other game systems. Rise of the Robots is noted as one of the least successful and critically maligned fighters of all time. Featuring incredible graphics for the time, it suffered from a myriad of crippling gameplay problems.
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[edit] Plot details
The plot, heavily inspired by such movies as Blade Runner, Metropolis and Terminator, centers on events in the Electrocorp factory in the fictional city of Metropolis 4, set in an unspecified time in the future.
When demands placed on Electrocorp as the world’s leading manufacturer and developer of advanced robotics had outstripped the company’s ability to run its massive Metropolis 4 plant efficiently, the decision was made to move ahead with the top-secret Leader Project. Devised to perfect a multi-task, ultra-intelligent, self-aware robot capable of managing every aspect of the plant’s day-to-day operations, the project was immediately given top priority, and as such, the Supervisor Droid was born.
Events quickly escalated as the Leader Project went awry and the Supervisor took control of Electrocorp's facilities. Infected by a strain of the EGO virus, mutiny broke out amongst the droids of the plant, effectively leaving the Supervisor in command of their actions. As a containment measure, operations were shut down at once under the guise of technical modification, and now, the ECO35-2 cyborg, (a.k.a. Coton), is sent in to neutralize the insurgent robots and crush the imminent outbreak into Metropolis 4.
A cyborg by design, his state-of-the-art technology renders him on par with his android counterparts, while his humanity leaves him one-step ahead of their thinking.
[edit] Characters
The Electrocorp’s plant at Metropolis 4 is alive with all manner of robotics, many of which were worker drones with simplistic CPUs until the Supervisor reprogrammed them with self-awareness and infected them with the EGO virus. Now, even the most basic robots pose a serious threat to the ECO35-2 and its mission. Each droid has its own strengths and weaknesses which will put the Cyborg to the ultimate test of its robotic strength, and its human will.
[edit] ECO35-2
The most closely guarded of Electrocorp’s research and development designs, the ECO Project was rivaled in secrecy and funding only by the Leader Project.
The complexities inherent in producing a cybernetic organism – half-human half-machine – caused a great deal of difficulty in the early stages of the project. The body of the human subject often rejected the mechanical elements of the android, considerably draining the project’s funding and wasting a good number of human subjects (Although no accurate records are available, it has been rumored that several hundred humans have already been used in the development of the ECO project). Now, however, these setbacks have been overcome, and the ECO35-2 is a fully functioning bipedal android that mirrors the human form. This combination of man and machine houses a human brain inside a sturdy cross-fiber multimaterial alloy skull, attached to a structural skeleton made from a wide range of materials.
[edit] Loader
Durable and versatile, the Loader Droid was, at the time of its conception, the cutting edge in all-purpose utility robotics, and it brought Electrocorp its first commercial success. Though primitive compared to the BHF03 Builder Droid that superseded it some years ago, the number of Loaders still at work in Electrocorp’s main plant is a testament to the quality of their design.
The low-slung Loader is agile in spite of its heavy chassis. Its real weakness in combat is its lack of intelligence; programmed only for simple tasks, its simplistic CPU is devoid of any self-defense software. As a result, the Loader must rely on its slow-moving task modification and hazard avoidance programs, which are ill suited for combat--especially against today’s technology. This limits the Loader’s ability to effectively wield its massive pallet forks, and impressive strength.
[edit] Builder
The next generation in Electrocorp’s industrial utility droids, the BHF03 Builder combines a Gorilla like form with a primitive neural network CPU. This gives it the ability to mimic more complex heavy assembly tasks, oversee the production line, and assist in the manufacturing process. It was designed with powerful arms and a low center of gravity for balance, making it extremely adaptable to a combat role. Its huge arms can swing in a tremendous arc and land blows with a force of several tons. The top-heavy Builder has an ape-like appearance, and leans forward to present the bulk of its upper chassis while protecting its comparatively delicate legs. Its low intelligence forces it into this defensive posture, which can be difficult to penetrate.
[edit] Crusher
The Crusher was developed specifically for use as a safety droid with the Electrocorp plant and was never intended for commercial distribution. Though it spends the majority of its time disposing of heavy and toxic industrial waste materials, its primary function is to immobilize and destroy dangerously malfunctioning production droids. It is, simply put, a robot killer, and was designed to outmanoeuvre and overpower any robot.
The Crusher’s hi-resolution sensors are linked to a CPU that is not dissimilar from the ECO35-2. Its CPU downloads information into a robotics design database, thereby quickly identifying its opponent’s weak points, allowing Crusher to waste no time in going for the mechanical jugular of its opponent. Its fragile, bug-like appearance is deceptive. It can readily shrug off jarring physical attacks and counter by pinning a foe with its pincers and then demolishing it with powerful mandibles.
[edit] Military
From its inception, Electrocorp’s extensive contract work on government military projects has been the bread and butter of the company’s profits. Included in these contracts is the top-secret military droid, code name, “The Exterminator”. A number of working prototypes of this dangerous machine were in testing at the time of the Supervisor’s takeover, and now it is feared that these sophisticated weapons of destruction have been corrupted by the EGO virus, and may even be in mass production. These droids have been designed for the sole purpose of fulfilling a combat role, and are equipped with an advanced CPU learning processor, and specialized software for unarmed combat. They have incredible intelligence and a heavily armored humanoid form; these make them adaptable to nearly any combat situation. Their arms, legs, hands, and feet are crafted of solid, hyper-dense steel, and are wielded and flailed like maces to deliver crushing forceful blows.
[edit] Sentry
Another combat-specific droid, the bulky Sentry stands an intimidating 3.5 meters tall and represents the next generation of military robotics. Despite their power and weapons carrying ability large combat droids have historically been at a disadvantage against smaller droids and human opponents. But the Sentry’s high-output central power supply, super-rapid CPU, and all-mode threat sensor hardware have overcome these problems.
Despite the Sentry’s incredible girth, its casehardened fiberglass outer shell is sturdy but light, and its dorsal mounted jet pack enhances the droid’s already considerable leaping ability. Quick-thinking threat sensors allow the Sentry to introduce counter sequences to any attack almost instantaneously. Gigantic, alien-countenanced, and blood red color (for easy recognition in battlefield testing) the Sentry is threatening and dangerous in more than just appearance.
[edit] The Supervisor
A complete departure from conventional robotics, the Supervisor represents the dawn of a new era in metallurgy, artificial intelligence, and robotic engineering. The Supervisor was the first droid designed to replace humans in management rather than production positions. It was made self-aware, and given a neural learning CPU, giving it the ability to adapt and think on its own. The Supervisor relies on electrical flux physics and the liquid properties of polymetamorphic titanium alloy. By adjusting the flow of the electrical charge, this alloy can reshape and mold itself into any form.
[edit] The game
The game is divided into a single player mode and a two player versus mode. In single player mode the player controls the ECO32-2 Cyborg as he confronts the Supervisor’s minions across the vast facilities of Electrocorp. The order in which each droid is fought is fixed, with each next adversary more difficult than the last. The sixth and final level is a confrontation with the Supervisor droid itself. Each character is introduced by a short CGI sequence, followed by an analysis of potential weaknesses.
In two player versus mode, one player controls the ECO35-2 droid by default, while the other chooses between one of the five droids seen in single player mode (a special cheat code can enable the Supervisor as well). Players then battle out against each other in 2 to 7 rounds.
Although the game boasted original soundtrack music by Brian May (former guitarist of Queen), only a short intro from The Dark appeared in the final release, while the actual in-game score was done by Mirage. Whereas May did in fact record a full soundtrack to the game, his record company EMI requested numerous delays, which consequently prompted Mirage to proceed without the music rather than having to reschedule the release date.
[edit] Critical reception
While Rise of the Robots received many accolades for its state-of-the-art graphic design, it was almost universally panned by video game critics at the time of its release. Main points of criticism were the limited two-player combat mode, the awkward controls and the problematic CPU intelligence. In addition, each droid had a small set of standard actions and only two or three special moves, all controlled by one button.
Since the characters in single player were positioned in mounting difficulty, this meant they were imbalanced in two player mode. Some droids were able to kill with one blow while others could inflict only minor damage. As such Rise of the Robots was unable to contend with more popular fighting titles of the time such as Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter.
Furthermore, Rise of the Robots was ported to almost every available video game system of the time, making it even more widely reviled across gaming platforms.
Journalist Stuart Campbell wrote an open letter to Mirage and Time Warner, angrily asking them how they thought they could get away with producing such a poor game and relying on marketing hype to sell it. [1]
[edit] Follow-up
Despite its failure to gain popular attraction, Mirage released Rise 2: Resurrection in 1996 as a more conventional fighting game with extended features. The story expanded further upon that of the original game. Originally made for computer systems, it was ported to the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn as well, again with little success.
One notable aspect of Rise 2 was that it featured an original song by Queen guitarist Brian May, entitled "Cyborg". The PC CD-ROM of the game featured two versions of the track in audio CD format along with other music from the game, and the European-released Director's Cut edition of the game featured a second CD with two additional versions of the song, as well as computer-altered sound files of May saying various words and phrases from the game. A newer version of "Cyborg" later appeared on May's 1998 album, Another World.
[edit] References
- ^ Stuart Campbell. Open letter about ROTR to Mirage and Time Warner. AP2.
[edit] External links
- Rise of the Robots at Mobygames - Overview of the game and description of all available ports.
