RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business review for PS5, Xbox, PC
Platform: PS5
Also On: PC, Xbox Series X
Publisher: NACON
Developer: Teyon
Medium: Digital/Disc/Cart
Players: 1
Online: No
ESRB: M
2023’s RoboCop: Rogue City was a refreshing title which didn’t try to reinvent the iconic cybernetic law enforcer for a new audience, but rather a bridge title that tried to fill out the space between the 2nd and 3rd film. As the reviewer of that title, I enjoyed returning to the universe without it being a complete shooting gallery. Robo went on patrol…solved street crimes and his actions could even affect the future of several characters. So when Unfinished Business was revealed, I was looking forward to another ride along with the future of law enforcement. Did this second adventure in the Rogue City series prove to be as enjoyable as the first?
Tell me if you’ve heard this story before. Metro West, the police precinct where RoboCop is stationed has been attacked and the equipment which is used to maintain Robo has been pilfered. After finding Sergeant Reed wounded, Murphy was informed by him and other bystanders that technology stolen from the precinct along with other items can be used to build a device which can remotely control any OCP products. Through an extreme convenient circumstance one of the attackers dropped a keycard to the OCP OmniTower, a brutalist structure that seeks to house the dregs of Detroit society as Delta City is being constructed is a vital clue as to where this mercenary crew might be holed up. Robo sees it as his duty to go to the OmniTower and bring these mercenaries to justice. I Dredd having to say this, but this Raid on the OmniTower will definitely draw comparisons to other films, but you know what, it’s a good plot device, so why not revisit it once in a blue moon.
That said, the supporting cast that was featured in the original Rogue City is seemingly hand waved away, Reed is in the hospital, your partner Anne Lewis is in charge of the precinct during the sergeant’s time away, even characters exclusive to Rogue City such as Ulysses Washington are nowhere to be seen. When Teyon declared that this was a standalone adventure…they weren’t kidding. Unfinished Business is relatively a solitary journey with your banter usually relegated to the mysterious scientist who aids you along the way and the occasional banter between you and the leader of the mercenaries, Cassius Grave.
Whereas Rogue City featured a variety of environments such as the precinct, Old Detroit and even OCP Headquarters, the game had some semblance of free roaming. Unfinished Business guides you through a very strict path with the occasional hub areas where you can partake in side missions which involve the locals stuck in the tower. If the police work missions from the first game didn’t really immerse you, then the ones found in Unfinished Business will be no different. It’s usually solved via text prompts and observation work, however if you want your Robo to be powered up you will want to seek out and aid these citizens.
So while gameplay is quite linear, Unfinished Business does occasionally take users on detours with one which was revealed during the game’s lead up. You actually get to take control of Alex Murphy on an ill-fated mission which will tie into the plot of this game. Playing the living character was a nice change, simply because he could actually run at a speed significantly faster than the cyborg. I wasn’t a big fan of regenerating health that Alex got, but thankfully he never overstayed his welcome. I will hint that a later scenario in which you control another character will be something RoboCop fans never knew they wanted, but the team at Teyon nailed that sequence along with dropping an amazing easter egg.
The Skill Tree and Auto-9 PCB systems return in Unfinished Business and this adds a bit of variety of how your Robo will control. The skill tree actually saw the pruning of one of its branches, specifically the Psychology branch. In the original game, leveling up this line will let you find optimal answers during the game’s branching dialogs…something that still exists, but the emphasis has been dramatically decreased. How you interact with the Auto-9 PCB system will really determine how gunplay will be for you. If you are diligent in using the right PCB and avoiding any penalties, you will likely never use any firearms besides Robo’s signature weapon. Unlike in Rogue City, I actually found myself mainlining the title using the Auto-9, occasionally using the newly introduced Cryo Gun for crowd control purposes.
Given the controlled environment, the enemy forces are pretty relentless. You will have to contend with not just mercenaries, but also the criminal element which resides in the tower. The latter is easier to deal with as they tend to be less armored…the former will grow increasingly tougher as you have heavily armored units, shielded units and even flying units. The mercenaries will also not hesitate to utilize drones to hinder your ascent with both flying and ground based drones who will not be afraid to do a suicide charge in hopes of ending your progress. That said, despite how well protected these hired guns are…no one really protects their crotch and like the last game which featured a 100% male enemy force, a finely placed shot to the crotch will put any enemy out of action.
So overall did Unfinished Business surpass the original Rogue City? I would say no, a lot of the ambition of Rogue City was stripped away (Even the game’s Public Trust System was quietly done away with) and Unfinished Business felt like Teyon wanted to tell a very specific tale. It tries to add to the mythos of the character, but if you never play this title you’d be none the wiser. That said I would listen to Peter Weller read the phonebook, so I was glad the actor turned professor took time to reprise his role as the character once. The shooting was fine, but after completing the game I felt I didn’t need to do anything else besides some achievement/trophy clean up.
While I also have not done a second playthrough of Rogue City, I know it is more replayable simply because the fate of characters such as Ulysses Washington, Doc Blanche, and Mayorship of Detroit was in your control. That said I still had a fine time with Unfinished Business as it was tuned more as an action blockbuster and less of the satire and biting commentary that the first film was. If you want to turn your brain off and shoot some dudes in the junk for justice this absolutely is a title for you and the fact that it is a budget title ($29.99) it will certainly move some units.
Note: NACON provided us with a RoboCop: Rogue City – Unfinished Business PS5 code for review purposes.
Score: 8
