Fighting games are still all the rage. In the arcades and on the various consoles systems, the most innovations being done in the video gaming arena are being done on new fighting games. The market has essentially become a war zone where companies are constantly trying to outdo what everyone else has done, in hopes that they'll have the next Street Fighter 2 or Mortal Kombat.
Mirage Technologies of Europe decided early on that they wanted to create something that, at the time, was new and exciting. They created impressive robotic combatants using state of the art 3D rendering technology to create a new breed of fighting game. There was much excitement about their upcoming game, Rise of the Robots, and everyone had high hopes and even higher hype.
So now, after long delays, Rise of the Robots is finally out. Unfortunately, it may be a case of too little, too late. By now, 3D rendering, always my favorite graphics system, has become the rage in the industry- with Nintendo's awesome fighter, Killer Instinct, dominating the arcades and great games like Donkey Kong Country and Gex in homes. With the glut of fighters for every system, a new one has to be really special to gain ground.
Rise of the Robots suffers a lot because it really is a rather aged game. It was announced something like two years ago and the designers neglected to upgrade their game engine as fighting games made in Japan and the US did. The 3DO version is definitely the best version of the game and a lot of the features that caused all the hype are on the disk in full glory. Spectacular cinemas, cool soundtracks and excellent computer generated characters make Rise of the Robots a feast for the eyes and, to some extent, the ears. The robotic brawlers are all vastly different from one another, which is a rarity in most fighting games and a big plus. Also, the game is storyline driven, which is good in some ways and bad in another.
In Rise of the Robots, the Metropolis 4 Electrocorp plant has been taken over by the ego-virus infected, morphing Supervisor droid. The Supervisor has infected the rest of the robots in the plant and plans to start a war against humanity. So, obviously, something must be done. As the story goes, the head office wanted to nuke the facility, but decided to give the ECO35-2 experimental cyborg a chance to clean up the place instead. In order to minimize damage to the plant, the lone cyborg would go into the infected factory unarmed. Plot holes aside, it's better then most fighting game story lines which inevitably involve a missing girlfriend, or a power hungry Kung Fu freak.
Unfortunately, in Rise, the player can only take the role of the cyborg. To add insult to injury, even in the two player versus mode, player 1 must still always be the cyborg hero- which is downright inane. On top of that, there are only six other robotic combatants and, depending upon your skill level, you have to fight them twice in a row( with the exception of the final droid and the Supervisor if you play on normal or easy.).
Play control for Rise of the Robots is pretty responsive, though, and the game moves at a moderately brisk pace. There is no option to adjust the speed, however, which should be a given in any fighter. Unfortunately, Rise just doesn't have enough attack moves. Absolute made the 3DO version of Rise utilize standard 6 button control, doing away with the powerup strength bar from previous versions. But, the robots still only have about ten moves each- the only difference between the various punch and kick buttons is the speed and power level of each attack. Also, like Samurai Shodown on the 3DO, in order to kick, you must hold the Right shift button down, then press A, B, or C.
Special moves are less then special as well. These are high tech, awesome looking robots, but none of them have any specials with any pizzazz or interest at all. Special moves in Rise amount to things like shoulder rams, ariel headbutts and other mundane moves. There is nothing in the way of missile fire, electricity bolts, or anything at all that you'd expect a combat robot to have. Rise of the Robots also does not have body throw moves, which is equally as unfortunate. For the most part, the special moves are pretty easy to do, involving simply pressing things like down, down and any of the punch buttons.
There are some other odd quirks in the game as well. The characters certainly could have been bigger and, on top of that, the backgrounds are totally static- they don't scroll at all. The game allows you to choose whether you want the cool Brian May soundtrack or an original techno soundtrack when first booting the game. Unfortunately, the music is only played during the cinema sequences, not during the actual game. Sound is extremely minimal while playing, with only clanking attack sounds and some atmospheric, mechanical humming in the background. Also, Rise of the Robots must be rebooted after a game ends- win or lose- which is inexplicable.
Presentation wise, Rise of the Robots has a lot to offer. It's fun while it lasts, but doesn't have anywhere near the substance and play value of most other fighting games. It does have great movie-like sequences and highly original characters, which I'd like to see in other new fighting games. Unfortunately, the total lack of different and interesting moves really cuts down Rise's playability and play value.
Bottom line: if you're looking for a good, solid fighting game for the 3DO, then pick up Street Fighter 2 or Samurai Shodown. If you're a fighting fan who just wants something new and different, then you might find Rise of the Robots enjoyable. The storyline, told so visually, does tend to add quite a bit of play value to the game and the original robot characters are a lot of fun to play with. Overall, Rise of the Robots is definitely more of a treat for the eyes, then anything else and it's a shame more wasn't done with such a great concept. Hopefully, there will be a sequel that takes care of Rise's shortcomings.
