Developer: Gray Matter Publisher Razorsoft Release: 90 Genre: Action
In the early days of the Sega Genesis third party support was scarce. You can thank Nintendo’s strong arm tactics for that. But because of that many PC developers saw an opportunity and ported their titles to Sega’s black box. These games ranged from hidden gems to outright disasters. Technocop is sort of in the middle. The idea behind the game is sound. But somewhere along the way it becomes a tedious mess that is best forgotten.
In Technocop you play a police officer in a near future urban environment. Your job is to catch the various criminals that crop up before the time limit runs out and they get away. There is no overarching story, just you and the bad guys. Technocop saw release on nearly every computer format of the 80s before arriving on the Genesis. It was also one of the earliest games to carry a warning label due to its violence which is quaint now but was shocking back then. The gore does not make up for the fact that the game is short on ideas and just not very good.
Technocop has two halves. On the overworld you drive the back roads of the city, destroying cars and trucks on your way to the next crime in progress. The distance to each target increases as you progress and the opposition becomes more aggressive as well. Initially you face the occasional motorcycle and car that are easy to avoid. But they are quickly joined by trucks and bikers that hop on your hood to distract you. You have infinite ammo and limited nukes (!) but eventually earn side mounted cannons and tire spikes although their effectiveness is questionable. These portions of the game are simple although if your car is destroyed it is an immediate game over which is flat out dumb.
Once you reach your destination the second half begins. You explore each building on foot to find your target within a limited time. Every building is a maze of tunnels and elevators as you fight criminals, junkies, and try to avoid killing innocent civilians. You get a minor point penalty for this but unless you care about a high score it does not matter. The levels are massive and your obnoxiously large wrist mounted computer only gives vague direction. Bottom line, prepare to tough it out on your own. Your only weapons here are your pistol and nets to capture enemies. It all sounds thrilling but Technocop has serious problems.
The controls when on foot are incredibly sluggish. There is notable input delay and the entire thing feels like the game is always a half step too slow. Because of this attempting to dodge bullets or enemies is pointless. You are better off taking the hit to end it fast. The level design is also thoroughly awful. The layout of each hideout becomes increasingly more complex as you progress. But it is done in the most obnoxious manner possible. Blind leaps are common and if you fall more than 2 stories you die. Buildings comprise multiple floors but making the elevators work properly is frustrating. These all lead to wasting time although there are no repercussions for a suspecting getting away, either because you ran out of time or died. It makes the entire game feel like it does not matter.
Perhaps the biggest flaw of Technocop is that it is incredibly repetitive. The game recycles all of its content to an insane degree. Every drive on the highway is exactly the same. The scenery never changes and there isn’t anything even remotely close to a turn. You will face the same two cars and a monster truck for the entire length of the game. The criminal hideouts are no better. Every building uses the exact same tile set. The layout changes but the look is identical. They may add pipes or broken down machinery but it never changes. You will also face the same three criminals over and over again. I could maybe forgive the recycling of assets if they at least added new enemies. But they don’t even do that little and the game suffers for it.
In Closing
Disappointing. That best describes Technocop. Technocop could have been an interesting title with some work. Instead it is a boring and repetitive adventure that overstays its welcome. Blood and guts cannot cover up a shoddy product.
