Another arcade classic from yesteryear is reborn on Xbox Live Arcade and is a game that introduced the player to using two joysticks at once. Midway’s Robotron 2084 is fast paced, highly frustrating but also addictive at the same time.

Gameplay

The premise is rather simple; you control a tiny man as he runs around the screen shooting and avoiding enemies. The character that you control can fire off a rapid fire laser in eight directions and this is where the right thumb stick comes into use where by tilting the stick in a certain direction will make our little friend fire off his laser towards where you have pointed. Scattered about the levels are a number of moving humans that need to be rescued before they are killed by the enemies. Walking over the humans instantly rescues them and nets you some nice points which multiply every time you rescue a person on a level.

The player warps into each level and can only progress when all enemies that can be killed are destroyed. There is an enemy type that cannot be killed which acts as a blocker to your shots this means being extra careful with regards to your positioning and who you are firing at. The basic enemies seem programmed to simply head straight for you as soon as the game begins, which means a quick trigger finger and some nifty movement around the screen is required. As you move up the levels, more enemy types become introduced including enemies that can spawn more units which will make your life hell. There are also enemies which can fire projectiles at you thus becoming the most frustrating thing about the game. It seems the computer is too good at predicting your movements even when you are attempting to be unpredictable and also your shots don’t seem to connect sometimes. Either way after level 4 things start to get a little crazy as you enter a bonus round during level 5 which has enemies attacking humans and then sending them after you like walking homing missiles all the while shooting various lasers at you and spawning more enemies. If you thought that was enough then there are things like mines and holes in the ground to avoid as well because one touch means instant death, although these can be used to your advantage as they kill enemies as well. With perseverance and some skill you will be able to clear these but it seems a good tactic is to build up extra lives during the easier levels (by rescuing as many humans as possible). Also keeping a keen eye on the spawn enemies is a must if you are to get through beyond level 4.

Graphics

Robotron 2084 was one of the early arcade games and its graphics are really very basic indeed. The viewpoint is a top down view yet the characters are viewed as if they are lying on the ground. For its time Robotron is pretty intense with all the on screen activity yet when compared to other arcade games available via Live then the graphics are pretty poor especially if you compare to games like Geometry Wars 2. The 360 incarnation of the game allows you to resize the screen and also has enhanced graphics which improve things ever so slightly. Not a game for graphics junkies that’s for sure.

Sound

The sound effects are bold yet simple and there really isn’t any music so all you are going to hear are synthesised screams from the humans getting killed, blown up enemies and your laser fire. Surprisingly it all works well and I think any music would destroy the mood of the game because despite its simple looks you really need to concentrate when playing.

Longevity

Well there are plenty of levels to wade through if you have the skills but I am pretty certain that a number of people won’t have them; even reaching level 10 is quite a challenge which I am proud to say I accomplished. Robotron is a game that you pick up and play for 20 minutes as you try and beat your best score or compete with your friends on the world leader boards. You can play Robotron over Live either in co-op where one person controls movement and the other fires the weapon which is interesting to say the least or you can do a verses match where two of you play the game with the player who has the highest score being the winner. It’s a simple addition to the basic game and works. The only real problem is finding other players to challenge as there seems to be a lack of players on at any time.

Overall

Robotron 2084 doesn’t compare to the fully 3D games we are used to today but is an interesting game to play just to see how far things have evolved since when it was considered cutting edge game play. The fast paced and often seemingly unfair nature of the game will either make you weep or more determined to succeed; but I suspect that most gamers will not have the patience to keep getting killed in what feels like the most cheapest way over and over again. Robotron 2084 is great in very short bursts and that’s about it.

The Pros

The Cons