A neat idea during its time, but today, Technocop is very lackluster. Recommended only to Hardcore Collectors.
Technocop was primly an Action game that combined driving elements and walk-n-shoot elements. The idea behind this, at least for an old school game, is very wicked on paper. But does the game hold its candle well today?
You start the game with a very nice introduction featuring the Razorsoft Logo. But then, the cheesy title screen comes up, and once you press start, you're in your nice 80's esque sports car and drive on the road. However, you are equipped with a gun to shoot down cars, but shooting down the cars is very difficult, since they take many hits and they move around so much. You aren't required to shoot them down, but if you don't they can REALLY get in the way. Once you've gone a considerable distance, your radar detects a crime scene going on. So you now pull over and check out the building.
The screen is divided in half. The top half is where you control your cop throughout the building, while the bottom half indicates where the boss is and what type of weapon you're using. Many punks will come out of doors unexpectedly, and will try to hurt you. You may use your gun to shoot them down, but it takes several hits for them to die. Even while the punks take damage, they can still attack you freely, which is kinda unfair. This is what makes the game rather frustrating once you get to the later levels. Once you get to the boss, there's a certain way in order to defeat him. Sometimes your mission will be to ether kill him, or just capture him. If you fail to do ether, you will lose points. Also, the boss has a smart way of killing you. So if you lose a life, they will escape and you fail the mission. If you succeed or fail, then you'll return to your sports car by traveling back. Then you'll be off to the next crime scene.
Most of the fun this game has to offer is within the investigation action scenes. The driving part is rather bland and not too interesting. The cop is given 5 lives, but believe me, unless you're very experienced, you'll die often. After a few scenes, the gameplay gets very challenging and you need to start memorizing stages in order to complete them. Technocop's gameplay was interesting and average back then, but today it's weaker after everyone's seen the funner games the Genesis/Megadrive offered.
Graphics:
Technocop looks mostly average for a Genesis/Megadrive. But the level designs in the game are very drab and limited. The stages never changes in terms of how they look. In the driving sections you'll drive around as if you're in the middle of no where. In the action sections, you'll enter in buildings, and while the layout is different, it looks the same. Compared to most Genesis game, Technocop looks mediocre.
Sound:
There isn't much audio to speak of, since there's rarely any music. Only the title screen song and game over song is present, and they aren't much to take notice of, since they're very generic. If there was more music, this game would've been a bit more interesting. So you'll be hearing only sound effects. Some of them are alright, while some are very poor. There are bits of voices here too, and they are pretty cheesy. The audio, even during its time, was pretty poor.
Conclusion:
Technocop will mostly be remembered for being a violent game released for the Genesis without being properly rated by the likes of ESRB. That's right, there's some blood in Technocop, something Nintendo never allowed in their games back then. This gave a sign that the Sega Genesis/Megadrive was for a more mature audience. However, as amusing as it sounds, Technocop just isn't that good. It might've been fun to rent this for a weekend to check it out, but otherwise, it went very unnoticed. This is probably why Technocop isn't considered a "classic." Technocop is by no means a terrible game, its just a below average attempt at something different back then. But since video games have changed so much since the 16-bit days, there's very little reason to purchase this game. This is a decent collector’s item, but if you want to purchase this just to have actual fun with, don't waste your time.
Pros:
-A violent game during its time
-A cool idea, during its time
Cons:
-Below-average gameplay
-Graphics are bland for a Genesis/Megadrive title
-Rarely any music
-Frustrating once you get to the later levels