RoboCop 2 NES

2015-02-15 02:51:25 am

Anyone else out there run this or thinking about running it? I just started practicing a little today and it's hard but I don't think it's too bad. RoboCop is pretty sluggish to get going and then quite slippery once you are going. I've only found 2 videos of runs, a TAS and a run from like 6 years ago. So far on my limited practice I can do the first level 5-6 seconds faster than the TAS already, so I'm intrigued about the possibility of beating it. I'll keep posting here with my updates.

The TAS

The Old Run

Thread title:

WhiteHat94

2015-02-18 12:24:40 am

Well I was just able to finally beat the game. Holy crap the second half of this game is insane, especially the 3rd and 4th from last stage. There are these super annoying platforms that reverse left and right on the dpad, and they mess with you pretty hard, along with literally almost everything one hit killing you. I can do the first 3 or 4 stages pretty fast already, just gotta keep practicing the later levels. Also the final boss is just awful, straight button mashing for like 2-3 minutes.

TheKeeperSA

2015-02-18 09:37:36 am

Out of topic for a minute, but this game REALLY follows the plot of the movie and OMG that ending. I'm blessed to have witnessed this!

Sonikkustar

2015-02-18 09:29:14 pm

The Great Farming Empire

Oh my god...these controls. What the hell is this?

I might try something with this game. No guarantees, but this seems...interesting.

WhiteHat94

2015-02-18 09:43:48 pm

Nice, I'm probably gonna start uploading my routes for individual levels as I go for comparison. Unfortunately I wasn't recording last night, but I accidentally discovered a zip in one of the last factory levels. Not sure if I can replicate it or if it would be useful, but it was certainly surprising to stumble across.

WhiteHat94

2015-02-28 10:13:07 pm

Alrighty, so I finally ran through the game to capture the routes I've been using for each level. The routes are a hybrid of the 2 runs above, both of which may be TASes? There is a comment on the old run saying it's a TAS, so I'm not sure. I have yet to be able to complete the game without dying yet, so being able to string these all together is gonna be quite a challenge because there are several extremely difficult parts later in the run.

To pass a level you need to destroy a minimum of 60% of the nukes and arrest/save 60% of the suspects, if you fail either one you have to do an extremely slow shooting gallery minigame, which would be a reset.

Level 1 - At least 5 seconds faster than the other runs

Level 2 - it's possible to get through that first electricity without stopping, but it's random

Level 3 - Go through getting the minimum amount of nukes

Level 4 - hardest platform jump in the game, the TAS doesn't even do it, ha. Also a lot of randomness with the gunmen, so it's tough to move smoothly. And I actually got one more nuke than I needed to, only needed 8 before leaving the sewer

Level 5 - pretty standard and relatively easy platforming

Level 6 - tough to get moving in this level but not too bad once you do since you get an invincibility through most of the level

Heisenberg - The TAS pauses throughout this fight and it appears to make him shoot his shots faster than usual, I need to time it against a control run to confirm

Level 7 - The jump at the beginning might be tied with the jump on level 4 for difficulty, it seems to be near frame perfect. It's the fastest way to grab the weapon power up, which you need because it kills the robots in one shot. The rest of the level is much easier than the first jump.

Level 8 - Pretty easy once you carry over the weapon power up to this level

Level 9 - This level has the first platforms that reverse your controls. Your controls stay reversed until you land back on a regular platform, very very annoying

Level 10 - Same as the last level, annoying reverse platforms

Level 11 - One of the most straight forward platforming levels, you can run and jump under most of the rooftop jumping enemies. I think I also got an extra nuke at the end here as well

Final Boss - the strat is mash B and don't die, terrible final boss, ha

Alrighty, so I finally ran through the game to capture the routes I've been using for each level. The routes are a hybrid of the 2 runs above, both of which may be TASes? There is a comment on the old run saying it's a TAS, so I'm not sure. I have yet to be able to complete the game without dying yet, so being able to string these all together is gonna be quite a challenge because there are several extremely difficult parts later in the run.

To pass a level you need to destroy a minimum of 60% of the nukes and arrest/save 60% of the suspects, if you fail either one you have to do an extremely slow shooting gallery minigame, which would be a reset.

Level 1 - At least 5 seconds faster than the other runs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKFkPv9bmgU

Level 2 - it's possible to get through that first electricity without stopping, but it's random

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR-jvMnActk

Level 3 - Go through getting the minimum amount of nukes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNcWYdZk4iE

Level 4 - hardest platform jump in the game, the TAS doesn't even do it, ha. Also a lot of randomness with the gunmen, so it's tough to move smoothly. And I actually got one more nuke than I needed to, only needed 8 before leaving the sewer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEEQ2Uve7Cg

Level 5 - pretty standard and relatively easy platforming

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6qaHSFNFpY

Level 6 - tough to get moving in this level but not too bad once you do since you get an invincibility through most of the level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl9loSuTA0c

Heisenberg - The TAS pauses throughout this fight and it appears to make him shoot his shots faster than usual, I need to time it against a control run to confirm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSoIB6eLHm4

Level 7 - The jump at the beginning might be tied with the jump on level 4 for difficulty, it seems to be near frame perfect. It's the fastest way to grab the weapon power up, which you need because it kills the robots in one shot. The rest of the level is much easier than the first jump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfQzeEDYU6o

Level 8 - Pretty easy once you carry over the weapon power up to this level

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY-p6ybp1mg

Level 9 - This level has the first platforms that reverse your controls. Your controls stay reversed until you land back on a regular platform, very very annoying

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si39H6xJltg

Level 10 - Same as the last level, annoying reverse platforms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbwuTBAXbfQ

Level 11 - One of the most straight forward platforming levels, you can run and jump under most of the rooftop jumping enemies. I think I also got an extra nuke at the end here as well

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_gPR1gfatw

Final Boss - the strat is mash B and don't die, terrible final boss, ha

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG_GZD3TPsg

ktwo

2015-03-01 09:33:25 am

I've briefly played this game, but I don't think I have the courage to overcome the controls and actually play through it. I'm still very much interested in what you can do with this game. I did watch the videos you posted though. I have a few comments. Remember, this is just from watching. I don't really know the game mechanics, so it's just things I'm wondering about. Not necessarily mistakes.
- In level 3, did you really have to pick up the villain right after the bonus stage? Couldn't you have positioned yourself under the magnet (?) immediately? This is very minor of course.
- In level 7, would it be possible to skip the moving platforms and jump on the platforms below instead?
- On the last boss, what happens if you go in at point blank range? Also, it seems like the boss almost always fires three orbs in a row. Instead of dodging them (you took quite a few hits that way), would it help to temporarily just move to the middle of the screen when you see them coming?

WhiteHat94

Edit history:

WhiteHat94: 2015-03-01 11:08:34 pm

2015-03-01 06:10:22 pm

Thanks for the thoughts, and the controls are indeed quite bad

Level 3 - you are correct, I run across 3 on my regular path, which is all I need, so I don't need that one. It was just habit

Level 7 - I don't believe you can stand on those platforms, I'll check next time I run through the game, usually if I fall off the platform it's always death, so I don't recall being able to land on them - just tried it and they are in the background, you cannot jump on them

Final Boss - nothing special happens if you stand close, but if he backs up and then pushes you it does a lot of damage. I don't think standing close really does all that much. In the first phase you can damage him anywhere, second phase you can only damage the legs, and third phase you can only damage the top. You don't do damage for every shot you hit him with, though it looks like you do, it seems like he has a small amount of post hit invincibility. So I guess standing close would only make me mash slightly less. Watch this fight in the TAS and you can see it won't do damage for every shot

Thanks for the thoughts, and the controls are indeed quite bad

Level 3 - you are correct, I run across 3 on my regular path, which is all I need, so I don't need that one. It was just habit

Level 7 - I don't believe you can stand on those platforms, I'll check next time I run through the game, usually if I fall off the platform it's always death, so I don't recall being able to land on them - just tried it and they are in the background, you cannot jump on them

Final Boss - nothing special happens if you stand close, but if he backs up and then pushes you it does a lot of damage. I don't think standing close really does all that much. In the first phase you can damage him anywhere, second phase you can only damage the legs, and third phase you can only damage the top. You don't do damage for every shot you hit him with, though it looks like you do, it seems like he has a small amount of post hit invincibility. So I guess standing close would only make me mash slightly less. Watch this fight in the TAS and you can see it won't do damage for every shot

WhiteHat94

2015-04-21 08:27:08 pm

Haven't been playing recently but fired it up tonight and I just got a new PB, 12:37. It was super close to being a really good run, I brain farted on the third to last level and died twice, I have never made it that far without dying, lost about 20 seconds. Still some solid progress.

WhiteHat94

2015-05-03 01:37:19 am

And I'm done with RoboCop 2, ha. Just got an 11:57, sub 12 was my goal, which crushes my old PB, that old run and the TAS. Just like Hudson Hawk was, this game is also quite a brutal run. Almost every enemy and background object in the factory stages kill you in one hit if you touch them, the gears, the red jelly beans, etc. So that leads to a very tense run, since so many things can end it with one little mistake. A perfect run could probably go 10-15 seconds lower, but that would require perfect luck with the enemies, electricity, jelly beans, etc, along with perfect execution of RoboCop's terrible controls.

I will be submitting this. Someone tell Bangerra I want that bounty, haha

ktwo

2015-05-03 03:02:45 am

Very, very good! Congrats!

bangerra

2015-05-03 04:16:27 am

You'll get it when it gets accepted on SDA Wink