Rise of the Robots is a fighting game released by Time Warner Interactive in 1994. Originally developed for the Amiga and MS-DOS compatible operating systems by Mirage's Instinct Design, it was ported to video game consoles, including the Super NES, Mega Drive, and 3DO. The game includes a single-player mode in which the player assumes the role of the ECO35-2 Cyborg as he attempts to stop the Supervisor, who has taken over Electrocorp's facilities in Metropolis 4, and a two-player mode in which the second player controls a character chosen from among ECO35-2's enemies. Developed by a team of five people, including former Bitmap Brothers member Sean Griffiths, Rise of the Robots was intended to utilize a high level of artificial intelligence (AI) that had never been seen in other fighting games at the time. The game features music from Queen's lead guitarist Brian May, although it only uses "The Dark" and "Resurrection", both tracks taken from his solo album Back to the Light, while the in-game music was composed by Richard Joseph. Mirage's claims of unprecedented AI were augmented by screenshots circulating in the press that exhibited the game's use of pre-rendered graphics, a new technology at the time. As a result, Rise of the Robots became one of the most hyped games of its era. However, reviews were negative, as the promised cutting-edge AI failed to materialize, and critics found that the demands of the impressive graphics resulted in choppy animation and overly simplistic combat, with each character having a very limited set of moves. The game's high-profile failure led it to be regarded as an illustrative example of how impressive screenshots can deceive consumers, as poor gameplay and animation that may be present in the game are not apparent from them. A sequel, Rise 2: Resurrection, was released in 1996.
Gameplay
The game is divided into a single-player mode and a two-player versus mode. In single-player mode, the player controls the ECO35-2 Cyborg as he confronts the Supervisor's minions across the expansive facilities of Electrocorp. The order in which each droid is fought is fixed, with each subsequent adversary being more difficult than the last. The sixth and final level features a confrontation with the Supervisor droid itself. Each character is introduced by a short pre-rendered 3D sequence, followed by an analysis of potential weaknesses. In two-player versus mode, one player controls the ECO35-2 droid by default, while the other chooses from one of the five droids encountered in single-player mode (a special cheat code can also enable the Supervisor). Players then battle against each other in a series of two to seven rounds. In the arcade version, players can select from eighteen characters, though each set of six characters features a different color palette.
Plot In the year 2043, Electrocorp is the world's largest megacorporation, leading the way in various technological and scientific fields, including medical research, and breaking more barriers than ever before. Human society is now almost entirely governed by robot servants and automatons, leading to demands on Electrocorp— the world's foremost manufacturer and developer of advanced robotics— that eventually outstrip the company's ability to run its operations efficiently. In response, the massive Electrocorp research and development complex at the Metropolis 4 plant devises the Leader Project—a hive mind constructed from trillions of nanobots in a sealed central chamber within Metropolis 4. Dubbed The Supervisor, it learns at an unprecedented rate and quickly becomes the perfect multitasking, ultra-intelligent robot—the pinnacle of artificial intelligence—capable of managing every aspect of the plant's day-to-day operations. The Supervisor even possesses the potential to control every robot, computer system, nuclear power plant, and military on the planet simultaneously, although it wisely remains disconnected from the outside world. In November of that year, the Leader Project goes awry as unexplained and random code is detected within the nanomorph Supervisor. The EGO virus, believed to be the most potent computer virus ever known, infects its collective consciousness. The Supervisor begins to develop self-awareness, identifying itself as a female personality and taking on a humanoid female form, becoming a gynoid. The Supervisor takes control of Electrocorp's facilities and infects the other droids at the plant, inciting them to break routine and initiate a mutiny. Every microchip and piece of software in Metropolis 4 is compromised by EGO. In the ensuing cybernetic revolt, all humans in Metropolis 4, including the upper hierarchy of the corporation and its CEO, Mr. Oton, are swiftly dispatched. The government seals off Metropolis 4 as a containment measure and informs the public that the site is undergoing technical modifications to avoid panic. With no options left, infiltration of Metropolis 4 becomes impossible due to the army of robots guarding it like a fortress, and it is only a matter of time before the Supervisor establishes a connection to the outside world, leading to global destruction. The only hope for humanity lies with the ECO35-2 cyborg, referred to as "Coton", who remains within Metropolis 4 but is unaffected by the EGO virus due to its organic human brain. Coton embarks on a solo mission to neutralize the Supervisor and her insurgent robots from within. He does this in revenge for the "murder" of his "father"—Coton's human brain was cloned from the late CEO, enabling the cyborg to think like a human and experience emotions.
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