Publisher: Acclaim
Developer: Micronet
Size: 1 CD
Memory Usage: None
No. of players: 1
Got it for: $39.99, new.

It's the year 2877, and the entire population of Earth is now under the watch of a single ruling government know as the World Silent Security Service. Founded 800 years ago, it maintains peace by delegating action from its fortress(code named "Daedalus") located on a giant asteroid that orbits the Earth. Since its formation, there have been no wars on Earth and the peace is kept by its vigil observation. As per usual, there's always a group of people who fuck it up for the rest of us, in this case it's a rebel faction calling themselves "Robotica". Being upset that things are running so smoothly, they decide to actually attack the Daedalus space station in an attempt to destroy it, thus allowing the human race to govern itself....

What's it all about?


Space Station Daedalus

 It's a slow paced FPS, with an emphasis on survival rather than straight out action. Not acting as a lone human being, attacking an entire army, you move about in your remote controlled "Laocorn" mech in an attempt to destroy the space station Daedalus. Each floor you enter has set of objectives; though for the most part, finding the key to the elevator that takes you to the next floor is the only thing that's mandatory. Optional objectives include locating computers where you can download the floor's schematic, destroying robot sentries and finally, repairing your mech and upgrading its weaponry.

Graphics - Though the draw in distance is extremely short, the graphics are still excellent. Everything about Daedalus has a cold steel look to it, all very polished and untouched. The walls actually have vents and girders on them and the ceilings have blocks of steel hanging down which is just a nice effect...and really helps to convey depth. Also, every fourth or fifth level, the interior actually completely changes bringing new textures and architecture with it. This really helps in keeping things fresh, and giving you the desire to actually keep going(the game itself is a whopping thirty levels/floors). The enemies consist of some really slick 2D renders, complete with that shiny metallic look. Like in Doom and other 2D FPS's, they all have multiple animations so they look less....well, 2D.
Sound - The sound effects all have a convincing metallic ring to them, from the clanging metal of ramming an enemy to the distinct sound of your Laser Cannon. Also, little things like your mech's turbines winding down and the sound of the rotating gears as you use its arms to puncture enemies, help in conveying the realism of the mech itself. The music consists of fitting ambient pieces that accompany you while you make your way through the dark corridors, and quickly changes into an inspiring anthem once you find the elevator key and rush towards the exit.
Control - Smooth, though a bit slow. The Laocorn isn't exactly built for speed, and you'll notice this as you slowly make your way throughout the space station. It is equipped with a powerful set of thrusters though, that allows you to move about three times as fast which is great for rushing to the elevator, or out-running sweepers. Past that, there are no real issues with the control....you tell it what to do, it does it immediately.
AI - Robotic. As every enemy in the game is a machine, they pretty much have the same abilities as your Laocorn, including a radar to let them know *exactly* where you're at. This leads to some cheap shots as they'll open fire *right* before you open the door, thus making the hits pretty much mandatory at times. Past that, there's quite a bit of varying AI going on with the enemies: Some will simply just ram you upon sight(killing themselves), some will run strafing patterns on you while sending a barrage of shots your way, others will just sit there idly and shoot until you take them out. The only real cheap shot the AI will throw at you is in the form of an enemy known as a Sweeper-bot. These fuckers will come out if you've taken entirely too long in a level, ram you and leave behind a "power down" component. If picked up(and it's hard to avoid, as after they've rammed you it's *right* next to your mech's feet, and out of your sight range) it will drop the power level of the weapon you have selected at that point. It *really* sucks.

The Laocorn
 Replay value - High. The game actually randomly generates new maps for every level, so no matter how much you play, you always have a slightly different game. This is a very hip thing, though it can make for some really odd experiences at times. Sometimes you'll actually come across maps that you'll finish in less than a minute as the randomization has put you, the key and the exit all in the same room; it doesn't happen that often, and is kind of a treat when it does. The only maps in the game that have a set design are on the floors where one of the station's reactors must be taken out, or on the top floor of the station where the central computer is located.

Tips for better gaming experiences:

 The large, egg-like robots with the claws will *not* attack you unless you attack them first. As far as I can tell, they are there to try to make you waste as many rounds as possible; they almost NEVER drop anything for the effort either. I'd recommend avoiding them...

At the right angle, you can actually bounce rounds from your Vulcan Cannon off the walls. This is great for when you are just about to enter a room and there are enemies "hiding" on either side of the door(just bank the shot and you'll hit them more times than not).

Though it's good to have everything powered up to the top level, try to focus on getting your Lasers up to their maximum power first. They are your most destructive weapon, and each upgrade not only makes them more powerful, but also increases the amount of rounds you can carry.

Nothing damages the Laocorn more than ramming something, or having something ram it...
My rating: 80(out of 100) - A refreshing take on the FPS formula. With the sheer size of the game, the emphasis on surviving, rather than fighting your way out, is really there and makes for a new take on conventional FPS gameplay. Loosing points only due to a few minor issues(shorter than average draw in distance, lower framerate than most will be accustomed to), this is still an excellent game for fans of the genre looking for something new.
EGM gave it: 6.5, 7, 7.5, 7.5(out of 10)
Sega Saturn Magazine gave it: 7, 5, 7(out of 10)
GameFan gave it: 80, 80, 85(out of 100)
GamePro gave it: 3.5(graphics), 3.5(sound), 3.5(control), 3.5(funfactor) (out of 5)
Next Generation gave it: 3 stars(out of 5) when they reviewed it as Daedalus, saying "As part of the endless wave of Doom-style titles, Daedelus delivers little impact. It does, however, feature and eerie soundtrack and intriguing graphics." Then, the idiots review it as Robotica about a month later and give it 1 star(out of 5) saying "A Doom-clone that replaces the demons and monsters with ultra-boring robots - and spectacularly fails to excite. Robotica fails on more levels than the game provides." Wow, it's amazing how just the name being changed warrants not only higher praise, but two extra stars. Great job guys, great job...
Deadalus-Puss says: Could the game move any fucking slower? Damn, it's like playing in slow motion or something....and what is up with that draw distance? If I want to play something this dark, I'll stick to Quake thank you...
Screenshots were taken from my, very old, video capture card. It tends to make things darker than they normally are, it also only displays 16-bit color. For most things, it's good enough, but can make dithering show up on things in the game that have no dithering on the TV.

Big, chunky and blue...
Run away, run away!!!
Notice the depth in the walls...
Search and destroy, yeehaw!
Gameplay Videos:
Opening, Demo 00, 01, 03, 11, 30, Ending, Over - 6:12, 52.7 megs

Immediate Streaming - YouTube
Description: Every cinema from the game in one, easy to view video file. The play list goes:
Opening - The narrated intro
Demo 00, 01, 03 - You are treated to one of these short cinemas about every fourth or fifth level
11, 30 - Briefings for the game's two major mission objectives
Ending - The game's ending
Over - The death cinema
Note: You'll need the most recent Divx codec to watch these videos. Also, slowdown and jumps in the playback may not necessarily be the fault of the game so much as the method I am using to record them. If you are having problems watching the videos in your browser, just right-click and download them to your hard drive...

Dead or Daed?:
Depending on what you go by...it could be either. Everything in the manual spells it "Daedalus", but in the game, it's "Deadalus"(as was its title in Japan). Later, it was changed even further to "Robotica" for the US release...

The developer, Micronet, went on to make Marionette Handler(Carnage Heart) 1 and 2 on the Playstation.