Электрокоп: Экшен для Atari Lynx 2069 года

Action video game from 1989 for the Atari Lynx

Electrocop is a 1989 action video game developed by Epyx and published by Atari Corporation in North America and Europe for the Atari Lynx. It was released in Japan on November 25 of the same year, where it was distributed by Mumin Corporation. One of the first games written for the platform, it was one of the launch titles that were released along with the system in North America. Set on a futuristic interpretation of Washington, D. C. in the year 2069, players assume the role of the titular robot created by MegaCorp who must infiltrate into the Steel Complex fortress in an attempt of rescuing the President of the United States' first daughter under a time limit from The Criminal Brain, who kidnapped her for a ransom and threats to kill her if his demand is not met. Conceived by Greg Omi, who also developed the Lynx hardware alongside Chip's Challenge creator Chuck Sommerville, Electrocop began its development prior to the existence of any functional Lynx hardware. Electrocop has received mixed reception from critics, who unanimously praised the pseudo 3D visuals and sound department, but some criticized the repetitive nature of the gameplay and convoluted graphics. A version of the game was developed and completed by ICC for the Atari 7800 but never released.

Electrocop is a third person shooter game in which players starts off with a countdown clock of one hour to complete the task of rescuing the president's daughter. The player has to make their way through different levels coming up against different foes. These foes are robots that go by, Walker, Python, Mine, Wall Cannon, Virus and Stringray. Omi also stated that he initially had a lack of knowledge of 3D computer graphics and matrices, as he needed a graphical perspective for his project and consulted Blue Lightning programmer Stephen Landrum in how to write it, as the system could not perform sprite rotation. Despite being a fan of Impossible Mission and knowing Caswell personally, Omi could not recall if he was still a member of Epyx. The introductory sequence was created by Sommerville, who developed an animation engine that would be re used on other titles for the hardware such as Blue Lightning and Todd's Adventures in Slime World, in addition of the minigame sequences. Electrocop was one of the original launch titles during the initial release of the Lynx in 1989, along with the aforementioned Blue Lightning, California Games and Gates of Zendocon. It was also released in Europe around the same time period and later in Japan on December 23 of the same year, where it was distributed by Mumin Corporation instead and the difference between the international and Japanese releases is that the latter came bundled with an instruction manual in Japanese. The game was first showcased to the public during the International Summer Consumer Electronics Show 1989 along with the system, though early previews showed the title under the earlier name Net Runner.

A version of Electrocop was in development by ICC for Atari Corporation on the Atari 7800, focusing on action and platforming instead of the third person shooter gameplay style from the original Lynx version and was also showcased during an exhibition at the Consumer Electronics Show in a complete state. The 7800 version is notable for being one of the first titles where director and writer Amy Hennig was involved, creating the artwork using Atari ST and Macintosh computers as a freelancer. However, despite Hennig stating that work on the project was completed, this version would never be released due to Atari cancelling its release late during the official life span of the system.

Electrocop garnered mixed reception. In a capsule review for STart, Clayton Walnum praised the game's graphics and variety of challenges. Robert A. Jung reviewed the game which was published to IGN Entertainment. In his final verdict he wrote "This cart was a brilliant concept that didn't completely click; the race against the clock and the real time exploration/combat elements are hampered with uninspired gameplay and little variety. Electrocop's stunning visuals and sounds make it fun to watch, but whether you'd buy a game for its razzle dazzle is a personal decision." Giving a final score of 7 out of 10.