- NA release: 5th January 1998
- PAL release: June 1998
- JP release: N/A
- Developer: Player 1
- Publisher: Crave (NA) GT (PAL)
- N64 Magazine Score: 75%
With the advent of digital downloads, games like this have a great place now. But back in the N64 days, arcade-style games were sold on a cartridge the same price as much meatier games, making them difficult purchases. Robotron is an update to the original Robotron 2048, but the arcade mode of going though the 200 waves (or taking turns with another person) is really all there is.
Robotron 64 is a really good update of the original arcade, now in a new perspective with a camera that mostly does a great job at showing the action. You can either use the analogue stick to move and c-buttons to shoot, or use two controllers to use two analogue sticks. The gameplay is solid and a lot of fun.
Although with the camera moving and all the flashing effects, it can sometimes be difficult to see what is happening, with the projectiles of the brain enemies being particularly difficult to see, resulting in some unfair deaths.
Robotron 64 is a lot of fun, but it really could have done with more modes and features.
Fun
I recommend Robotron 64 as an ace blast game, but you must understand something. It’s endlessly, enviably playable and even manages a few surprises but it’s not “there.” Its potential is unrealised.
Jonathan Nash, N64 Magazine #12
Remake or remaster?
I’m quite surprised that there has been no XBLA style update for Robotron. It’s still a well respected name and an update could be great, potentially having new styles plus including options for the previous three: 2048, X and 64.
Official ways to get the game.
There is no official way to get Robotron 64
Europe
Japan
North America
N64 Games by Date
1997: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1998: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
1999: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
2000: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
I had Robotron 64 on the Playstation, if you stand in a corner and fire diagonally outwards, you’ll be near untouchable.
Fun fact. This game was released on the smallest, cheapest and nastiest N64 cart ever made available (just 4MB/32mbit; the same size as the DKC games on SNES); with the publisher even having the sheer gall to eschew on-cart memory for saves on top of it’s utterly puny ROM size, requiring the purchase and use of the notoriously flimsy N64 Controller Pak if you wanted to save. It is as slight and miserly as N64 games get.
I used to own the PAL version of Robotron 64… I think? Unless it was the PC version… one or the other, either way, not a bad game, but not very remarkable either.
Although, this would probably do quite well today, as the gameplay doesn’t seem to be that far removed from modern popular wave-based arcade games of the moment.
As a digital download, put it on the Switch, £3… ??? Profit!
I’d say put it on the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack but the licensing could be an issue.