Rambo: The Video Game

Rambo: The Video Game is an arcade rail shooter video game developed by Polish Studio Teyon and published by Reef Entertainment.[2] The game is based on the Rambo franchise and puts the player in the role of John Rambo. From the basis for the gameplay Rambo journeys through scenes from each of the three films: First Blood (1982), Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Rambo III (1988).

This article is about the 2014 game. For other games based on the franchise, see Rambo (disambiguation) § Video games.
Rambo: The Video Game
Cover art
Developer(s)Teyon
Publisher(s)Reef Entertainment Ltd
Director(s)Craig Lewis, Will Curley
Producer(s)Piotr Latocha
Mariusz Sajak
Programmer(s)Jakub Lisinski
Composer(s)Jakub Gawlina
SeriesRambo franchise
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Release
  • PAL: February 21, 2014[1]
  • NA: April 29, 2014 (PC, PS3)[1]
Genre(s)Rail shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

A teaser trailer was released by Machinima, containing montages from the films.[3] The game was originally set to release in winter 2013, but was eventually delayed to early 2014.[1] The game was panned by professional critics.

Gameplay

In the game, players assume the role of John Rambo as he plays out scenes from the first three Rambo films: First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, and Rambo III.[4] The mechanics of the game include stealth, demolition, and fighting off enemies using knives and guns using a cover system to avoid taking fire, and the player being moved through the environment by a rail shooter engine.[5] The game also includes destructible terrain and ragdoll physics for animating characters.[4]

Development
John Rambo uses a tree as cover and to avoid detection.

Reef Entertainment acquired video game development and publishing rights in August 2011 to the Rambo franchise from the rights holder StudioCanal.[2][6] As of August 2011, the three Rambo series films had grossed over US$600 million.[6] The publisher said the purchase was fueled by the 2008 Rambo's success and by the then-scheduled release of the action film The Expendables 2, starring Sylvester Stallone.[6][7] They stated that they planned to use the rights as a launching pad for the company.[6] In August 2011 the publisher said a Rambo: The Video Game would be released at retailers in 2012 and would be available on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows.[6] Jeffrey Matulef of Eurogamer said on October 5, 2012, that he did not believe the game would see release before the end of the year.[8] That same month Reef Entertainment said it would be out "soon". The Wii and Wii U versions had planned releases but they were cancelled.[9]

Reef Entertainment's commercial director Craig Lewis describes the game as allowing players to "get under the skin of Rambo and wield his iconic weapon-set in battle."[10] The developer used the actors from the film series to provide voices in the game for both John Rambo, played by Sylvester Stallone, and Col. Trautman, played by Richard Crenna.[11] However, the developer did not actually hire the two actors to provide voice work (Crenna died in 2003) but instead contacted the owner of the film series, StudioCanal, and acquired copies of the original voice tapes for the series to use in-game.[11]

Reception

Rambo: The Video Game received universally negative criticism on all platforms according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[12][13][14] Reviews criticized the game for its outdated graphics, generic rail-shooter gameplay and copious use of quick-time events.[15][5] Reviews also criticized the game for its frequent crashing/freezing, poor enemy A.I and very short length (the main story can be completed in 3 1/2 hours[26]).[15][5]

IGN said that its on-the-rails game mechanic "feels like an unmitigated waste of time for everybody involved.".[5] Destructoid said the game was "an unpolished, uninspired on-rails lightgun game", and that "even the act of shooting doesn't feel impactful or fun."[15] GameSpot said the Xbox 360 version was a "a rail shooter that leads you through its levels by the nose, letting you instead focus on hovering your targeting reticle over the bad guys and gunning them down.".[20]

Giant Bomb nominated Rambo for the Worst Game award in 2014.[27]

References
  1. "Rambo News". Rambo: The Video Game. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  2. Fletcher, JC (July 6, 2012). "Rambo: The Video Game to emerge from the jungle at Gamescom". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  3. Machinima (August 3, 2012). "Machinima teaser trailer Rambo: The Video Game". YouTube. Alphabet Inc. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  4. Nunneley, Stephany (August 3, 2012). "Rambo: The Video Game details, screens, video released". VG247. Retrieved December 18, 2012.
  5. Reilly, Luke (February 21, 2014). "Rambo: The Video Game Review". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
  6. Sacco, Dominic (August 4, 2011). "Reef reloads Rambo". MCV. NewBay Media. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  7. Nicholson, Amy (August 15, 2012). "The Expendables 2 (Review)". BoxOffice. BoxOffice Media. Archived from the original on August 18, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  8. Matulef, Jeffrey (October 5, 2012). "New Rambo screenshot teases old locale". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  9. Nunneley, Stephany (October 12, 2012). "Rambo: The Video Game screen shows First Blood 3". VG247. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  10. Gallagher, Danny (July 6, 2012). "Rambo The Video Game Will Blow Stuff Up at Gamescom". GameTrailers. Viacom. Archived from the original on October 10, 2013. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  11. Fletcher, JC (March 1, 2013). "Rambo: The Video Game has Stallone and Crenna voice work, technically". Engadget (Joystiq). Oath Inc. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  12. "Rambo: The Video Game for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  13. "Rambo: The Video Game for PlayStation 3 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  14. "Rambo: The Video Game for Xbox 360 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 6, 2014.
  15. Carter, Chris (February 25, 2014). "Review: Rambo: The Video Game (PC)". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  16. Edge staff (February 21, 2014). "Rambo: The Video Game review (PC)". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  17. Whitehead, Dan (February 21, 2014). "Rambo: The Video Game review". Eurogamer. Gamer Network. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  18. Ryckert, Dan (February 26, 2014). "Rambo: The Video Game (PC): The Horrors Of War". Game Informer. GameStop. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  19. "Rambo: The Video Game (PC)". GamesMaster. Future plc. May 2014. p. 79.
  20. Hicks, Tyler (February 26, 2014). "Rambo: The Video Game Review (X360)". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  21. GamesTM staff (April 2014). "Rambo: The Video Game review (PC, X360)". GamesTM. No. 146. Future plc. p. 119. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  22. OPMUK staff (April 9, 2014). "Rambo: The Videogame PS3 review – First Blood, then tears, then a snapped disc". PlayStation Official Magazine – UK. Future plc. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  23. "Rambo: The Video Game". Official Xbox Magazine UK. Future plc. April 2014. p. 89.
  24. Sterling, Jim (February 22, 2014). "Rambo: The Video Game Review - First Crud (PC)". The Escapist. Defy Media. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  25. Kamen, Matt (March 15, 2014). "Rambo: The Video Game review – 'a ghastly game'". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  26. "How long is Rambo: The Video Game?". HowLongToBeat.com. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  27. Giant Bomb staff (December 30, 2014). "Giant Bomb's 2014 Game of the Year Awards: Day Five Text Recap". Giant Bomb. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 31, 2014.
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