Star Wars: Republic Commando

Review - A "squad-based FPS with some added twists," says Sam Gibson...

Although there were a few arcade cabinets released back in the eighties, it wasn't until the early nineties that Star Wars became a gaming force to reckon with. The seminal X-Wing was a revelation which heralded a golden age for Star Wars-licensed games. LucasArts had a good run, but things began to fall apart in the late nineties, right around the time of the release of the Episode I titles. A combination of sloppy programming and subject material which left most fans feeling cold brought about the fall of the Star Wars gaming republic. With the possible exception of Pod Racer, there really hasn't been a top quality Star Wars game since Jedi Knight back in '97. Star Wars: Republic Commando sets out to return balance to the Star Wars gaming canon and thrill fans of both the films and squad-based shooters by wiping out memories of such Star Wars branded tosh as Obi-Wan and Force Commander with a title that is one of the best attempts to put an action film onto a game DVD.

From a running start that coincides with the end of the Attack of the Clones, Republic Commando follows the story of Delta squad through to the events covered in the last film of the saga, Revenge of the Sith. The player takes control of 38, the Temura Morrison-voiced leader of a squad of four commandoes, each of whom has been specifically chosen for their superior abilities. These guys are the elite of the Republic Army, so they get to do more interesting things than die in spectacular CGI sequences. Each of your three squad members has a particular specialisation. Fixer is the expert slicer, the clone to call on to hack through security codes when time is of the essence. Scorch is the killer of the group, happiest when laying waste to the opposition with his array of demolition techniques. Sev is the quiet man of the team, happy to make his feelings known through the judicious use of his trusty sniper rifle. Together the four of you must accomplish the goals set by the faceless voice of the Advisor.

SW: RC is essentially a squad-based FPS with some added twists. Viewed from inside the helmet, the first person perspective is somewhat restricted as the world is seen through a distinctly t-shaped visor. A host of immersive effects play out over the visor, such as a laser-driven wiper which clears the screen of accumulated raindrops or the splattered vital juices of slain foes; organics and droid alike. Throughout the game evident effort has been made to try and engross the player in the world of the Republic Commando. A regular stream of chatter from your fellow squad-mates heightens this sense of immersion, with tactical communications occasionally breaking up the enthusiastically expressed feelings of Fixer, Sev and Scorch. And while the tone and delivery of these comments often veers into the realm of the high-five, back-slapping machismo more commonly associated with the gridiron or cheesy action flicks than the dialogue of the Star Wars films, the exposition and genuine humour of their outbursts eventually overcomes any unsettling feelings over this incongruity. The voice acting is all more than adequate, and naturally, this being a Star Wars game, the sound FX and music are of an exemplary nature. Respect must be extended to the original music scored for the game, which takes the haunting themes explored by John Williams in the prequel movies and expands on them to create a familiar musical environment that manages to refrain from becoming tedious.

The commando's greatest strength is working in combination as tight squad. To do this effectively the player must instruct his squadmates to manoeuvre and occupy the tactically important firing points. Dotted around the levels and easily spotted by a small blue target symbol, aiming at this point will superimpose a hologram of trooper over the targeted area. A quick press of the A button and a trooper will run there and take up position. If a trooper has already been ordered to a spot but hasn't got there yet you can easily tell because the target symbol will now be red. These simple visual indicators are a great aid to cohesive squad combined arms, without which you aren't going to win the game. You could try and take on a horde of Geonosian warriors yourself, but that's just stupid when a few button presses will put your squad into supportive sniping, grenade or heavy weapons roles. And while your fellow commandoes act well on their own, their capabilities are increased with a little sensible direction from their commander.

The same system allows you to order commandos to slice computers and doors, plant demo charges on obstructions or troublesome droid dispensers, set explosive traps, heal up at the Bacta stations and even breach sealed doors as a team, SWAT style. Using the d-pad you can also set the basic combat stance of the squad from a choice of secure area, search & destroy, form up and cancel manoeuvres. Unfortunately there's little scope for using the squad commands unless the designers have decided to put in the manoeuvre points. The entire game is heavily scripted and the manoeuvre points are the most obvious example of this. Although the manoeuvre points will rarely make an appearance outside of one of the game's plethora of set pieces I didn't find this hindrance on my initiative too annoying and derived enough enjoyment from following the designer's route to not care about these restrictions.