| Star Wars: Republic Commando review |
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Star Wars has taught us a lot of things. For example, small children that preach about hope and love to all around will one day grow up to become the most powerful force of evil in the galaxy. A valuable lesson if ever there was one. More recently, it has taught us that contrary to common misconception, cloning someone wouldn’t necessary produce identical beings. They talk differently, act differently, and generally develop entirely independently. So while Dolly the Sheep spends her days thinking about chewing grass, we now know that when the requirements of total global nuclear Armageddon demand that we allow cloning, Polly the Sheep might spend her days wishing she was a cow. Who knows?
In other words, on the surface Star Wars: Republic Commando appears to be a competent if generic squad-based shooter, something that is becoming increasingly passé in the bandwagon-jumping ethos that dominates gaming as much as almost every other form of modern entertainment. The fact that you control a squad of clones becomes largely irrelevant when it becomes immediately apparent that your squad actually consists of all the same genre archetypes that crop up in everything from Commandos to Half-Life: Opposing Force. As such, you have the sniper, the computer guy and the demolitions guy. And just to hammer the home the fact that the clone thing really is just window-dressing, in addition to being known by an ID number, each of your squad has a nickname, from `Sev` to the oh-so-obvious `Scorch` (guessing which of the aforementioned roles he fulfils wins absolutely no prizes whatsoever).
Not that any of that is a criticism. Instead, Republic Commando actually differentiates itself from similar titles in a far more fundamental way, and the clue can be found on the back of the box in large letters: `THE SQUAD IS YOUR WEAPON`. Think of your squad as just another weapon at your disposal, to be deployed in specific circumstances and in defined ways, and you’ll get a great deal more out of Republic Commando than if you attempt to play it like Rainbow Six. As you only ever have very limited direct control over the other commandos, there is no scope for constructing complex battle plans or laying detailed traps. While some may see this a fault with the game and find the limits on their control frustrating, the streamlining actually gives the game an edge over many of its counterparts: simplicity and immediacy.
At heart, Republic Commando is really your typical lone wolf first-person shooter, and in Star Wars terms most reminiscent of an old classic, Dark Forces (insofar as there isn’t an ignited lightsaber in sight). The fun comes in searching rooms for those flagged sweet spots where a simple tap of A, your context-sensitive all-purpose Use command, will order the most obvious commando to snipe or throw grenades, thus providing you with support while you take on the brunt work. Similarly, when you have an objective such as blowing up a droid dispenser or cracking open a locked door, you can choose to undertake the tasks yourself, knowing that your commandos are around to divert fire if some hostiles turn up, or can you order one of them to do it while you take on covering duties. And if you should die at any stage, then you can turn the squad into an instant medpack and order them to abandon their existing orders and come and revive you. Holding the A button down gives access to some more dynamic squad commands, `Form Up`, `Search and Destroy`, etc., but relatively limited AI ensures that this amounts to little more than a choice between stay with me, stay in this particular place, or go and do whatever the hell you like, and yes, by all means run around in circles if you feel like it. The trick isn’t to try and be clever about things, the trick is to simply use your squad to provide you with the most enjoyable playing experience dependant on how you choose to deal with a given situation.
Given that the FPS genre is one of the few where LucasArts has managed to avoid making a serious misstep, the core gameplay mechanics outside of the squad elements are predictably solid, benefiting from a few choice additions `inspired` by other successful sci-fi shooters. Halo’s recharging shield makes another appearance, but the presence of regular Bacta terminals for easy recharging of your actual health adds another facet to management of the vitals of you and your squad. While much was made of the Metroid Prime-style curved visor view when Republic Commando was first unveiled, this is a largely cosmetic inclusion, and the vision mode functions are really little more than a cursory nod to the far more involved feature in the Metroid games. The Low-Light mode has its uses, but the difference between the Normal and Tactical modes is practically non-existent. The other, more practical feature of Metroid making a guest appearance here is the adaptable primary weapon. As well as a pistol with recharging ammunition, you always have access to a standard automatic blaster rifle, a grenade launcher and a sniper rifle (once the relevant attachments have been found, which happens pretty quickly). Ammo for the more exotic options can be a little scarce, but it does at least give you some options. In addition, you can carry one extra weapon borrowed from fallen opponents. These vary wildly in quality, from a powerful beam weapon to a weak but satisfying shotgun, but again, they provide players with a couple of additional options, and widen the arsenal significantly. The only major problem with the basic gameplay is the aiming feels far less precise than in the console kings of the genre, meaning that certain enemies, particularly the small and fast sweeper droids become hugely frustrating when they should actually be a very minor threat. It’s far from game-crippling, but a disappointing return to a time when console FPS gaming was still far inferior to its PC counterparts.
The area in which Republic Commando truly excels, however, it its atmosphere. Graphically, things are solid if unimpressive. Character models, particularly your squad, look superb, while the environments are detailed and in places impressively expansive, but suffer from repetition and an over-reliance on corridors. However, audio is an entirely different matter. For fans of rousing orchestral scores, Republic Commando is manna from heaven, mixing traditional Star Wars themes with some absolutely fantastic new pieces to create a truly amazing musical backdrop to proceedings. Even more impressive, however, is the constant chatter between you and your squad. They constantly update you of their situation, they taunt the enemy, celebrate victory and chastise you for giving them poor or confusing instructions. The game is simply never better than when you are in the middle of a fierce firefight against overwhelming odds, the music reaching glorious crescendo, your squad shouting over each other, shots being traded from all sides. More so than most recent games, sections of Republic Commando really do feel like battles, not just miniature firefights, and the cinematic atmosphere of proceedings is easily one of the game’s biggest strengths.
Unfortunately, however, Republic Commando is not a piece of cinema, it’s a game, and it can’t maintain those blisteringly cinematic moments over the whole span of the adventure. Broken down into three miniature campaigns taking place at different intervals in the Clone Wars between Episode II and Episode III, each has a different visual theme, but all follow largely the same pattern. Whether fighting off droids and bugs on Geonosis, Trandoshans aboard a ghost assault ship or making your way through the jungles of Kashyyyk, the formula is the same: fight your way through some corridors (note to developers: a high-walled canyon is basically still a corridor, and we all know it), blast a door, engage in an exhilarating skirmish, repeat a few times, fight the big, epic battle, repeat from the beginning until you reach the end of the game. At no point is the game bad, or any less fun than your average corridor-based FPS, it’s just a little too repetitive to come highly recommended. There are clever standout moments, such as the terrifying introduction of a super-powered Trandoshan mercenary, or the first time you realise that you can snipe body parts off a Super Battle Droid, but it is the fact that the game ultimately amounts to fighting your through predictable corridors to reach the next of these moments that really holds it back.
A similar lack of ambition is evident in the multiplayer game - with its obvious modes of Deathmatch and Capture the Flag - which is good fun and sufficiently playable online, but offers absolutely no incentive to return to it again and again, simply lacking the options and features of more advanced Live titles like Halo 2. Republic Commando is fun and involving, and when it gets going fully it grabs hold and doesn’t let go. Lamentably, it takes too long to reach said moments of getting going fully for it to supersede the more accomplished likes of the Halo series. With a clever slant on squad dynamics and a number of other good ideas, the game is well worth checking out and a highly enjoyable way to while away a few hours, even for non-Star Wars fans. Once completed, however, it’s unlikely to linger in the memory the way great games should. |
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System: Microsoft Xbox
Genre: First Person Shooter
Developer: In-House
Publisher: LucasArts
Players: 1-16
Version: United States
Reviewed: May 2005
Writer: Stuart Smith
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Pros:
- Incredibly atmospheric
- Clever implementation of squad dynamics
- Superb music
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Cons:
- Not enough variety
- Limited multiplayer game
- Imprecise aiming
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