Paladin
09-20-2005, 05:57 AM
I got Star Wars: Republic Commando for my birthday. I finished it last night, thanks to the liberal and frequent use of cheat codes. I hated resorting to them so quickly, and using them so much, but without them, I fear the game is impossible.
First, the good...
The game's visuals and sound are top notch. It feels, for the most part, like you are playing in the Star Wars universe. It does feel different, however, as much of what I feel makes a game "look" like Star Wars...vehicles and such...are original trilogy and this is set during the Clone Wars prior to the start of Episode III. That means you never end up facing AT-ST's or AT-AT's. The squad aspect of the game is pretty well done. You can reasonably expect your unit to finish a fight and revive you if you get killed in most fights, which is fortunate, as you generally draw the bulk of the fire. They do have a major advantage over you though...the clones in your squad have unlimited ammo. They still have to reload, but they never run out.
Which brings me to the bad...
There is never enough ammo, and your weapons never hold enough, for most of the fights. On average difficulty, anything more than ordinary battle droids requires multiple clips of ammo to take down using the blaster rifle. I found myself with nothing but a pistol much of the time. Super Battledroids (the big, hunched-shoulded blue ones) usually required 10-12 seconds to defeat, with the entire squad concentrating fire on them. This was with droid factories popping out 2 more every 10 seconds or so, meaning for each one you took down, you faced 2 more, until you managed to destroy the droid factory...which took 20 seconds to plant a demo charge, during which time you'd have at least 3 and maybe 4 new SBD's attacking you at point blank range. In short, the game is hard not because it's challanging, but because it sends waves of overpowered and overarmored enemies at you until you can't hope to win.
Health is in the form of bacta terminals, like Half-Life's recharge stations. These are sprinkled liberally around, and there wasn't any time I felt a real shortage of health. Some pickups for health would have been nice, as using bacta during a fight means getting to a terminal and turning your back on the action for several seconds...not ideal.
The campaign was fairly short. I think the developers, rightly, expected it would take longer to finish given how hard it is without cheating. The problem is, as I've said, without resorting to cheating early and often, I feel the game can never be finished, and that is a design flaw of the highest magnitude. Use wave after wave of enemies, or give them ridiculously high hit points, but not both.
Overall, the game feels like a squad-based Dark Forces. It literally feels like a remake of the original, although thankfully there are absolutely no bottomless pits or jumping puzzles to be seen. In fact, there are no puzzles at all. It is purely run and gun, as all objectives are spelled out and highlighted for you on your HUD. If you see "Commando" in the title and think Raven Shield, forget it. Think Rambo instead, only Rambo seldom had to resort to using a pistol.
So, in summary...
The Good
It's a Star Wars FPS
The squad-based combat generally works very well
The visuals and audio are top notch
The HUD is very, very cool
The Bad
The bad guys are terribly overpowered
The weapons seem wimpy, underpowered and requiring too frequent reloading
The campaign is fairly short
The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying
If you liked the original Dark Forces or Doom, this game will be right up your alley... hordes of enemies and constant combat from beginning to end. If you prefer more thought in your FPS's, it's harder to recommend. The game is terribly hard, and trying to use your intelligence to get around problems only works in a few areas. How to deploy your squad is spoon-fed to you, as places they can sniper from or set up anti-vehicle points, are all clearly marked on your HUD. You don't get to deploy them how YOU want, for better or worse. If you are looking for a tactical shooter set in the Star Wars universe, like I was hoping for, you will be disappointed.
I give the game a 6 out of 10.
First, the good...
The game's visuals and sound are top notch. It feels, for the most part, like you are playing in the Star Wars universe. It does feel different, however, as much of what I feel makes a game "look" like Star Wars...vehicles and such...are original trilogy and this is set during the Clone Wars prior to the start of Episode III. That means you never end up facing AT-ST's or AT-AT's. The squad aspect of the game is pretty well done. You can reasonably expect your unit to finish a fight and revive you if you get killed in most fights, which is fortunate, as you generally draw the bulk of the fire. They do have a major advantage over you though...the clones in your squad have unlimited ammo. They still have to reload, but they never run out.
Which brings me to the bad...
There is never enough ammo, and your weapons never hold enough, for most of the fights. On average difficulty, anything more than ordinary battle droids requires multiple clips of ammo to take down using the blaster rifle. I found myself with nothing but a pistol much of the time. Super Battledroids (the big, hunched-shoulded blue ones) usually required 10-12 seconds to defeat, with the entire squad concentrating fire on them. This was with droid factories popping out 2 more every 10 seconds or so, meaning for each one you took down, you faced 2 more, until you managed to destroy the droid factory...which took 20 seconds to plant a demo charge, during which time you'd have at least 3 and maybe 4 new SBD's attacking you at point blank range. In short, the game is hard not because it's challanging, but because it sends waves of overpowered and overarmored enemies at you until you can't hope to win.
Health is in the form of bacta terminals, like Half-Life's recharge stations. These are sprinkled liberally around, and there wasn't any time I felt a real shortage of health. Some pickups for health would have been nice, as using bacta during a fight means getting to a terminal and turning your back on the action for several seconds...not ideal.
The campaign was fairly short. I think the developers, rightly, expected it would take longer to finish given how hard it is without cheating. The problem is, as I've said, without resorting to cheating early and often, I feel the game can never be finished, and that is a design flaw of the highest magnitude. Use wave after wave of enemies, or give them ridiculously high hit points, but not both.
Overall, the game feels like a squad-based Dark Forces. It literally feels like a remake of the original, although thankfully there are absolutely no bottomless pits or jumping puzzles to be seen. In fact, there are no puzzles at all. It is purely run and gun, as all objectives are spelled out and highlighted for you on your HUD. If you see "Commando" in the title and think Raven Shield, forget it. Think Rambo instead, only Rambo seldom had to resort to using a pistol.
So, in summary...
The Good
It's a Star Wars FPS
The squad-based combat generally works very well
The visuals and audio are top notch
The HUD is very, very cool
The Bad
The bad guys are terribly overpowered
The weapons seem wimpy, underpowered and requiring too frequent reloading
The campaign is fairly short
The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying
If you liked the original Dark Forces or Doom, this game will be right up your alley... hordes of enemies and constant combat from beginning to end. If you prefer more thought in your FPS's, it's harder to recommend. The game is terribly hard, and trying to use your intelligence to get around problems only works in a few areas. How to deploy your squad is spoon-fed to you, as places they can sniper from or set up anti-vehicle points, are all clearly marked on your HUD. You don't get to deploy them how YOU want, for better or worse. If you are looking for a tactical shooter set in the Star Wars universe, like I was hoping for, you will be disappointed.
I give the game a 6 out of 10.