STAR WARS™ Republic Commando

Republic Commando isn't just a good shooter set in the Star Wars universe. It's a beautiful expansion of otherwise not-so-great Clone Wars fluff, started with the coming of Episode II and ended in "Imperial Commando" novel. The game does great job in not only tying various events from books and movies- it also heavily draws inspiration from mandalorian folklore and, most importantly, finnaly tells the story from a different perspective. We've all been Kyle Katarn, a one-man-army armed with a fistful of weapons, a lightsaber and a save system (:P), but here- here we take on four republic soldiers. Trained like no other, armed like no other, but still- soldiers. Soldiers who die as a part of a larger cause, soldiers who nobody really cares about, and who either live or die as brothers in arms. No SW game ever delivered that kind of expierience and thus it's the one you just have to have on your (virtuall) shelf

This game is essentially what happens when Halo, Metroid Prime, and Rainbow Six had a baby with a Star Wars skin. You play as a "Special" Clone Commando that is different from your average clone. Your armor, your main weapon, and most importantly your squad. The game really sells the Squad theme really well. We got Delta 62 is your demolition expert, Delta 40 who works on Tech and hacking, and Delta 07 who is your Marksmen. And you Delta 38 gets to command them in the field of Battle. Unlike the standard clone trooper these commandos have personalities. 62 is the young kid, 40 is the boy scout, and 07 is the badass. 38 is the serious one though of course he makes some catchy one liners here and ther, "Lets rearrange some architecture Delta." The game play is the standard Linear Corridor Shooter like most modern FPSes. But its not shallow. The squad tactics system may not be Rainbow Six level of depth but it serves its purpose well. The AI is extremely smart. Not once have I ever encounterd in issue with them. Your squad commands include: Form Up/Regroup Attack at will Defend/Hold Position Cancel order. (Mostly used to cancel the Hold Position.) Focus fire on single target (you will use this against the much more tougher enemies.) There is also situational commands on the enviornment, Order a unit to take a sniping position, anti armor position, man a gun turret, Hacking a lock door, place a demo bomb, Heal in a Health Dispener, and my favorite door breaching. Guns are good and pack a punch. The pistol is useful. Your main assualt rifle can turn into a Sniper Rifle and Grenade Launcher. You got a retractable blade on you hand for melee attack. 2 things I criticize is the fact that despite each squad member being the supposed role, (62 the bomber, 40 the hacker, 07 the sniper) they all can do each others roles anyway which kinda defeats the point that these guys serve a role in the squad. Also the multiplayer is painfully tacked on.

One of, if not THE best (KOTOR earns that spot), Star Wars games every to come out of LucasArts. A squad based, tactical shooter that puts the player in the boots of Mandalorian trained special ops as they trudge across the galaxy during the Clone Wars. The game's opening battle on Geonosis is the game's strongest moment, but fighting Trandoshans on an abandoned Acclamator-class Republic ship and fighting off General Grevious' forces alongside Wookiees makes this an enjoyable Star Wars experience. With no Jedi in sight, it's the banter and camaraderie of Delta Squad that keeps you engaged and entertained. Ranks #1 on the list of Games That Deserve Sequels

My review isn't based on nostalgia since I didn't played the game back in the days. So... republic commando you say ? I knew the game first and foremost for its music and there's a reason for that, the mandalorian chants are absolutely great to listen and the quality of the sound design is stellar. When it comes to the actual game. You are playing republic clones troopers, so don't expect a lot of character development even for a squad based games, there's no great moments of camaraderie you're here to do the job for what you've been born and trained for, period. That said, the developers did quite some effort to make all squad members a little different but it falls a bit flat, with the exception of Sev, immediately recognizable with his "badass" voice, so do not expect anything on the lines of Binary Domain or Mass Effect. The story is pretty straightforward : you are a soldier doing important missions and you follow the track, the game putting you on rail from start to finish in a very linear shooter. If you hate linear games you can skip this one without hesitation. The gunplay in itself is quite mediocre, enemies are bullet sponges, making the parts when you are without your squad mates quite tedious. However when you are with your squad, the games becomes a little more "tactical" since you have to run around and tell your pals to hide behind cover or use turrets, etc.. The commands are pretty straightforward and easy to use , its not rainbow six, but its better than a lot of third person shooters. Overall, the game has nothing very original for it, level design is quite repetitive and bland with no options and nothing to explore, but one could say its also a good thing because it maintains you focused on the mission and the action and this is where the game got me. The pacing is great and you'll find yourself willing to continue because there are not dead times, and the action is constant and a "realistic" sense of emergency is there. However, don't expect this one to last too long, you'll probably play it once, remember you had a good time and that's all.