Don't start him off on that again...
Whatever derogatory comments you may aim at George Lucas over the man's apparent inability to be any good at the thing he's most famous for - and believe me I have - there's one fact that's hard to deny.
The biggest and best contribution Mr Lucas brought to the world was not the Star Wars films themselves, but the tapestry he created as their backdrop.
The Star Wars universe is vibrant, imaginative, rich and gripping, a place where magic and science offer limitless power, a place of adventure and violence, taking on a coherent life of its own outside the films, through TV shows, comics, novels, fan-fiction and of course, games.
Expanding the Universe
Republic Commando - a vaguely tactical first-person shooter - is one such expansion of that Universe. It doesn't feature our heroes. There's no Luke, no Obi-Wan, no Falcon. You are simply "38", squad leader of a badass team of Commandos in the Clone Army. You are the most elite, the most highly trained, and with your three brothers behind you, practically unstoppable.
There is an immediate bond between you and your clone brethren - Fixer, Scorch and Sev. The banter between you is funny, endearing and realistic, and you don't have to see these guys in action for long before you start developing the brotherly love which will see your squad safely through peril. I mean, these guys are tough and cool - you want them on your side.
You have limited control over their actions - you can tell them to plant explosives, hack into computer terminals, take up sniping positions and so on. It's not exactly deep, in fact at first it appears to be nothing more than an elaborate illusion, but as the game gets more difficult the scope of the tactical decisions deepen, forcing you to think about the decisions you're making or face the consequences.
These guys are tough and cool, you want them on your side.
It's never game over until your entire squad is down, because commandos can be revived when they're out of action (including yourself - accompanied by some marvellous effects) - which adds a lot of tension to the gameplay, while adversely not making the game too easy.
It's welcoming that the game doesn't repeatedly throw its heritage around, it doesn't start with that theme, and, title aside, it's not immediately obvious to non-fans that this is Star Wars at all. For fans though, it's immediately apparent upon dropping into the war zone that this is Star Wars through and through.
The sights, the sounds - all so terrifyingly alien and yet so comfortingly familiar. There are a number of creatures many of you will recognise, such as the gargantuan, angry, Wookiees, or the bug-like Geonosians (whose locust-like movements are frighteningly realistic) - and locales and events are reassuringly familiar enough that you get a rough idea of where you fit in the great Star Wars theme of things.
Fantastic immersion
Where Republic Commando really comes into its own is in the fantastic immersion and atmosphere it offers. All of the action is viewed from inside the helmet of your commando - a trick borrowed from Metroid Prime - and the effect is superb, especially when combat in close
quarters results in various alien fluids splattering across the visor!
Technically the game is a marvel. The graphics are superb
- the animation in particular, and character design is especially strong
throughout. The Republic Commandos themselves are every bit as iconic
as earlier Star Wars designs, and will no doubt go on to lead many exciting
adventures of their own outside the narrative of the game.
Republic Commando is an odd game. It borrows
unashamedly from Halo, Metroid Prime and others, and succeeds
at offering nothing particularly new in terms of either tactics or blasting,
but as a whole, it's one of the most enjoyable games of recent months,
and one of the best Star Wars games available. It succeeds like few
others into dragging you right into a turbulent period in the history
of that universe, and gripping you there until it's over.
Review by: Jonny Austin
Version Tested: PC
Review Published: 31.03.05