Star Wars Republic Commando Description:

Star Wars Republic Commando review:
4 stars (Lots of fun, where's part 2?) - This is an immensely satisfying journey through the life of a Clone Commando, the elite units in the Clone Wars. Featuring fantastic squad-level action, the game shows you parts of Star Wars that you've been wanting to see for years. Your three squadmates are realized expertly, with convincing AI and squad tactics, as well as engaging animation and voice work. However, be aware that this game is reasonably short, rather easy, and ends with a Halo 2 style "Part I" cliffhanger that leaves you wondering when the next one came out, and why they didn't just print "Part I" right there on the box.
5 stars (STAR WARS REPUBLIC COMMANDO) - This game was really fun. I think that it's the best game that they have come out with for Star Wars. It has really good graphics and phrases. Please be aware that you have to have a video card that supports vertex shading, if not, the game won't run. Overall, this game was the BOMB!!!
5 stars (Much better than the movie, Excellent Single Player) - This game produced the most enjoyable experience since Half Life 2.



I generally play first-person-shooter once or twice, then never play again; not this game. I only bought it becase it seemed similar to "Brothers in Arms" with its squad-leader element. I was not expecting much as I normally enjoy WWII-style games (I also loathed the latest three Star Wars films) but was very suprised how good it really was.



From the beginning, I could sense the high production values. The story line, dialogue, and voice acting were excellent, especially for a video game. I felt I got to know my squadmates in Republic Commando much better than in Brothers in Arms. There were lots of little touches and polish that made it enjoyable to play through many times. Music, top-notch. I don't know if the music is from the films, but it shares the same epic quality. Graphics and effects were well done and ran very well with no stutters, crashes, or lag, even on the highest graphics settings.



Gameplay also excellent. The action is consistent and challenging, but there are few if any frustrating spots that require saving and reloading every couple of seconds that is so common with many FPS games. The maps were playtested well so storyline triggers work when they should and there are no places where you can get stuck clipping into a wall. The weapons are balenced well in that there is always at least two effective ways to deal with any target.



The squad commands were easy to learn and worked well with the environment. Your squaddies do not just walk into enemy fire. They move tacticly as a squad, taking cover and suppressing while other squaddies advance. Usually it is you that get killed before they do. With effective use of the squad commands, you can direct your squad to eliminate targets without you having to fire a shot. (although thats part of the fun)



The AI of your squaddies seem to be written well. They deal with immediate threats first, switch weapons when necessary, revive squadmates (including you), and heal themselves all on their own for the most part.



My only gripe is that the game is too short, which is a common complaint of most recent FPS games. There seems to be no modding community as of yet, so you are stuck with all the elements of a superb game and only a few levels to actually play. It is built on the Unreal engine, so modding should not be too difficult.