By Tim Schmelter

Austin360

March 29, 2005

Overview: Forget Emperors, Senators and Jedi. The heroes of LucasArts' latest game, "Star Wars: Republic Commando," are the clone troopers first seen in Episode II. Although relatively minor players in the movie, the clones take center stage here as fully-fledged characters, raised and trained as "pod brothers" to maximize their lethal potential.

You'll see that potential spring into action as you lead your three squadmates through three worlds and some 15 relatively short levels. Previous Star Wars games have focused on uniquely talented individuals. "Republic Commando" puts you in charge of a squad, and does so with style, if little innovation.

Star Wars Republic Commando Platform(s): PC, Xbox* Company: LucasArts Type/Genre: Action ESRB Rating: T (Teen -- Blood and Gore, Violence) • Official Site • Arcade360 Index *Reviewed

The plot revolves around battles in the Clone Wars, begun in "Episode II" and carried through until "Episode III." As squad leader Delta 38, you'll order your commandos to snipe, bombard and defend various locations from the desert planet of Geonosis to the forest-covered Wookiee homeworld. The environments are exquisite, with most managing to avoid the sameness that plagues the hallways and corridors of many action games.

The rest of "Republic Commando" doesn't fare quite as well. The game tries to sell the clones as unique individuals by providing each with a different voice, personality and profile, but in practice, they all behave pretty much identically. For example, you're told that each of the clones has a specialty like demolitions, sniping or computer hacking, but they all take the same amount of time to accomplish those tasks.

And like its main characters, the game itself is competent enough, but not truly unique. "Republic Commando" carries the torches lit by games like "Rainbow Six 3" and "Halo," but never manages to lift them any higher or make them burn any brighter.

Modes: The single-player campaign is too short, with an unsatisfying ending that begs for another mission to tie things up. Short single-player campaigns aren't necessarily a bad thing — see "Halo 2" — but "Republic Commando" never quite hits the same sweet spot that game does. Instead, commanding the squad tends to bog down the pace at exactly the wrong moments, especially during the sequences where the squad has to protect one of its members while he's slicing a terminal or placing a charge. In those situations, it's easy to long for a straight-on fight.

The game also features a rather traditional multiplayer component. Three of "Republic Commando's" four multiplayer styles are team based, but unless you're fortunate enough to game with friends, those team experiences don't match up to the tight squad control in the single-player game. The multiplayer maps themselves are well-done, featuring several areas from the main game, plus a couple of multiplayer-only maps thrown in for good measure. All in all, it's a decent effort, but skimpy compared to the online features in recent games.

Overall, the game is a fun ride while it lasts, and the multiplayer mode may provide some fun deathmatches. But the appeal of a squad-based shooter is the control of the squad. Without it, or a lucky matchup composed mostly of dedicated players, "Republic Commando's" multiplayer team games feel pointless.

Game Play: Shooting and tactical squad control are the name of the game. Luckily, Delta Squad's members are capable soldiers and have generally excellent artificial intelligence. They seek cover, perform their maneuvers efficiently and are usually (see "Enraging Quirk," below) more than able to keep up with you. The bad guys don't perform quite as well, but you'll still notice enemies who will try to flank you or flush you out of your position with grenades.

In a nice touch, you can revive any member of your team who becomes "incapacitated," so death is mostly a temporary inconvenience. Given how some of the battles are pitched heavily in favor of the enemy, your squad will inevitably suffer casualties, and it's nice not to restart too often.

Technical Presentation: Although the larger firefights sometimes cause the game to stutter, the graphics look exceptionally good. The clone commandos and troopers are the spitting image of their movie counterparts, and the various alien beasties and baddies even look good when things get up close and personal.

Like any "Star Wars" game, "Republic Commando's" sound is instantly familiar, but instead of the omnipresent hum of lightsabers or chirp of astromech droids, the sound palatte comprises more of the battle-oriented sounds of "Attack of the Clones" and the upcoming "Revenge of the Sith." John Williams score is a given, but Temuera Morrison's voiceover as the lead commando is a refreshing change of pace from the typical "Star Wars" sonic experience. Of course, you would assume that men with the exact same genetic structure and upbringing would sound a lot more similar than these clones do...but perhaps that's a tale best left for another day.

Ease of Use: One of the game's strong points. A standard first-person shooter control scheme married with a simple, intuitive interface for commanding your squad. Best of all, the control scheme can be remapped to suit your preference, something we wish more console games would do.

Nice Surprise: Finding the best tactic to clear out an area can be challenging, but almost always fun.

Enraging Quirk: Occasionally, the "A" in your squad's "AI" becomes all too apparent. Get too far ahead of your squad, and you may find that one of your teammates has gotten stuck behind an obstacle and cannot be moved. After losing yet another level to poor AI and collision detection, you'll begin to wonder if Dolly the Sheep has problems finding her way around the Scottish meadows.

Tip: Health stations and ammunition are in plentiful supply, so don't be afraid to backtrack if you need a quick bacta cocktail or some blaster ammo.

Bottom Line: The single player campaign is short and derivative, and the online multiplayer quickly grows stale, but "Star Wars Republic Commando" is a perfect game to rent and enjoy while the fun lasts.