Star Wars Republic Commando

"A innovative and enjoyable look into the world of FPS"

Introduction
In the days of gaming where its barely possible to separate one FPS from the next, Star Wars Republic Commando is a fresh new take on what an FPS should be like. It adds features unseen in other FPS' and takes previously seen features and does them very well. I would take the single player of this game over any other First Person Shooter single player without question. And I know what your thinking, that that is quite a bold statement. However, I have full support my claim, and with good reason to.

Controls: 9/10
Everyone knows how an FPS plays, and many love it. This particular FPS however, takes how it normally plays, and somehow manages to add plenty of extra features while still keeping it fluid. Moving and shooting and reacting to your situation feels completely natural. The fact that sometimes there is small glitch where it doesn't recognize what your targeting right away keeps this category from being a 10.

Graphics: 9/10
I was really wowed when I first played this game, as I was not expecting it to be this good visually. I was particularly impressed at the character design, everything being very shiny and the colors very friendly and attractive. I was constantly just looking around and enjoying the environment when I played, and there is nothing bland about how the colors jump out at you. There are a few small areas in the single player that look like the artists got a little lazy, but other then that its perfect.

Story: 9/10
The story is quite solid. Very linear but enjoyable. It takes place somewhat during Attack of the Clones and progresses from there. The characters are also enjoyable often quick with a sly remark or saying. The story is very basic but in all honesty, I didn't care, I just love Star Wars and it universe.

Gameplay: 10/10
We've all played the Halo's and the Call of Duties, and single player there usually fun for about oh, 10 minutes until you realize your just doing the exact same thing over and over again. And your not only doing the same thing you've been doing in your game, your doing the same thing you've been doing in every FPS ever made. Republic Commando forgets all that, and thinks outside the mold. In the game you are the leader of an elite team called Delta Squadron. You control 3 other commandos and for once in FPS history the AI is smart! Not just, "I can shoot the bad guy" smart, but more like, "I can take cover and respond to orders, and eliminate all enemies efficiently as possible, Sir!" kind of smart. Its this feature that keeps the game fresh and individual. You can assign your men to get into certain positions to snipe, or target a specific unit if someone is giving you trouble. You can order them to be aggressive or protect the area. You can have them plant bombs or hack computers. Its these things that make the game so darn good. Its up to you how you want to go about beating the game and that total control is just plain fun. And as for just killing people your self, well you can do that too. There are a variety of Star-Wars-esque weapons to kill the variety of Star-Wars-esque creatures with. And everything feels fluent and natural.

Multiplayer 8/10
When you want to get away from being a leader for a bit, you can go online and have some fun. Although it is not incredibly crowded or popular you can still usually find a game with friendly people. There are not too many types of games to play but all in all if your looking to just kill people, mulitplayer is more then suitable.

Overall: 9/10
With solid graphics, multiplayer, gameplay, and story, the bottom line is that Republic Commando simply makes you wonder where the time went. All around fun to play and an intense but not too difficult gameplay gives this game the high honor of 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/22/07