‘Republic Commando’ First Time Playthrough And Review
One of the most popular video games among prequel era fans is LucasArt's Republic Commando. A first-person tactical shooter, Commando puts you in the combat boots of RC-1138, nicknamed "Boss," the leader of Delta Squadron, an elite unite of clone commandos. With the recent appearance of Scorch and Gregor in The Bad Batch, my interest in Commando has reached an all time high, and I think it is high time to give this game a playthrough. The following is a first time player’s honest thoughts, feelings, and reactions to an extremely beloved Star Wars gaming great. For the Republic!
Geonosis
Even without playing the game, I am familiar with Vode An, the main menu track and theme of Delta Squad. Easily one of the best non-John Williams pieces in Star Wars, Vode An is a fitting battle hymn for these Mandalorian-trained commandos. The opening scenes of Delta Squad’s growth and training on Kamino, combined with the gunship drop onto Geonosis are a perfect Star Wars hype builder, pairing surprisingly well-written dialogue with the aforementioned excellent musical composition. Delta 40's introduction, defeating a Geonosian warrior in hand-to-hand combat is an excellent way to meet the "pure and uncomplicated soldier." The banter within the squad and the communication with your clone advisor aboard the gunship is extremely immersive, I already feel like this squad is an elite fighting force. With the sounds of battle outside the spire, it takes very little imagination to feel like you're actually blasting your way through droids during the events of Attack of the Clones.
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After meeting Sev, forget what I said about 40's introduction because 07, the "best hunter of all your brothers" puts him to shame with a brutal double-kill straight from an action movie. It is slightly strange hearing only the playable character speak in Temuera Morrison's voice, perhaps my only nitpicking gripe with the game so far. Even then it is understandable in order to make the squad discernable in combat and give each trooper their own vocal personality. The fight to enter the anti-aircraft bunker is the best one of Geonosis so far. Several of my squad go down and I am scrambling to drop super battle droids and maneuver my squad into advantageous positions. Speaking of which, the squad commands, a central part of this game, are very well developed. Assigning a Delta to a sniper, grenade, or turret position reaps instant benefits and can swing the tide of a firefight in moments.
The Prosecutor
A benchmark for shooter games is giving the player a variety of missions. Nobody wants to play the same rinse and repeat mission of blasting their way through a shooting gallery of foes. This mission was a great change of pace from Geonosis. The desert, droid factories, and colony hives make way for the ruined hallways and infrastructure of the Acclamator-class destroyer, The Prosecutor. This mission is extremely absorbing, so much so that I forgot to take notes during gameplay. The zero-G space walk insertion to the mission area is something that is not seen enough in Star Wars, reminiscent of the scene where Anakin, Fives, and Rex space walk across the hull of a Separatist cruiser to rescue Tupp from Separatist control. The mission is spooky and has a horror theme to it, which is a welcome variation to the game. The tension builds as Scorch goes dark over coms and Sev is taken down by a Trandoshan slaver and interrogated. The additional weapons that you are able to take off defeated foes, the array gun and the heavy accelerator, are classic additions to the commando arsenal. What shooter is complete without blasting your way through tight hallways with a shotty? The Arrestor's arrival out of hyperspace and destruction of the Lucrehulk-class Trade Federation battle ship as Vode An triumphantly plays is a perfect finale for this mission.
Kashyyyk
My personal favorite planet in all of Star Wars, the homeworld of the Wookiees proved to be the most challenging assignment for Delta Squad yet. As a huge fan of Wookiees, there are few things in this game as awesome as watching a freed Wookiee warrior Spartan-kick a battle droid across the compound. Freeing the war-chieftain Tarfful is accomplished relatively easy. While unfortunately he does not stick around for long, it is still a solid and subtle cameo that ties in well with the droid attack on the Wookiees in Revenge of the Sith. The arrival of General Grievous on Kashyyyk heralds the addition of the MagnaGuard as enemies to the squad. This unit is fast, tough, and packs quite the melee punch. I have to restart the fight several times as I am low on ammo and grenades.
This indicates yet another strength of this game, forcing the player to conserve ammo and use the appropriate grenade for the appropriate scenario or face the grind of having to kill enemies with your often underpowered pistol. Kashyyyk offers the Delta's an opportunity to use the environment against their enemy, as both a crane and a heavy tree branch are used to crush multiple foes. The fate of Sev is something of Star Wars lore so I knew that the other Deltas would be forced to leave him behind, but even then I was frustrated along with the squad. How could they leave such a crucial (and my personal favorite) member of the squad behind? Hopefully, with the Star Wars videogame license now more accessible to studios, we can get the long overdue Imperial Commando sequel.
Final Thoughts and Rating
It is easy to see why Republic Commando has a place in the hearts of Star Wars fans years after its release. The game is a fast paced, action-packed shooter loaded with lore, banter, teamwork, and unique gameplay. The squad system is highly effective and enjoyable. Breaching doors and establishing a perimeter with your squad to clear an area of CIS forces never seems to get old. Before it gets too repetitive, the game introduces enough variables to the gameplay to keep the player engaged, and make even scrapping droids enjoyable. Sev, Fixer, Scorch, and Boss are all unique and efficient clones who deserve the adoration they receive from fans.
The biggest problems with this game include a lack of variety in maps and enemies. With only two playable planets and a third campaign onboard a cruiser, all of which dragged at times, I was occasionally left wishing for shorter campaigns within each environment for the sake of additional campaigns. Felucia, Mygeeto, or even an Order 66 campaign would have improved the game. In addition, the recycling of Geonosian soldiers on Kashyyyk felt out of place and snapped me out of the otherwise immersive experience of the game. I often became frustrated with the repeated use of "A" button for nearly every mechanic of the game. I lost count of the number of times I tried to issue two separate commands to the squad, only to accidentally cancel the first order, losing valuable seconds and taking fire while trying to correct my mistake. Overall, this game has aged surprisingly gracefully, leaving fans with a still relevant and enjoyable experience with only a few outdated mechanics.
Republic Commando receives a score 8.3/10 from this gamer.
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