Star Wars: Republic Commando
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| Star Wars: Republic Commando | |
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| Developer(s) | LucasArts |
| Publisher(s) |  LucasArts Activision |
| Engine | Unreal Engine 2.0 |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Mobile Phone |
| Release date | Xbox PC |
| Genre(s) | Tactical Shooter, First Person Shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) PEGI: 12+ CERO: 12 |
Star Wars: Republic Commando is a first-person shooter Star Wars video game, released in the US on 1 March 2005. It was developed and published by LucasArts for the Microsoft Windows and Xbox platforms. The game uses Epic Games' Unreal Engine.[1] As of April 19, 2007, this game is backwards compatible with the Xbox 360 with a downloadable patch.[2]
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[edit] Plot synopsis
The game is set during the events of the Clone Wars that started at the climax of the movie Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. In the game, the player is expected to take command of a Clone commando team, made up of elite Clone troopers. These clone troopers have been specially bred at the clone factories on Kamino. The commando team will travel to various locations in the Star Wars universe, including Kashyyyk, Geonosis, and the derelict spacecraft, The Prosecutor.
At the beginning of the game, Delta Squad is deployed from the RAS Prosecutor individually into the front lines of the battle of Geonosis. There, Delta RC-1138 ("Boss", the player character) meets up with Deltas 1262, 1140, and 1207 ("Scorch", "Fixer", and "Sev" respectively). Delta-38 has been selected to lead this unit and guides them on their mission to assassinate the Geonosian leader Sun Fac. After accomplishing this objective, Delta Squad sabotaged the droid factory underneath Sun Fac's headquarters, disable an anti-aircraft bunker that is wreaking havoc on the Republic Army's air forces, and then sneak onto a disabled Confederacy Core Ship, stealing important Launch Codes to prevent the Separatist fleet from retreating, escaping seconds before the ship is destroyed.
A year into the war, the now veteran, Delta Squad is sent to investigate the derelict Republic Assault Ship (RAS) Prosecutor, their former home before being deployed to active duty. The team splits up to investigate, when they begin to lose contact with each other one by one aboard the ship. When he first enters the ship, Delta-38 ponders why the interior of the Prosecutor remains deserted and eerily quiet, when he is suddenly ambushed by droids known as Scavengers, which are responsible for the communications disruptions between the squad members. Delta-38 continues fighting off Scavenger Droids and comes across Trandoshan Slavers and Mercenaries. He single-handedly fights his way through the ship, collecting information from the ship and reviving fallen teammates. Once his team is together again, they destroy a jamming device in order to restore communication. Delta Squad then destroys the Trandoshan dropship in a hangar blowing up its shield regulator by accident. Immediately afterward, a Confederate Trade Federation Battleship drops out of hyperspace nearby, as the Trandoshans were about to sell the vessel, to the CIS, in exchange for droid support. As Republic reinforcements are en route, Delta Squad defends the vessel against hordes of battle droids, destroying the docking shield stabilizers, allowing nothing to pass through. They then proceed to code the auto turrets while under fire, saving the vessel and providing support to its recently arrived escort.
As the war drags onward, Delta Squad participates in increasingly dangerous missions. A cry for help is heard by the Republic from the Wookiee homeworld of Kashyyyk. Delta Squad is sent to rescue General Tarfful from Trandoshan slavers and mercenaries. After spotting General Grievous himself in one of the compounds and fighting off his elite guards, they learn of the full ramifications of a Confederacy/Trandoshan alliance. Delta Squad sabotages a vital Trandoshan supply depot and proceeds to the key battle of Kachirho, the beginning of the battle of Kashyyyk. There, they move through the Wookiee tree city, securing important objectives and battling against hordes of advanced battledroids. They destroy the Bridge at Kachirho, cutting the droid army off from its reinforcements, and proceed to secure the Citadel. Soldiering through the most elite CIS forces and weaponry, Delta Squad once again splits up to man four Heavy AA turrets in order to assist in the destruction of a separatist battleship. Once the ship is destroyed, Advisor orders the Deltas to regroup at 38's position. However, Sev does not make the rendezvous and the squad manages to grab a last transmission from him, in which it's clear that he is under heavy attack and is possibly injured or killed. Delta Squad prepares to rescue Sev, but the commander orders them to pull back. As they head out on the gunship, devastated by the loss of their comrade, they are debriefed by Jedi Master Yoda. A huge Republic offensive is seen deploying outside the gunship, as Delta Squad prepares for another assignment in the battle.
[edit] Gameplay
The game features systems that have been featured in other first-person shooters, including Metroid Prime, Halo, or Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. The Heads-Up Display (HUD) in the game has a similar feel to that in Metroid Prime. The squad-based order system is similar to the Rainbow Six games, where certain positions are tied to an action. Pressing the order key will tell one of the squad to move to that position and do a predefined action, such as providing sniper or anti-armor fire. There are also orders that govern the entire squad, such as Search and Destroy, Hold Position, Form Up, and Recall. The player can only carry one other gun during the game, excluding the main gun's attachments such as the Sniper attachment and the Anti-Armor attachment.
The game features a multiplayer mode for Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Assault, and Capture the flag gameplay, with Xbox Live support for 16 players on the Xbox, and 32 for PC over the Internet.
In single player mode, players do not die, they are merely incapacitated for the time being. While they are "downed", they can order squad members to revive them, maintain their orders, or reload to the last saved checkpoint. The same applies when one of the squad members gets downed. Therefore, the game is only truly over when both the player and the squad members are incapacitated. An aspect of this is that as squad leader, one can also order that one be attended to first, regardless of convenience. This gameplay decision was based on the fact that the elite commandos of Delta Squad have special bacta implants that sustain them during severe injuries. When health is deteriorated, bacta dispensers can be found scattered around maps, and will heal any and all injuries, restoring health to full.
In addition to the single player campaign, there is also a multiplayer feature. The controls remain the same, however the HUD is not visible.
Unlike in most first-person shooters the player sees the entire game from Delta 38's eyes. There are no cinematics where you see from a third person view. The entire game is literally first person.
[edit] Characters
The clone commandos featured in the game have distinct personalities, increasingly independent from regular clone troopers in the Republic's army. Although the player's squad members are said to specialize in certain areas, they all perform tasks with equal skill. The commandos of Delta Squad are:
- RC-1138 (Delta 38 or "Boss")
The player takes control of Delta 38 for the entire game. He is the commander of Delta Squad and issues orders to fellow teammates during missions.
Boss's designation is a reference to the number 1138, as seen and referenced in many projects involving George Lucas. "1138" itself is a reference to his first major film, THX 1138.
- RC-1140 (Delta 40 or "Fixer")
Delta 40 is the hacker and technological expert of the team. He portrays the stoic and serious side of the commandos and takes on a strict adherence to protocols; he is also the only one to use actual military terminology during missions.
- RC-1207 (Delta 07 or "Sev")
Delta 07 is a marksman who portrays a morbid sense of morality, desiring to annihilate every foe the squad encounters. One of his favorite activities is sniping ("With extreme pleasure, sir"). His voice is notable for having a deep, menacing tone when speaking. Delta 07 has red markings smeared across his armour. It is unclear if this is paint or blood. He oftens makes fun of Delta 62
- RC-1262 (Delta 62 or "Scorch")
Delta 62, the "heart and soul of your team," is the demolitions expert. Delta 62 enjoys demolition weapons. He maintains a sense of humor throughout the game, often attempting to crack jokes even in the midst of combat, much to the chagrin of Delta 40. He often makes fun of Delta 07, who exchange wisecracks directed at each other throughout the game. He has the most dramatic reaction at the end of the game when Delta 07 is left behind. His nickname is Scorch because of a nickname given to him by an accident during a fire fight training, in which he got burned.
[edit] Soundtrack
Republic Commando is notable for being the first entry in the official Star Wars game to feature licensed music. The song "Clones," performed by the band Ash, is played when the credits roll. Ash is known for their Star Wars fandom; their debut album was entitled 1977, and contained numerous Star Wars references.
The main bulk of the soundtrack is a break from convention of previous Star Wars games that use abridged versions of John Williams' original score, instead using a combination of Williams' music and new music composed by Jesse Harlin. This new music takes on a high-paced, gritty and vocal theme to the traditional Star Wars score, helping to immerse the player even more in the game.
The Mandalorian battle song Vode An (Brothers All) is also heard throughout several parts of the game, including the main menu and several battle sequences.
[edit] Hardware issues
- Game has had issues running on nVidia GeForce 8 Series video cards, unless Bump-Mapping settings is set to low.[3] This may or may not have to do with which operating system is being run (Vista vs. XP) and may also be affected by individual hardware configurations.
[edit] Modifications
With the first update to the PC version of Republic Commando players can design their own maps and levels to be played with Republic Commando both online and off line. Some of the biggest mods require more then just new map files, this includes SQON and Veamon Studio's mod Star Wars Republic Commando 2 the Mod, which is the currently the largest mod for Republic Commando. There are a few websites that are dedicated to Republic Commando mods, see Modding Information below.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Star Wars Games wikia
- Star Wars: Republic Commando at MobyGames
- Gamespy Review of Republic Commando
- Gamespot Review of Republic Commando
- Gamespot Development Diary #1 (Inspiration for development and a mention of the input that George Lucas put into the production).
- Gamespot Development Diary ... The other 6 entries.
- Republic Commando reviews at Game Rankings
- Star Wars: Republic Commando at the Wookieepedia
[edit] Modding Information
- RC Mod Site - Main Republic Commando Mod Site
- Unreal Modding Forums - Unreal Modding Forums, RC Modding Discussion
- Downloads - RC Maps Coding and other Downloads.
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