Preview: Playtest9th February 2005LucasArts are at it again. Seemingly not happy with collapsing social lives around the globe after the release of Knights of the Old Republic, they are priming the latest in the Star Wars franchise - Republic Commando. Understandably enough in the past there have been a fair few Jedi based games - the fact that entire countries seem to have an obsession with the Jedi (a good case in point being the Jedi kid video that went global) probably played a part in this. LucasArts however have decided now is as good a time as ever to change direction and are instead focusing on the military side of the Star Wars universe, putting you in control of a Republic army special operations squad. Let's take a look at what this means; the player is going to be controlling an elite team of soldiers performing missions such as hostage rescue, infiltration, assault, sabotage and reconnaissance missions. Even the most die-hard Star Wars fan should be able to spot the fairly obvious parallels to just about every squad-based fighter on the market, most noticeably the recent smash Rainbow Six 3. Of course, Republic Commando is set to feature a storyline that fits in well with the films (the plot of the game takes place between Episode II and Episode III of the films) and all the Star Wars details that entails - you won't be fighting Russians, you'll be fighting Geonosian Drones. You won't be shooting these baddies with heavy Earth-based weapons; you'll be using Trandoshan Slaver Shotguns. Forgive the sarcasm but so far, we're slightly concerned that Republic Commando doesn't appear to have the 'hook' that KotOR or Jedi Academy does. On the upside, the game is being moulded around the uber-successful Unreal engine so there's hope yet. The game is also set to be compatible with Xbox Live, PS2 Online and trusty PC online gaming which is one of those things that practically guarantees success to Unreal-style fighters. The game is due out in autumn so there's certainly time to add a killer feature that will make the game stand out from its peers (aside from the fact it's a Star Wars game). Rest assured we'll keep you informed. |
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