In preparation for May the 4th aka Star Wars day, I decided to downloaded the Steam Star Wars bundle. Consisting of over ten legendary games I began playing them one by one as the nostalgia flooded in. From jet packing around Geonosis in Battlefront 2, to crafting my own personal lightsaber in Knights Of The Old Republic. Though one game in particular was so enjoyable to replay I felt the need to write a little about it.

Star Wars: Republic Commando was a highly anticipated game before release, it tapped into the Star Wars universe but at no point did you play as a Jedi in any way. Playing instead as a single trooper in a squad of four you shoot your way through this squad based fps whilst enjoying the short but sweet campaign and listening to the surprisingly well scripted dialogue of your fellow clone troopers. Each has their own personality despite having the same voice actor (they’re clones, remember?) and this comes across in entertaining ways. In fact getting this close to clone troopers creates an emotional link towards them that even the films didn’t touch upon.

they were the three best friends.

Having your squad mates at hand allows you to use them for tactical advantages. One is a demolition expert and so can breach doors with explosives in Rainbow Six fashion. Another is a sniper and often needs to be covered whilst he picks off the further enemies. Though that doesn’t mean you don’t get to experiment with these options yourself. A rather vast array of weapons lies at your disposal with some interesting implementation used, for example the main battle rifle in the game can be modified into a sniper rifle with a click of a button. This creates an exciting team dynamic as you decide whether or not to be the sharp shooter or the suppressing fire.

Considering the game was released for PC and the original Xbox back in 2005 it definitely stands the test of time even in terms of visuals. Obviously the Steam version will look better as the ultra graphical settings can now be easily achieved, but I was surprised as to how good it still looks. I found the game to be brilliantly repayable and enjoyed the dated but playable graphics as it only increased the nostalgia effect.

still looking good after ten years.

Probably my favourite aspect of the game is the sound, for the time the sound was very impressive, and even now everything sounds as though it fits perfectly in the Star Wars Universe, especially the epic soundtrack. Taking orchestral tracks from the film and using them more often and for longer periods of time really highlights some of the amazing music the films had but weren’t in the spotlight as much as others.

A combination of great voice acting, dated but still great visuals and a stellar soundtrack all combine to ensure you become completely immersed in the Star Wars universe. Star Wars: Republic Commando goes down as one of the best Star Wars games ever made and so if you’re looking for a way to spend May the 4th or just need that Star Wars fix waiting for the release of Battlefront 3 then you need look no further. Besides it’s on Steam sale right now so you have no excuse!

Click the link here to go to the Steam Star Wars Bundle. Quick offer ends May 7th! http://store.steampowered.com/sub/66986/

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