So I Tried… Star Wars Republic Commando

Each edition of So I Tried… I will try a game that I have never played before. Will I find something new to love? Will I find something new to despise? I'll take a full half hour to see if this is the game for me, no matter how bad it gets or how badly I do, to see if this is the game for me. This time I played Star Wars Republic Commando with my colleagues on our semi-weekly streamcast!

What I thought it was

Here’s where I must reveal my horrible secret: I’ve actually played this before! Now, before you sharpen those flaming pitchforks, let me explain. Back in the day of the GameCube, my friend let me try this cool Star Wars-themed shooter where you were an actual clone trooper and could command a squad! I remember grabbing the controller, being absolutely squashed for about 15 minutes, and asking to play Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles instead. So, while I have played it, my memory of this trauma-inducing game has become vague after the last decade or so. I do, however, recall it being pretty revolutionary at the time, with cool missions and fun characters. Being a tactical game, you had to play it smart, commanding your squad to take up positions and provide cover for teammates planting charges or hacking terminals. I also remember it being unfairly difficult and hard to control!

What it actually is

After playing through a few levels with my colleagues, I was honestly surprised at how well it ran on a modern OS! Sure, I needed to install a mod to remove the horrid mouse sensitivity issues and give it a manageable resolution, but it seemed to have held up respectably well! The plot was much less of a presence throughout, with some names being mentioned here and there and objectives updating rather quickly, but then again, I’m guessing the plot was not the main focus in this particular title.

The fast-paced combat felt surprisingly fun at first, with weapons having a satisfying kick and enemies going down quickly. The melee attack was especially fun, as anyone viewing the streamcast can see. However, once we got a bit further, I found myself being rather annoyed by the amount of very bullet spongey enemies, such as the larger battle droids and elite bug-people (I’m sorry lore fans, my brain cannot handle all these names). I was also surprised to see how good and bad the squad mechanics were!

Your three fellow operatives all have special abilities, such as hacking terminals or planting explosives, which you can command them to do. You can also send them to cover, command them to focus fire, or have them mount turrets or provide covering sniper fire, all of which worked surprisingly well! If you happen to be taken out, you can even ask your team to come to revive you, which was an absolutely wonderful addition. This meant that the game was not over as soon as you fell, but only when everyone was down, giving the feeling of an actual elite group. However, your teammates are also absolute idiots, as they will not get to cover, heal themselves, or do much of anything without your explicit order. They also have a habit of getting stuck, requiring a reload to fix.

Will I keep playing

If you caught the streamcast or watched it later, you will know I had a smidge of a hard time stopping playing. So, yes. Definitely! While Star Wars Republic Commando does show signs of its age and the game design practices of the time, it’s also a lot of fun. The fast-paced story and continuous flood of enemies to shoot at kept me entertained and honestly the whole squad is full of goofballs, despite what the dialogue wants you to believe. These lads are adorable.