Star Wars: Republic Commando released in 2005 on the original Xbox and on PC. It has been a console exclusive since then for almost two decades now. This remaster will finally reckon that wrong for both PlayStation and Nintendo fans at long last.
In fact, this game is currently not available as a remaster on PC or Xbox One, as it is instead only out for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. It should be noted though that on the console side, the Xbox family can emulate it nicely via backward compatibility. History aside, the big question is was this game worth waiting for?
10 Best: Music
The music in Republic Commando makes it feels like an authentic, epic Star Wars experience. This includes the sound effects as well, from the muffled troops talking to the laser blasts. It’s one of those games with a lot of chatter all happening at once which can make it hard to hear though. That’s why headphones are recommended if someone doesn’t have a stereo system to fully blast it out.Â
9 Worst: No Running
Modern first-person shooters feel pretty fast, both in terms of gunplay and movement. If characters are slow they will usually have a run option at least to pick up the pace. That is not true for this Star Wars game. The commander moves incredibly slow, which makes getting around feel like a chore. That isn't how a player should feel playing as a clone trooper in a Star Wars experience.Â
8 Best: Weapons And Mods
Instead of relying on some sort of loadout before and or after a mission, all weapons instead move with the player. It’s a very old-school shooter setup much like DOOM or Wolfenstein. This is great as there isn't any need to constantly pick up new guns.
The weapons available are also unique in that they are mods for the standard blaster. There are other non-modded guns too, which are equally cool.Â
7 Worst: Graphics
Despite the remaster team’s best efforts to smooth out this game’s rougher edges, it still looks messy. It’s not so much the graphics that are the problem, but the designs themselves. The levels are bleak, drab, and without color. There are some highlights to be sure but they are far and few between. In this way, this Star Wars game does emulate more modern shooters that have equally browned out or dark areas like Gears of War.Â
6 Best: Your Squad
The AI of the clone trooper squad is not too shabby for this era. While players do have the option to constantly command them, they do pretty fine on their own. Aside from their battle skills, they also feel like a close-knit group. The armor designs are also cool, making each member look unique. The one downside is that there isn’t much time to really dive into their backstories through cutscenes or other narrative beats.Â
5 Worst: Friendly Fire
The one aspect of the squad-based gameplay that is not welcomed is the friendly fire mechanic. There is no way to turn it off. Admittedly, it is more realistic to have teammates fall down if they get shot too many times or blown up by the player. However, that doesn’t make for a fun video game. Realism belongs in some games like, perhaps, a Call of Duty, but not in Star Wars.Â
4 Best: Saving
Republic Commando has a wide breadth of saving options. Not only does it save frequently enough at checkpoints but players can even manually save the game.
This makes it easy to cheese certain segments which is a free pro tip. There is also a quick save feature if one presses the Minus button on the Switch for example.Â
3 Worst: Loading
Loading up these save files is another story. While this Star Wars game did not get remastered on Xbox One, the backward compatible version one can get on the system loads faster. How can a remaster with barely anything done to it load so slowly? It’s honestly only ten seconds at max, which is nowhere near as long as some of the worst examples out there, but given the fact that this game is sixteen years old, it is a bit baffling,Â
2 Best: Extras
Putting extras on games was a new feature that started to blow up during the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube generation. Once the HD era hit, those extras seemingly went away without explanation.
It’s a shame but at least this remaster kept the ones already included with the original launch. As they are not touched up, these interviews or behind-the-scenes clips look fuzzy, but again, it is a big plus to include them at all.Â
1 Worst: Frame Rate
Along with the graphics looking muddled or blurry at times, it does not help that Republic Commando's frame rate is constantly dipping. When playing a shooter, a consistent frame rate is crucial. A shooter that chugs, like this Star Wars game, dampens the experience. That along with the slow movement can really impede the momentum and epic spectacle of big battles sometimes, making it feel like a PS1 game.Â