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Star Wars: Republic Commando

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Star Wars: Republic Commando
Star Wars: Republic Commando box cover
Star Wars: Republic Commando box cover
Developer(s)LucasArts
Publisher(s)LucasArts
EngineUnreal Engine 2.0
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Xbox, Mobile Phone
ReleaseMarch 1, 2005
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single player, Multiplayer

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a first-person shooter Star Wars computer game and 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's Unreal engine.

Plot synopsis

Template:Spoiler The game is set during the infamous 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 derelict spacecraft. The game is the first in the Star Wars universe to feature a militaristic style, which sets a darker tone than other games that are a part of the Star Wars franchise.

Near the beginning of the game, Delta Squad is deployed from the RAS Prosecutor individually into the front lines of the battle on Geonosis. There, Delta-RC-1138 (Boss, the player) meets up with Deltas 62, 40, and 07 ("Scorch," "Fixer," and "Sev" respectively). Delta-38 has been selected to lead this unit and guides them on their mission to kill Geonosian leader Sun Fac. After accomplishing this objective, they sabotage the droid factory underneath Sun Fac's headquarters 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 was 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. Ominous sounds of metal straining and flickering lighting only test the Commando's courage more when they begin to lose contact with each other one by one. Delta-38 continues fighting off Scavenger Droids and comes across Trandoshan mercenaries. He single-handedly fights his way through collecting information from the ship and reviving fallen teammates. Once his team is together again they take out a jamming device in order to restore communication. The Trandoshans are interested in Wookiee pelts, taking the Separatist side of the war. Delta Squad destroys the Trandoshan dropship in a hangar by blowing up the hangar's shield generator. Immediately afterward, a Confederate Capital Ship drops out of hyperspace nearby - it turns out the Trandoshans were about to sell the vessel in exchange for droid support. As Republic reinforcements are en route, Delta Squad defends the vessel against hordes of battledroids. In a brilliant display of ingenuity for which they were born and bred, the Commandos destroy the docking shield stabilizers, allowing nothing to pass through. They then proceed to code the auto turrets while under fire, thereby saving the vessel and providing support to its recently arrived escort.

As the war drags onward, Delta Squad participates in ever increasingly dangerous missions. A cry of 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 guard, they learn of the full ramifications of Confederacy/Trandoshan alliance. Delta Squad sabotages a vital Trandoshan supply depot and proceeds to the key battle point of Kachirho. There, they move through the Wookiee tree city, securing important objectives and battling against hordes of advanced battledroids any regular Clone trooper would fall against. They destroy the Bridge at Kachirno and proceed to secure the Citadel. Soldiering through the most elite CIS forces and weaponry, Delta Squad once again splits up to each man a Heavy AA turret against an enemy dropship. Once the ship was destroyed, Advisor ordered the Deltas to regroup at 38's position. However, Sev did 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 shuttle, they are de-briefed by Jedi Master Yoda. A huge Republic offensive can be seen outside the shuttle.

Gameplay

File:SWRCscreen1.jpg

The game features systems that have been featured in other games, including Metroid Prime, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six, and Halo. 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 2-3 guns during the game, though the main gun can change to suit different needs, such as: Sniper fire, Anti-Armor and standard blaster fire.

The game features a multiplayer mode for Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Capture the flag gameplay, with Xbox Live support for 16 players on the Xbox, and the same 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 orders, or reload to the last saved checkpoint. The same applies when one of the squad members gets downed. Therefore, the game is over only when both the player and the squad members are incapacitated. 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.

It should be noted that the Super Battle Droids are very hard to kill. Their "stubbornness to die" seems to be exaggerated somewhat compared to the other FPS Star Wars games.

Republic Commando is notable for being the first entry in the official Star Wars canon to feature licensed music. The song "Clones," performed by 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 Squad

The clone commandos featured in the game have distinct personalities, different from the clone troopers in Attack of the Clones. During the in-game cutscenes, it is said that they are 'different' from standard clone troopers in that they have increased individual will and personality. The commandos of Delta Squad are:

  • RC-1138 (Delta Three-Eight or Boss) It should also be noted that this particular name is a reference to the infamous "1138 number" seen and referred to in many projects involving work from or related to George Lucas. "1138" originated from his first major film "THX-1138".
  • RC-1140 (Delta Four-Oh or Fixer)
  • RC-1207 (Delta Oh-Seven or Sev)
  • RC-1262 (Delta Six-Two or Scorch)

The player takes control of Delta 38 ("Boss"). The commandos are usually called by the last two digits of their designation or their nicknames. Delta 40 Fixer is the expert hacker of the team. He has the least personality of the commandos. Fixer takes on a strict adherence to protocols; he is also the only one to use actual military terms during missions. Delta 07 Sev is a marksman who loves to kill things. One of his favorite things is sniping ("With extreme pleasure, sir."). He has a very low voice. Scorch, the "heart and soul of the group," is the demolitions expert (he loves blowing things up). He also has a sense of humor, often trying to crack jokes (something 40 is against).

Although the player's squad mates are said to have specific "specialities," they all perform tasks with equal amounts of skill.

Weapons

This is a list of the various implements of destruction available to the player in Republic Commando. In the single-player mode, the player is given a DC-15s pistol, as well as the DC-17m and its attachments. A secondary slot is also open for carrying a foreign weapon, such as the Wookiee Bowcaster or an ACP-series gun. In the multi-player mode, the player has two slots, and starts with the DC-15s Side Arm Blaster and the correct rifle for the team (either DC-17m for the Republic or Accelerated Charged Particle Repeater Gun for the Trandoshans), and can proceed to swap weapons with those in the map. Also, the Diversionary Flash Detonator is removed in the multiplayer mode.

Republic weapons:

  • DC-17m: Fully automatic rifle. The DC-17m is a light repeating blaster rifle capable of rapidly firing blaster bolts. Each power pack clip provides enough energy for 60 shots, and you may carry five clips. The blaster has two attachments expanding its use. In multiplayer this is the standard Republic gun.
  • DC-17m Sniper Rifle Attachment: This attachment turns the DC-17m into an ion pulse sniper rifle. Its rate of fire is very much reduced, but it has higher power, accuracy, and an electromag scope (capable of scoping to 10x and 20x magnification). It uses a special high-discharge 5-round power pack; the player may hold 4 clips (for 20 rounds total).
  • DC-17m Anti-Armor Attachment: A rocket propelled grenade attachment for the DC17m; it's effective against Super Battle Droids and armored vehicles. The player can hold a maximum of four charges, which must be loaded individually after each shot.
  • DC-15s Side Arm Blaster: A low-power pistol. It has a self charging dynamic energy cell that recharges at a slow but steady rate. It can only be fired five or six times consecutively before the user must pause to let the pistol replenish its ammunition.
  • Vibroblade: The back of the armor plate that covers a Clone Commando's left hand contains a retractable vibroblade. Combined with a commando's training and prowess, this allows the execution of a devastating close-quarters attack capable of instantly disabling organic enemies and light droids.


Trandoshan weapons:

  • Accelerated Charged Particle Repeater Gun: A standard Trandoshan mercenary equivalent of a real-life submachine gun. Similar to the DC-17m, although it fires charged particle bursts as opposed to blaster bolts. This makes it ineffective against armored enemies such as droids but more effective against organics. It retains the ability to quickly overload shielding, however. In multiplayer, the ACP is the standard Trandoshan gun, although for the purposes of multiplayer it's exactly the same as the 17m.
  • LS-150 Heavy ACP Repeater Gun: A huge, belt-fed, chaingun-like weapon, the Heavy ACP Repeater Gun is used by heavily-armored Trandoshan elite mercenaries. It has an extremely high rate of fire and a 200 round energy magazine, capable of taking out a Clone Commando in a heartbeat when used by the Trando mercs. Likewise, it is capable of mowing down Trandoshans en masse when Delta 38 appropriates one of these for himself. It is also tipped with a wicked bayonet. Its weight and bulk slow you down when you wield it.
  • ACP Array Gun: A shotgun-like weapon, mainly used by Trandoshan slavers. Very effective against organic beings but somewhat against droids. It is most effective at close range, but its power drops off rapidly over distance. Eight round integral ammunition magazine.
  • LJ-50 Concussion Rifle: The LJ-50 Concussion Rifle is a heavy field weapon used in medium to long distance engagements. It utilizes a concussive energy charge that implodes on impact and creates a sizeable area of destruction in a 500 unit radius. Effective against organics and light droids, but not against heavy droid units. Each concussion core provides five shots before it must be changed. Interestingly, its energized barrel can slammed into a droid in melee to temporarily electrocute its systems.

Wookie weapons:

  • Wookiee Bowcaster: An artfully crafted Wookie weapon that fires powerful green energy quarrels. Individual shots are not normally very powerful, but the weapon can be "charged up" by holding down the fire button. Fully charged shots are referred to as "impaler bolts"; using three ammo units, it will impale organic enemies and pin them to a wall. Shots that miss targets bounce off walls, leaving a trail of green behind the shot. It is equipped with a telescopic sight.
  • Wookiee Homing Launcher: A massive rocket launcher that can load and fire up to five rockets simultaneously (hold down the fire button to prepare multiple rockets), capable of locking on and homing into targets. Its weight and bulk slow you down when you wield it.

Geonosian weapons:

  • Geonosian Elite Beam Weapon: A Geonosian weapon that fires a sustained orange energy beam. When used by the Geonosian Elite Warrior, it draws off virtually unlimited stores of energetic fluid within the insectoid alien's body, but when used by a Clone Commando, its ammo is limited. It requires a few seconds to charge before firing.

Grenades:

  • Thermal detonator: The standard Star Wars grenade, it releases a damaging barrage of heat and a concussive blast upon detonation; comparable in use to a modern frag grenade.
  • Electrostatic Charge Detonator: A grenade that, when detonated, releases a powerful pulse of electricity. Most effective against mechanical enemies such as droids, as it disrupts their neural circuitry.
  • Diversionary Flash Detonator: Similar to the flashbang grenade. When detonated, it releases a bright light and noise, stunning nearby enemies.. and also the commando, if he looks at it. However, it has no effects on mechanical enemies. It is removed in the multiplayer mode.
  • Sonic detonator: A Geonosian-manufactured grenade that releases a damaging sonic blast. Similar to the Thermal Detonator. The grenade is proximity triggered; if it hits a target it explodes on impact; if it hits a floor it may be proximity-triggered, or detonates automatically after ten seconds. If the grenade hits a wall, it will stick to the surface.


Demolition equipment: The player is not required to keep track of the squad's inventory of these explosives. It is assumed that Delta Squad possesses an adequate number of these items.

  • Demolition charges: These are command-detonated, variable yield, high explosive shaped-charges used for military demolitions purposes. Used to destroy targets that are either too large or too heavily armored to be effectively damaged with the commandos' handheld ranged weapons. These high-tech explosives are programmable with the built-in keypad to customize blast profile tamping based on the target type, thus maximizing the destructive efficiency upon detonation. Once placed, a commando takes a few moments to program and arm the charge. Upon arming, the squad leader can detonate them at will using a handheld remote detonator.
  • Breaching charges: Used do blow open sealed doors, a breaching charge is a small explosive device with a directional blast designed to destroy locking mechanisms. It explodes a few seconds after it is placed, allowing the commandos to storm the room.
  • Proximity detonators: The small charge is not typically powerful enough to cause damage to enemies, but it can be placed on explosive barrels and set to proximity mode. When an enemy approaches, it will detonate, causing the barrel to explode as well.

See also

Modding Information

Template:Clone Wars

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