About.com Rating



Ups And Downs

The best part about Republic Commando is that it features nonstop action all the way through the game. You are always being ambushed and attacked so there is never a dull moment because you are always going to be shooting at something. The weapons you have at your disposal are satisfying to use and blasting everything in sight is simply a lot of fun.

It is just too bad that the experience is over so quickly.

For whatever reason there isn?t much content in Republic Commando. There are only a handful of levels and enemy types and you?ll have seen it all in just a couple of days. You can beat the single player campaign in less than ten hours, and that just isn?t enough. It really is disappointing just how short this game is because it is a lot of fun but it is over so quick and there is really no reason to play through it more than once.

Multiplayer And Xbox Live

Republic Commando does have both splitscreen and Xbox Live multiplayer, but it isn?t anywhere near as good as the single player. While the single player game is very atmospheric and you have to rely on your squad, multiplayer matches are simply run of the mill first person shooter fare. It plays just like every other multiplayer shooter but it lacks the wealth of options you?ll find in Halo 2. It is fun for a while, but there are other games that offer a much more complete experience. There are deathmatch, team deathmatch, assault, and CTF modes available on eight maps, but there isn?t anything here that Halo 2 or MechAssault 2 doesn?t do better.

The game does run smoothly over Xbox Live, but it isn?t anything you haven?t seen before.

Graphics And Sound

Graphically, Republic Commando is stunning. The environments, whether it is the cold metal hallways of a spaceship or the forests of Kashyyyk, are detailed and look great. The character models are also very detailed and you can see little dents and dings and scratches in your teammates? armor. Your teammates are well animated, too, and everything they do looks just like you would expect from a highly trained special-forces unit.

The sound is also very well done. Your teammates are constantly chattering to each other or to your advisor and they say a lot of things that are either entertaining or will help you on your mission. The music in the game is a nice mix of themes from the movies along with some new tracks and it all works with the action on screen very well.

The overall presentation in Republic Commando is simply outstanding.

Bottom Line

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a great game but it is hard to recommend. The gameplay is amazing and the graphics and sound are perfect, but there simply isn?t enough here to keep you interested for very long. You can beat the single player campaign in less than ten hours and the multiplayer mode isn?t that great, so once you beat it once (maybe twice) you likely won?t pick it up again. The full potential of this title definitely wasn?t realized and that is a shame because there was such a great foundation to build on. If you are a big Star Wars fan you?ll probably be happy with your purchase, but everyone else can get away with a weekend rental.