Star Wars: Republic Commado

Ok. There have been more than 6 months when this game showed up in the stands. You've probably played it (in march there aren't so game launches), but I've decided only two days ago to try it. It sounded nice on GameSpot and wanted to give it a run, just to be sure that I don't miss one of the thousands Star Wars games (kind of a joke, though it yields a little bit of truth).

To be short, this game has it's own vision of the SW Universe but remains consistent with it. It's not about spaceships/flying through space game, and it's doesn't feature any Jedi or either the Force's presence.
It's a team tactical 1st person shooter. I'm inclined to say it has something to to with Halo (life system, weapon system), Star Trek: Elite Force 2 (team based action), Star Wars: Battlefront (same frenetic action), Full Spectrum Warrior (good tactical control).

You're "38"/"three-eight" (more like a "Master Cheef"), and together with "07", "40" and "62" you form a fearsome Republic Commando. You get to shoot dudes throughout the game (placed somewhere in the Clone Wars), to save the great Republic from these bad-bad factions.

Here are some of my points on this game:

• + it comes on two CDs (it came as a surprise because you rarely see a game on just two CDs)
• - it has an awful loud sound when the interface pops up (autorun/launcher program)
  
• + cool graphics:
  
  • + nice bumpmapping
    
  • + nice specular highlights
    
  • + good explosions FXs
    
  • + very cool softshadows (even if sometimes they project awful on some surfaces)
    
  • + impressive lightmapping rendering and detail
    
  • + good dynamic lighting effects (lights/shadows projections, though if you try to observe in detail these lights over let's say some rocks, at night, you'll be surprised of the strange effect..)
    
  • + bloom effect
• + very good level design
  
  • + the levels look great, are very detailed, not that repetitive
    
  • + you cannot get stuck on a level
    
  • + easy to get a sense of the environment
    
  • + the health units have convenient locations
    
  • + the objectives are very clear and you don't have to run from here to there only to open a door
    
  • + the missions are pretty straight forward
    
  • + plenty of monsters to kill
    
  • + though heavily scripted, the action pacing is perfect
    
• + very good models & animations
  
  • + cursive and very convincing animations
    
  • + motion capture in all commando's animations (true to the real commandos's movement)
    
  • + even when recharging, some interesting sprites appear
    
  • + good variety of monsters with good animations and design
    
  • + you can shoot and rip limbs from your enemy, lots of them show partial damage (flying helmets, pieces of armor)
    
  • + good weapons design
    
• + excellent game design & programming
  
  • + the Halo like energy shield & life are simply "the way it should be" (it gives you a little bit of slack, a little bit of courage that you'll not be punished for every hot-headed decision, but it doesn't let you cross the line too much)
  • + Revive! Great idea!
    
  • + game over only when the hole party is dead (very cool)
    
  • + very good own forces AI (impressive I'd say: they fight for themselves, they watch their own back and others, they heal themselves, they revive their comrades)
    
  • + very easy to command to your party the actions you want them to performs or to perform the way you want them
    
  • + nice hud display (easy to read infos and easy to give commands to your party)
    
  • + commando chat :)
    
  • + very short & not that difficult learning curve
    
  • + not so many guns, but very efficient (4 own guns + 1 monster's gun)
    
  • + different grenades for different monsters
    
  • + you can shoot with turrets and some of the monster's weapons
  • + ragdoll physics (good physics, ragdolls will stay until you face the opposite way or shoot them to destruction, nice effect of the explosives on ragdolls - either dead or alive)
    
  • + extra content means mostly "making of RC". Cool!
  • - twice, in the game, one of your team just stuck into the level/objects. Nothing violent, it seemed that he would want to respond, but never left that place again. Had to restart the level... :(
    
• + impressive sound
  
  • + very good Star Wars like themes
    
  • + in tone with the action
    
  • + very good sound FXs
  • - sometimes the sound traps trigger earlier than they should (like: your player says: "watch those rocket turrets!" and you're like: "where dude?...." and after you take a corner see a rocket turret and you've figured it :) )
    
• + gameplay experience
  
  • - pretty linear
    
  • + very intense
    
  • + you'll not have the opportunity to boor
    
  • + very good feeling when you play the game (feel like one elite trooper engaged in a cruel war)
    
  • + feel very confident of your chance of success and good to feel your comrades around
    
  • - very short (only three campains)
    
• - weak multiplayer
  
  • - no bots
    
  • - few game modes