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This thread has been linked to the game 'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords '.
Got it yesterday, cracked it on and was surprised to see that there was also a Star Wars: Republic Commando demo on there. Firstly I will start with the bad...
The bad can be summed up in two words, Republic Commando. What an utter gash effort at making a respectable Star Wars FPS game and one that doesn't actually impress as much as the Jedi Knight games. The visuals are dated, the controls clunky, the AI is dumb, the shooting is bland and the movement is really slow. I can't even see LIVE saving it. It isn't just 'crap but fun' it is just crap so those expecting a Soldier of Fortune 2 style LIVE game may be pretty disappointed as there isn't anything here to suggest it will even be fun in multi-player.
There has been a fair bit of hype surrounding Republic Commando but to be honest from the demo it plays, looks and handles average at best. A really clunky interface is marred by every possible element the game throws at you and instead you are left with this bog standard shooter the flops amazingly. The level design again is average with repetitive textures and a linear path so what it boils down to is you moving through linear sections battling dumb AI opponents with really slow controls/movement and some really cack shooting sections. No doubt LIVE players will m********e over this for a week before coming to the conclusion it sucks ass, just a heads up though (so to speak), I really WOULDN'T get your hopes up!
Now that is out of the way let’s start with the real meat and bones...
To start, yes this plays very similar to the first, yes the interface is EXACTLY the same, yes the visuals are pretty much the same although it definitely runs smoother and looks sharper, Gamespot are WAY off with 6/10 as per.
The options are very reminiscent of a PC game as aside from the visuals you can pretty much customise the rest of the game. You can turn off a whole host of different options including auto-upgrade, help, pausing the game when a new character arrives, when you switch between characters, pretty much everything can be completely customised to how you want it, excellent stuff!
The 3 character choices are the same as before only there are a fair few new faces designs to pick from. As last time I selected very hard and chose the Jedi Guardian to start of with.
The initial points building scheme isn't as full on as most RPG's - nothing like a bearded in your face RPG where you have a points system for how many rats you can shave with the merchants dirty razor blade. It is more in-depth and customisable than the first Knights of the Old Republic but it is quite a decent experience to be honest.
There are a fair few more force powers to choose from but as with last time I selected armour and melee weapons to get the ball rolling.
The game starts aboard the Ebon Hawk and it seems everyone on-board has been attacked and your character lies in the Medical room needing help. From here the game switches to one of the bots for you to control where it gives you the option to play the prologue or skip it. The prologue basically takes you through all the training required to know pretty much everything the game has to offer. From navigating your journal, hacking security locks, combat, the whole lot! It is a REALLY comprehensive training scheme that ties in with the story and what is happening on the ship.
The controls are exactly the same as last time, you can switch between targets using L and R, stack attacks using X and interact using A. Rather than gutting the game it is nice to see they have kept the excellent formula and just built on it using a few new abilities (no spoilers). With the combat you can now select and aggressive attack or a laid back attack method where your character won't automatically engage everything he/she comes across. This is a nice touch for those who go down the force power route and want to avoid as many confrontations as possible.
Another nice touch is the ability to turn off auto-level-up. Seeing as you get more points for killing stronger enemies it is an excellent idea to let you choose when it is time to level up. If you take the Jedi route you are already pretty powerful from the starts by taking out more enemies early on with lower XP actually gains you a hell of a lot more than launching in and upgrading straight away.
The combat is pretty much exactly like before which makes it the best turn-based combat game to date. The animations are more fluid, the character responses to being hit/hitting out are now a lot better and overall it is just more polished than it was first time around.
Visually as I have mentioned, the game is pretty decent looking. The textures are a bit bland but the character models are top dog and the atmosphere on the Ebon Hawk is excellent, really dark and gritty.
I will post more impressions later tonight but so far it is awesome, a really really solid RPG that builds on what the first did without spoiling anything the first achieved.
Excellent stuff!
The bad can be summed up in two words, Republic Commando. What an utter gash effort at making a respectable Star Wars FPS game and one that doesn't actually impress as much as the Jedi Knight games. The visuals are dated, the controls clunky, the AI is dumb, the shooting is bland and the movement is really slow. I can't even see LIVE saving it. It isn't just 'crap but fun' it is just crap so those expecting a Soldier of Fortune 2 style LIVE game may be pretty disappointed as there isn't anything here to suggest it will even be fun in multi-player.
There has been a fair bit of hype surrounding Republic Commando but to be honest from the demo it plays, looks and handles average at best. A really clunky interface is marred by every possible element the game throws at you and instead you are left with this bog standard shooter the flops amazingly. The level design again is average with repetitive textures and a linear path so what it boils down to is you moving through linear sections battling dumb AI opponents with really slow controls/movement and some really cack shooting sections. No doubt LIVE players will m********e over this for a week before coming to the conclusion it sucks ass, just a heads up though (so to speak), I really WOULDN'T get your hopes up!
Now that is out of the way let’s start with the real meat and bones...
To start, yes this plays very similar to the first, yes the interface is EXACTLY the same, yes the visuals are pretty much the same although it definitely runs smoother and looks sharper, Gamespot are WAY off with 6/10 as per.
The options are very reminiscent of a PC game as aside from the visuals you can pretty much customise the rest of the game. You can turn off a whole host of different options including auto-upgrade, help, pausing the game when a new character arrives, when you switch between characters, pretty much everything can be completely customised to how you want it, excellent stuff!
The 3 character choices are the same as before only there are a fair few new faces designs to pick from. As last time I selected very hard and chose the Jedi Guardian to start of with.
The initial points building scheme isn't as full on as most RPG's - nothing like a bearded in your face RPG where you have a points system for how many rats you can shave with the merchants dirty razor blade. It is more in-depth and customisable than the first Knights of the Old Republic but it is quite a decent experience to be honest.
There are a fair few more force powers to choose from but as with last time I selected armour and melee weapons to get the ball rolling.
The game starts aboard the Ebon Hawk and it seems everyone on-board has been attacked and your character lies in the Medical room needing help. From here the game switches to one of the bots for you to control where it gives you the option to play the prologue or skip it. The prologue basically takes you through all the training required to know pretty much everything the game has to offer. From navigating your journal, hacking security locks, combat, the whole lot! It is a REALLY comprehensive training scheme that ties in with the story and what is happening on the ship.
The controls are exactly the same as last time, you can switch between targets using L and R, stack attacks using X and interact using A. Rather than gutting the game it is nice to see they have kept the excellent formula and just built on it using a few new abilities (no spoilers). With the combat you can now select and aggressive attack or a laid back attack method where your character won't automatically engage everything he/she comes across. This is a nice touch for those who go down the force power route and want to avoid as many confrontations as possible.
Another nice touch is the ability to turn off auto-level-up. Seeing as you get more points for killing stronger enemies it is an excellent idea to let you choose when it is time to level up. If you take the Jedi route you are already pretty powerful from the starts by taking out more enemies early on with lower XP actually gains you a hell of a lot more than launching in and upgrading straight away.
The combat is pretty much exactly like before which makes it the best turn-based combat game to date. The animations are more fluid, the character responses to being hit/hitting out are now a lot better and overall it is just more polished than it was first time around.
Visually as I have mentioned, the game is pretty decent looking. The textures are a bit bland but the character models are top dog and the atmosphere on the Ebon Hawk is excellent, really dark and gritty.
I will post more impressions later tonight but so far it is awesome, a really really solid RPG that builds on what the first did without spoiling anything the first achieved.
Excellent stuff!
It looks good - i loved the first one sooo much. It was just an amazing experience. Also being already familiar with the ruleset (i play a bit of pen and paper you see) i found it even more fulfilling.
Roll on next year!
Roll on next year!
...and to think I sold my Xbox.... This gonna be coming out for the PC?
Got it yesterday, cracked it on and was surprised to see that there was also a Star Wars: Republic Commando demo on there. Firstly I will start with the bad...
The bad can be summed up in two words, Republic Commando. What an utter gash effort at making a respectable Star Wars FPS game and one that doesn't actually impress as much as the Jedi Knight games. The visuals are dated, the controls clunky, the AI is dumb, the shooting is bland and the movement is really slow. I can't even see LIVE saving it. It isn't just 'crap but fun' it is just crap so those expecting a Soldier of Fortune 2 style LIVE game may be pretty disappointed as there isn't anything here to suggest it will even be fun in multi-player.
There has been a fair bit of hype surrounding Republic Commando but to be honest from the demo it plays, looks and handles average at best. A really clunky interface is marred by every possible element the game throws at you and instead you are left with this bog standard shooter the flops amazingly. The level design again is average with repetitive textures and a linear path so what it boils down to is you moving through linear sections battling dumb AI opponents with really slow controls/movement and some really cack shooting sections. No doubt LIVE players will m********e over this for a week before coming to the conclusion it sucks ass, just a heads up though (so to speak), I really WOULDN'T get your hopes up!
Now that is out of the way let’s start with the real meat and bones...
To start, yes this plays very similar to the first, yes the interface is EXACTLY the same, yes the visuals are pretty much the same although it definitely runs smoother and looks sharper, Gamespot are WAY off with 6/10 as per.
The options are very reminiscent of a PC game as aside from the visuals you can pretty much customise the rest of the game. You can turn off a whole host of different options including auto-upgrade, help, pausing the game when a new character arrives, when you switch between characters, pretty much everything can be completely customised to how you want it, excellent stuff!
The 3 character choices are the same as before only there are a fair few new faces designs to pick from. As last time I selected very hard and chose the Jedi Guardian to start of with.
The initial points building scheme isn't as full on as most RPG's - nothing like a bearded in your face RPG where you have a points system for how many rats you can shave with the merchants dirty razor blade. It is more in-depth and customisable than the first Knights of the Old Republic but it is quite a decent experience to be honest.
There are a fair few more force powers to choose from but as with last time I selected armour and melee weapons to get the ball rolling.
The game starts aboard the Ebon Hawk and it seems everyone on-board has been attacked and your character lies in the Medical room needing help. From here the game switches to one of the bots for you to control where it gives you the option to play the prologue or skip it. The prologue basically takes you through all the training required to know pretty much everything the game has to offer. From navigating your journal, hacking security locks, combat, the whole lot! It is a REALLY comprehensive training scheme that ties in with the story and what is happening on the ship.
The controls are exactly the same as last time, you can switch between targets using L and R, stack attacks using X and interact using A. Rather than gutting the game it is nice to see they have kept the excellent formula and just built on it using a few new abilities (no spoilers). With the combat you can now select and aggressive attack or a laid back attack method where your character won't automatically engage everything he/she comes across. This is a nice touch for those who go down the force power route and want to avoid as many confrontations as possible.
Another nice touch is the ability to turn off auto-level-up. Seeing as you get more points for killing stronger enemies it is an excellent idea to let you choose when it is time to level up. If you take the Jedi route you are already pretty powerful from the starts by taking out more enemies early on with lower XP actually gains you a hell of a lot more than launching in and upgrading straight away.
The combat is pretty much exactly like before which makes it the best turn-based combat game to date. The animations are more fluid, the character responses to being hit/hitting out are now a lot better and overall it is just more polished than it was first time around.
Visually as I have mentioned, the game is pretty decent looking. The textures are a bit bland but the character models are top dog and the atmosphere on the Ebon Hawk is excellent, really dark and gritty.
I will post more impressions later tonight but so far it is awesome, a really really solid RPG that builds on what the first did without spoiling anything the first achieved.
Excellent stuff!
The bad can be summed up in two words, Republic Commando. What an utter gash effort at making a respectable Star Wars FPS game and one that doesn't actually impress as much as the Jedi Knight games. The visuals are dated, the controls clunky, the AI is dumb, the shooting is bland and the movement is really slow. I can't even see LIVE saving it. It isn't just 'crap but fun' it is just crap so those expecting a Soldier of Fortune 2 style LIVE game may be pretty disappointed as there isn't anything here to suggest it will even be fun in multi-player.
There has been a fair bit of hype surrounding Republic Commando but to be honest from the demo it plays, looks and handles average at best. A really clunky interface is marred by every possible element the game throws at you and instead you are left with this bog standard shooter the flops amazingly. The level design again is average with repetitive textures and a linear path so what it boils down to is you moving through linear sections battling dumb AI opponents with really slow controls/movement and some really cack shooting sections. No doubt LIVE players will m********e over this for a week before coming to the conclusion it sucks ass, just a heads up though (so to speak), I really WOULDN'T get your hopes up!
Now that is out of the way let’s start with the real meat and bones...
To start, yes this plays very similar to the first, yes the interface is EXACTLY the same, yes the visuals are pretty much the same although it definitely runs smoother and looks sharper, Gamespot are WAY off with 6/10 as per.
The options are very reminiscent of a PC game as aside from the visuals you can pretty much customise the rest of the game. You can turn off a whole host of different options including auto-upgrade, help, pausing the game when a new character arrives, when you switch between characters, pretty much everything can be completely customised to how you want it, excellent stuff!
The 3 character choices are the same as before only there are a fair few new faces designs to pick from. As last time I selected very hard and chose the Jedi Guardian to start of with.
The initial points building scheme isn't as full on as most RPG's - nothing like a bearded in your face RPG where you have a points system for how many rats you can shave with the merchants dirty razor blade. It is more in-depth and customisable than the first Knights of the Old Republic but it is quite a decent experience to be honest.
There are a fair few more force powers to choose from but as with last time I selected armour and melee weapons to get the ball rolling.
The game starts aboard the Ebon Hawk and it seems everyone on-board has been attacked and your character lies in the Medical room needing help. From here the game switches to one of the bots for you to control where it gives you the option to play the prologue or skip it. The prologue basically takes you through all the training required to know pretty much everything the game has to offer. From navigating your journal, hacking security locks, combat, the whole lot! It is a REALLY comprehensive training scheme that ties in with the story and what is happening on the ship.
The controls are exactly the same as last time, you can switch between targets using L and R, stack attacks using X and interact using A. Rather than gutting the game it is nice to see they have kept the excellent formula and just built on it using a few new abilities (no spoilers). With the combat you can now select and aggressive attack or a laid back attack method where your character won't automatically engage everything he/she comes across. This is a nice touch for those who go down the force power route and want to avoid as many confrontations as possible.
Another nice touch is the ability to turn off auto-level-up. Seeing as you get more points for killing stronger enemies it is an excellent idea to let you choose when it is time to level up. If you take the Jedi route you are already pretty powerful from the starts by taking out more enemies early on with lower XP actually gains you a hell of a lot more than launching in and upgrading straight away.
The combat is pretty much exactly like before which makes it the best turn-based combat game to date. The animations are more fluid, the character responses to being hit/hitting out are now a lot better and overall it is just more polished than it was first time around.
Visually as I have mentioned, the game is pretty decent looking. The textures are a bit bland but the character models are top dog and the atmosphere on the Ebon Hawk is excellent, really dark and gritty.
I will post more impressions later tonight but so far it is awesome, a really really solid RPG that builds on what the first did without spoiling anything the first achieved.
Excellent stuff!