MY VIEW
Games: 'Star Wars Republic Commando'

By Julius Pecson
Special to The Advertiser

The Verdict: THE RATINGS 5 — Outstanding: Add it to your collection now. A must-have. 4 — Great: Buy it or rent it — definitely play it. 3 — Good: Worth playing despite some flaws. 2 — Fair: Unless you're a fan of the license or series, don't bother. 1 — Poor: You'd have more fun playing Pong.

Console: Xbox, PC.

Developer/publisher: Lucas Arts.

Genre: First-person shooter.

Number of Players: 1-4 (offline). 1-16 online.

ESRB Rating: Teen (blood, gore and violence)

The premise: In this action-packed, fast-paced tactical shooter set as a prelude to the "Episode III" time period, players take control as the squad leader of the elite Delta squad of the new clone army known as the Republic Commandos.

Game play: Players will have a three-man squad with which they can coordinate attacks and direct strategic commands that are imperative to ensuring the troops' survival. With a press of a button, players can issue orders to the Delta squad ranging from planting demolitions, breaching doors, and providing sniper coverage. While the focus is mainly on explosive action and generally shooting everything on site, you and your team will travel to many locations, tasked with a variety of assignments that include covert operations, reconnaissance, data retrieval, assassination, and even hostage rescue.

The good/bad: The main thing that came to mind after playing the first few levels was how similar this game is to "Halo" in its combat system and game-play conventions — but that's not necessarily a bad thing. In addition to incorporating an inside-the-helmet heads-up display and multifunctional weapon inspired by Nintendo's "Metroid Prime," this may not be the most original game, but it's still very well done. Most notable is the intuitive squad control system, which makes directing your men and performing numerous tasks so simple. And you'll definitely need the help, because the odds are not in your favor when you're on your own. In fact, during the brief occasions when the squad had to separate, I genuinely missed their company, and that says a lot about the dynamics of the game. However, I did feel that the game was a bit too linear and simple in design, as if it were catering too much to casual gamers. The production values are first rate, demonstrated in the superb visuals and audio, although it's too bad the single-player campaign is so short. The multiplayer is very basic, offering your standard death matches and capture-the-flag types.

My take: "Republic Commando" is a solid title for "Star Wars" fans and action fans alike. The single-player experience is very entertaining; however the multiplayer, while not fundamentally bad, simply pales in comparison to Xbox's premier shooters such as "Halo 2" and "Rainbow Six 3." Nevertheless, its intuitive control system, emphasis on teamwork, and admirable production values make this game definitely worth playing.

Julius Pecson, a student at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa and a longtime gamer, reviews games on various consoles for The Honolulu Advertiser.

Have a game or CD you want to review? Reach Island Life deputy editor Dave Dondoneau at ddondoneau@honoluluadvertiser.com.

Upcoming video game releases
Dates are tentative.

PLAYSTATION 2

• March 8: "Rugby 2005"; "Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga."
• March 10: "MX vs ATV Unleashed."
• March 15: "Worms Forts: Under Siege!"; "Super Monkey Ball Deluxe"; "Musashi: Samurai Legend"; "World Tour Soccer 2006"; "Brothers in Arms: Road to Hill 30"; "Cold Fear"; "Rainbow Six: Lockdown."
• March 21: "NARC"; "TimeSplitters: Future Perfect."
• March 22: "Ford Racing 3"; "Sega Classics Collection"; "Stolen"; "DragonBall Z: Sagas"; "God of War"; "Shining Tears."
• March 28: "Full Spectrum Warrior."
• March 29: "Spy vs Spy"; "LEGO Star Wars"; "Red Ninja: End of Honor"; "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory"; "Dynasty Warriors 5"; "Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Limited Collector's Edition."

XBOX

• March 8: "Phantom Dust"; "Rugby 2005."
• March 15: "Mega Man Anniversary Collection"; "Worms Forts: Under Siege!"; "Super Monkey Ball Deluxe"; "Cold Fear"; "Rainbow Six: Lockdown."
• March 21: "NARC"; "TimeSplitters: Future Perfect."
• March 22: "Ford Racing 3"; "Special Forces: Nemesis Strike"; "Combat Task Force 121"; "Spikeout: Battle Street"; "Stolen"; "Iron Phoenix"; "DragonBall Z: Sagas."
• March 23: "MX vs ATV Unleashed."
• March 28: "Myst IV Revelation"; "Monster 4X4 World Circuit"; "WWE WrestleMania XXI."
• March 29: "Spy vs Spy"; "Obscure"; "LEGO Star Wars"; "Red Ninja: End of Honor"; "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory"; "Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Limited Collector's Edition."

GAME BOY ADVANCE

• March 7: "Scooby-Doo Double Pack."
• March 14: "SpongeBob Revenge of the Flying Dutchman/SuperSponge — Dual Pack."
• March 15: "Tokyo Xtreme Racer Advance"; "Backyard Baseball 2006"; "Rayman: Hoodlum's Revenge."
• March 21: "WarioWare: Twisted!"
• March 28: "Mario Party Advance"; "Power Rangers Double Pack."
• March 29: "LEGO Star Wars."

GAMECUBE

• March 14: "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat"; "Donkey Kong Jungle Beat w/ Bongos."
• March 15: "Pinball Hall of Fame"; "Strike Force Bowling"; "Ghost Recon 2."
• March 21: "TimeSplitters: Future Perfect."
• March 22: "DragonBall Z: Sagas."
• March 29: "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory"; "Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory Limited Collector's Edition."

NINTENDO DS

• March 14: "Yoshi's Touch & Go"; "Pokemon Dash."
• March 15: "Retro Atari Classics."
• March 22: "Rayman DS."

SONY PSP

Sony's new Playstation Portable — also known as PSP — will be released in the United States March 24. Advertiser library photo

• March 14: "Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade."
• March 23: "Spider-Man 2"; "Rengoku: The Tower of Purgatory"; "Metal Gear Acid"; "Archer Maclean's Mercury"; "Lumines"; "Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower"; "Ape Escape: On the Loose"; "ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails"; "Wipeout Pure"; "Ridge Racer"; "Need For Speed Underground Rivals"; "Twisted Metal: Head On"; "NBA"; "NFL Street 2 Unleashed"; "Gretzky NHL"; "Tiger Woods PGA Tour; "FIFA Soccer"; "World Tour Soccer"; "Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix"; "Dynasty Warriors."
• March 29: "Gran Turismo 4 Mobile PSP."

List provided by Toys n' Joys, with shops in Kaimuki (735-4546) and the Westridge Shopping Center (487-8697) in Pearlridge. See www.toysnjoys.com.