11/7/2022 0 Comments Games like time commando![]() ![]() There’s an unresolved cliffhanger involving him at the game’s close, a clarion call for a sequel that never came-and to this day I hunger for closure. A little hint of fourth-wall breaking and a sharp dose of comic humility, and suddenly he’s someone you want in your gang, rather than someone who you’re stuck with because the game says so. He’s a gruff, near-silent hardnut, a pastiche of military grit-but when he forgets to press an elevator button because he’s too busy doing a hardman pose straight to camera, suddenly he’s human. Perhaps officious Fixer and jocular Scorcher don’t leave an indelible impression, even if they’re comforting presences, but Sev’s the surprising standout. This is profoundly rare-AI chums are usually unreliable, characterless callsigns or overwritten, over-scripted scene-stealers. They’re not going to get stuck on a bit of wall or decide they like it over there better. Is it worth the risk? Doing the right thing in death isn’t something that Republic Commando ever makes easy, and it’s an effective twist to this day. Or your helper might be gunned down as he injects your near-corpse with healing bacta. With you and your superior skills back in the game, the tables might turn. If your men are struggling, you could order them to revive you. And you get to watch the fight unfold through blurry, blood-splattered retina. So long as at least one of your squadmates remains on his feet, the game continues. Yours is a squad that does what you tell them.ĭeath comes often in Republic Commando-but it isn’t the end. They need to live so that you can live-and they seem to feel the same way. The key to surviving, always, is to think about your men as well as yourself. There’s never a perfectly right answer-the odds are artfully always stacked just a little against you-but there are plenty of wrong ones. Whether your chums’ covering fire will keep you alive while you rig explosives or hack a door, or if you should rely on your own reticule-based prowess while they do the chores. Whether you’re more or less likely to survive if you try to revive a downed squadmate. F! F! F! The art of survivalĪnd, at all times, the delicate balancing act-the path of maximum destruction or maximum protection. You learn the weapon and grenade combinations necessary to take down bigger enemies, and you just do it. You just see what you have to do, and you feel good for doing it. #Games like time commando fullIn the same way Batman: Arkham Asylum masks a simple game with limited choice by having super-slick, super-rewarding controls, you don’t notice that Republic Commando is just a string of arenas and corridors full of convenient small walls. But it was and is unfairly overlooked, because it’s a triumph of mechanics. There’s too much corridor-pounding, some frustrating setpiece/boss fights, limited visual and locational variety, and creative hands have been noticeably tied as a result of being promotion for Episode III. Republic Commando isn’t a truly great firstperson shooter and it never was. #Games like time commando seriesIt’s about walking into a new area, instantly assessing the situation, then rapidly giving a series of orders that are followed to the minimalist letter. This doesn’t make it stupid because this is a game about flow. ![]() All the reward, none of the elbow grease. Sounds like the kind of thing that would make ArmA fans leave this dumbed-down globe behind and colonise a hardcore planet of their own, but the truth is that Republic Commando’s a remarkably effective shortcut to achieving military gaming precision. Nothing new now, but just one of many ways in which Republic Commando was ahead of its time-and yet was forgotten. Location, ammo and health are all overlayed onto your character’s claustrophobic yet somehow reassuring fishbowl visor. F! F! F! Just one button, but it makes me feel like a soldier more than anything else I’ve ever played. F! Everyone, kill that big, ’orrible robot-tank-thing. ![]() F! Er, go help that last guy who just got splatted because I sent him somewhere stupid. ![]()
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