Review by Adam Silva (Sand Snipe) and Alex Bedard (Rabid Ewok)

INTRODUCTION
What happens when you mix two teens from two different countries? You get a brand new Can-Am connection to revive our Video Game review section. The attack is going global with Snipe coming back after a long hiatus and the recruitment of a new partner. The first game under attack is Republic Commando. Prepare for all new Sandtrooper ground assault!

DIFFICULTY
Sand Snipe: This game reminded me of Halo, but without the big list of weapons. The game play has some levels that are hard and others that are simply too easy. To me the hardest level was the one on the Bridge of the Trade Federation ship. It was difficult for me because I was playing dumb. About three times I made the same mistake by going through the wrong door. I went in there one time and got ambushed by Super Battle Droids, the second time I snuck past those Droids and waited for the Gunship, well no Gunship and the place blew up. The third time I killed the Droids and waited, once again the place blew. After that I noticed that there was another door. That really ticked me off! At least I finished it though; it should have taken less time though. So, in better words, the game is pretty easy if you know what you are doing.

The general consensus is the Super Battle Droids are one of the hardest enemies in the game, but they look like kids compared to some of the other enemies. The only time they are hard is when they are in a Droid Dispenser and then I find myself in a bad situation. Besides that instance, they can be easy. To tell the truth, I am a melee attack kind of person. Shoot the Droid to weaken it and then stab it is my recommendation. I would rank the Super Battle Droid number four in ability to take down. However, I hate the Trandoshian Heavy Mercs. They always appear at the wrong moment for me, especially when I am almost dead and there’s no Bacta Station to be found. Still they are only babies compared to the Grievous MagnaGuard or the Dwarf Spider Droid. While the Dwarf has a lot of health, the MagnaGuard kicks your butt. They jump all over the place and it takes your whole team to kill it. So I tip my hat to the Magna Guard. The easiest enemies are the Trandoshian Slavers and Mercs. One good stab and they’re dead, much too easy.

Rabid Ewok: I found this game to be fairly easy as well. A few of the enemies can give you a hard time, but there is a strategy to take each type down, you just need to experiment a bit. I'll have to disagree with Sand Snipe about the Heavy Mercs, they can take a beating (as their name suggests), but as long as you take cover they're not that bad. My strategy is to pop out of cover, lob a grenade, unload a clip into his face, and repeat. Although, you may find that your squad-mates need to be revived afterwards... I found the Geonosians to be the toughest enemy, mostly because they're incredibly difficult to hit. I've wasted a lot of ammo on them. I'd rather let my squad take em' down.

I love to get up-close and personal in this game. I prefer to stab everything rather than shoot it. I just love getting blood/oil spatter on my visor; fortunately your helmet comes equipped with a windshield wiper. Surprisingly, your knife can really dish out large doses of pain (except to the Droids of course), you can easily take down a Super Battle Droid with it. Overall, it is not too difficult. But, if you don't play many first-person-shooters, you may have some difficulties in the beginning.

GAME PLAY
Sand Snipe: The whole point to this game is commanding your team, Delta Squad. Your Character Delta-38 has no cool name but he gets the leader status. Your crew consists of four totally different guys. The first guy (my favorite), Sev, (Delta-07) the crazy sniper expert who loves also using melee attacks and is all in it for the killing. Fixer (Delta-40) is the hacking expert. He is very by the book and kind of boring. Last but not least is Scorch (Delta 62), the demolition expert whom we are all looking forward to seeing in an action figure form very soon. He is the comic relief squad member and his hyperactivity sometimes gets him scolded by his squad mates. So, with that said, are you ready to take command of Delta Squad?

Your primary weapons are the DC-17 blaster and the DC-15 pistol. The DC-17 has a sniper, Anti-tank (kind of like a strong grenade launcher), and a blaster rifle attachment that functions like a machine gun. The DC-15 is funny looking but is good when you run out of ammo or you want to give a Trandoshans a good smack on the head. The Katarn-Class armor you wear has a flashlight, night-vision, and the trusty blade, not to forget that it protects your backside. Another available weapon is the bowcaster, which is a fairly decent weapon. Melee attack wise it is normal and the shots are only good if you charge up the shot. The Geonosian Elite Beam Weapon is crazy looking; it seems like it’s alive. It’s bad at melee and is only ok at shooting. This weapon is really only good for the first couple of levels though. The Trandoshian Heavy Repeater gun is awesome, powerful at melee (even though it takes a second to sling it) and has good ammo. I use it only for severe situations even though it makes you walk kind of slow. Another Trandoshan weapon, the Repeater gun, is very weak compared to its daddy the heavy repeater gun. I mean it has horrible melee and ammo such that the pistol is better! The last Trandoshan weapon, the Array Gun, is equivalent to today’s shotgun, it is strong ammo wise but not for melee. It is a close range weapon only. It is really helpful in some levels though where this kind of fighting is required. Last, the Wookiee Rocket Launcher, powerful of course, in all ways but I really never found a chance to use it. You also have an arsenal of grenades, a thermal detonator, it blows the crap out of Trandoshans or Droids, the Anti- Armor grenade, lowers the enemies shields, like the Droidekas, and the Flash Bang Grenade, it causes a flash and can get you or your enemies blind for a few seconds.

Game play wise, you go through levels in Kashyyyk, a Trade Federation vessel, and the Ghost Ship. Some levels have mission briefings in the game where you can’t move, just listen. In each level you can command your squad members to tasks like get in turrets, snipe, grenade, and anti-armor position. We also can’t forget the easy stuff like telling your squad to attack an enemy. There also the last options like telling them to disarm mines, hacking into a computer, and performing a door breach. One more thing, you can tell them to get Bacta at the various stations scattered around the level, with ammo waiting for you too. One cool thing is the Delta Squad can revive each other, including you, making it harder to lose but, don’t underestimate the enemy.

Rabid Ewok: Sand Snipe did an excellent job of describing your squad-mates and the variety of weapons, but I would like to add a few points. The "Anti-Armor grenade" is actually an ECD grenade, it is meant to mess up the programming of Droids. Basically, it will stun Droids, as well as organics, damage Droids, and disable Droideka shields (and yours if you get too close). There are three kinds of turrets you, or your teammates can use. The first you will encounter is a heavy machine gun used by the Republic. It's similar to an MG42 except it is attached to a chair. The other turret you can use is the Trandoshan missile turret, the most powerful one. You stand inside of it, and wreak havoc to all who oppose you! It even has a shield on the front, and it looks a bit like a turtle shell. The last kind of turret is like a cross between the Republic machine gun, and the Trandoshan missile turret. It looks the same as the other Trandoshan turret, except it fires lasers. It is very inaccurate. Also, I should mention that all the turrets come with a zoom feature.

There are essentially three stages to the game, five if you want to get technical; the stages are divided into smaller levels. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't go into much detail. The first is Kamino, which is comprised of a series of cut-scenes (or cinematics). Next is Geonosis, the first level, which is a tutorial to get you up to speed. Geonosis isn't too hard; you will need fairly good accuracy. Still on Geonosis, is the Trade Federation vessel. I count it as a stage since it has quite a few levels to it. Next, is a Republic ghost ship, named The Prosecutor. A bit spooky at first, but pretty straightforward. After that is Kashyyyk, home of the towering Wookieees. This stage is the most fun, as well as the most difficult. You have to deal with a combination of Droids and Trandoshans, lots of them. Be sure to watch your ammo supplies.

You don't need to worry about your squad too much; they can take care of themselves. But, they are much more effective if you give them orders. Unlike in most games, you don't have to constantly check to see if they're actually following you. The game play could be better though.

AUDIO
Sand Snipe: The crazy music at first is kind of unsettling but the game play helps even that out. The characters sayings are cool but at times they are annoying. Scorch’s line, “Is it red-red-green or red-green-red?” is very annoying. I like the sound of the Trandoshans walking, it’s a weird sound and one of the special features shows you how they did it. The thing that tops it all is the Droid’s comments and remarks. I love hearing a battle Droid yelling out, “Mommy!” when you throw a grenade at them.

Rabid Ewok: The sound is great. Not too much to elaborate on, but a few things stood out. The sound of the Trandoshans walking, the firing weapons as well as the voices. I think I even heard a Droid say "Ow", makes you think...

VIDEO
Sand Snipe: The zoom options tend to throw off people. To me the sniper zoom is pretty good but the zooms for the guns don’t zoom far so I just use the regular zoom. I think the regular shooting is fine. Graphics wise, I liked it, it’s detailed good and gives you a chill down your spine in levels with dark areas, when you know enemies are coming. I like the video and it makes the game great.

Rabid Ewok: The graphics are excellent. The lighting is done well, the textures are realistic, it all comes together to create an outstanding environment.

MULTIPLAYER GAME PLAY
Sand Snipe: I am sorry to say that I could not do multiplayer. I wasted all my money on my brand spankin’ new Xbox, KOTOR, and Republic Commando. But in my case, who needs friends when you got Delta Squad watching your back?

Rabid Ewok: The online play isn't too great; I'll even go as far as saying that it's awful, terrible, and even abysmal. It's like they took the template for Halo, and dumbed it down. It's just a generic shooter. All you can do is run around and shoot people, you die, then you run around some more.

REPLAY VALUE
Sand Snipe: I really think there is little replay value at all. For me I can’t play multiplayer so I have no reason for that option. The game is way too easy and short and unless you want to beat an easy game again I suggest renting it. They did leave the ending pretty open though, will there be a Republic Commando 2?

Rabid Ewok: Personally, I think it has a lot of replay value. I must have played it through again at least eight times.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Sand Snipe: Scorch’s comedy relief was kind of lame and I think Lucas Arts was trying way too hard on this. The storyline was good, but short, and the effects were good. I would still get the game though, maybe get ready for Republic Commando 2 sometime, trust me, there will be one.

Rabid Ewok: A very well thought-out game. It didn't seem like a rush job, they took time to do it right. I agree with Sand Snipe, it is a very short game. I would suggest renting it first, and adding it to your collection if you like it a lot. Hell, I beat it in a day!

GRADING SCALE