With an introduction so slick it couldn't have been trusted to be the game's tutorial, Star Wars: Republic Commando starts off strong, but never quite harnesses the strength of its opening sequence. You get to see the short version of how a clone was created, trained and purposed in the Clone War era of the Star Wars universe. Cast into the role of Delta Squad's commander, you are the leader of the ragtag group of superior clones that do the dirty work other clones are too basic to do. You, your wise-guy demolitions man Scorch, your by-the-books hacker, Fixer, and bloodthirsty sniper, Sev will all get along famously as you spill alien guts and make metal bleed all over your visor together.
The squad camaraderie is the most appealing part of the narrative while the story mostly just fleshes out the lore of the Star Wars universe and is only loosely tied together as you progress from mission to mission. It's said that your squad is an elite force tasked with jobs that not just anyone can do, but without any real payoff by the end, it feels like it would have been fine had even Jar Jar Binks done it. While there is something of a cliffhanger and an unanswered question or two, there isn't an urgent call demanding a sequel.
As far as the actual shooting, it's got a Star Wars coat of paint on it, and while that can carry a lot of weight to a lot of people, it's not revolutionizing anything. The gameplay is mechanically pretty strong, but it falls short in other areas. There is the occasional room for you to dig in and hold back an assault force, but generally you will be maneuvering through indistinguishably confined corridors. The repetitious environments would have benefited greatly had the enemies not been sponges of concentrated beams of light. They just can't get enough. Ammunition is all over the place, and somehow I'd still run out of it. The source material would suggest the sorts of enemies you're facing go down pretty easy, but that could not be further from the case. No doubt, it's a sort of overcompensation for the three squad members you have accompanying you for most of the game.
What distinguishes Republic Commando from most other shooters are those squad members. Its squad mechanics hearken back to the 90's akin to Bullfrog's tactics game, Syndicate and the Looking Glass shooter, Terra Nova. Despite the ten or so years of games growing and evolving, Republic Commando's squad interactions, while welcome, come off as little half-baked by comparison. The lack of depth does however mean it's never too cumbersome. For the most part it all works pretty seamlessly, and it's easy to find ways to make the most out of it thanks to levels designed with your squad in mind.
The squad AI for the most part holds its own, and will revive you, should you fall in battle. While it can be a hassle reviving them a lot of the time, the number of second leases on life you get because of them reviving makes it a bit more bearable, until Scorch is sarcastically asking higher-ups for a new commander for the fifth time this mission. There exists a fair amount of well-voiced banter between your squad, but as one of the better parts of the game, it's a shame there wasn't more, to prevent repeated lines from inevitably souring the whole thing.
As to be expected from a Star Wars game, the sound design is authentic to the source material. Though some of the action seems like it should pack more of a punch to the eardrums, it's about on par with its contemporaries in other regards. The remarkable introduction wasn't all for show though, the slick presentation carries on through the entirety of the game. Your heads up display shows all of the relevant information and it looks good while it does it, even when its dirty. You will constantly have blood and guts splattered all over your visor, followed by a beam traveling across, wiping it all away. It's quite the neat effect.
Slick presentation, amusing camaraderie, and a Star Wars license can only go so far. With a more cohesive narrative Star Wars: Republic Commando could have been an exceptional shooter, but between its throwaway Star Wars lore-building story and laser sponges as enemies it never surpasses that of the conventional one.