Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (PS3)

...not at least heard of Star Wars. If you haven’t seen any of the six movies, then fair enough. I can comprehend that. But if you try to claim that you don’t even recognise the name, then I simply don’t believe you. Because Star Wars is one of, if not the, biggest movie franchise of all time. It is global phenomenon really, spawning not only the aforementioned six movies, but also swaths of memorabilia, books, toys, computer games and so on. The Star ...
...devoted) fans. In short, the Star Wars name carries great power in the consumer world, allowing even the most mediocre products to sell in droves just because they have some relevance to lightsabers or the Force.

For those who aren’t aware, one of the latest products of the Star Wars name is an animated television series called The Clone Wars. Effectively set between Episode II and Episode III, it tells a number of stories in half hour ... more

There is no possible way that anybody reading this review has not at least heard of Star Wars. If you haven’t seen any of the six movies, then fair enough. I can comprehend that. But if you try to claim that you don’t even recognise the name, then I simply don’t believe you. Because Star Wars is one of, if not the, biggest movie franchise of all time. It is global phenomenon really, spawning not only the aforementioned six movies, but also swaths of memorabilia, books, toys, computer games and so on. The Star Wars war machine spans decades, and has millions of (sometimes worryingly devoted) fans. In short, the Star Wars name carries great power in the consumer world, allowing even the most mediocre products to sell in droves just because they have some relevance to lightsabers or the Force.

For those who aren’t aware, one of the latest products of the Star Wars name is an animated television series called The Clone Wars. Effectively set between Episode II and Episode III, it tells a number of stories in half hour episodes set in the Clone Wars conflict. Being a cartoon it clearly aims to rope in the younger audience to an extent, and then aims to keep them entertained through that classic mix of lightsabers and, well, other science fiction things. But it’s all about the lightsabers really. Following on from the television series is Star Wars: Republic Heroes, is the latest in a very long line of Star Wars games. And whilst there have been some excellent Star Wars games over the years, there have also been a lot of pretty terrible ones as well. So where does this latest offering fit on the grand scale?

PREMISE/PRESENTATION

As should be abundantly clear by now, Republic Heroes is set in the Clone Wars tv series world, and effectively sees you playing the roles of various characters in what could very easily be untold episodes from the series itself. You never control any one character for very long, and will find yourself playing as a lot of different Jedi as well as clone troopers. Functionally there is little difference between the different characters, but it just goes to show that rather than focusing on one character, the game chooses to focuses on a wider plot spread over three Acts, and puts you in the shoes of numerous characters. Which is no bad thing in principle, and indeed fans of the tv show will no doubt welcome this approach.

In terms of the graphics, Republic Heroes certainly won’t bowl you over with its graphical prowess, and indeed the graphics are nothing special. However, they are faithful to the series itself, and as such will once again please fans of the show. The characters in the tv series are slightly oddly proportioned in that ‘classic’ cartoony fashion, and so it is with the game. Effectively what this means is that, whilst Republic Heroes may not be the best looking game ever, it is faithful to the show that it is trying to mimic, and as such cannot be criticised too harshly in terms of graphics. It is far from ambitious and looks a little rough at times, but the cartoon style does suit the game with its quirky characters and colourful worlds, and as such will certainly keep younger players happy.

GAMEPLAY

As mentioned above, the game effectively sees you playing as either a Jedi or clone trooper throughout the various levels, and the two types of characters predictably have different sets of controls, though neither is particularly complex or taxing. As a Jedi you can move around, jump, block (which isn’t really necessary), swing your lightsaber, and perform a force push to scatter enemies. As a clone trooper the controls have a slightly different style, with movement being controlled with the left analogue stick, and firing your weapon being controlled by the right analogue stick (you fire in the direction that you push the stick). This control scheme is in use a number of other games and will take some getting used to for younger players that haven’t encountered it before, but overall it is not all that difficult and should be picked up quite quickly. As a clone trooper you have a further secondary attack of throwing grenades, and can also vault over or crouch behind cover at the touch of a button.

I should make it clear from the outset that these controls are very, very basic, and whilst younger players will no doubt be endlessly entertained with shooting droids or slicing them up with a lightsaber continuously, more seasoned gamers will quickly become dissatisfied with the lack of moves on offer. There is some variety throughout the campaigns, such as being able to ‘control’ a droid and shoot with them by spearing them with your lightsaber as a jedi (don’t ask about the logic behind that, because I just don’t know), but ultimately this variety is very limited and doesn’t stop the gameplay from becoming intensely repetitive.

Unfortunately though the lack of variety isn’t the main issue with the controls, as irrespective of what you’re doing they ultimately feel very loose and unresponsive. As a Jedi you will often find yourself falling off ledges to your death and mistiming jumps simply because the game doesn’t allow you to measure or control these jumps accurately. It doesn’t help that the often confusing level design frequently fails to make it clear where you should actually be jumping to. Equally as a clone trooper you will feel like you’re gliding across the floor, and aiming with any accuracy is nigh on impossible, leading to your only real tactic being to spray fire across a wide area in the hope that you will eventually hit all the droids in front of you. And, of course, these issues lead to a lot of unnecessary deaths.

Whilst this issue may sound like something that breaks the game, it is actually isn’t due to the one slight silver lining to this very dark cloud, namely that this is a kid’s game. And like a kid’s game, it is never as harsh on you as it could be. For example, if you fall off a ledge to your untimely death you will always immediately respawn on the ledge that you fell off. Equally if you get gunned down as a clone trooper you will simply be thrown straight back into the action. Still dying an awful lot? No need to worry, as you actually have infinite lives and cannot really ‘fail’ a level. What this effectively means is that the aforementioned issue with the gameplay never lead to the game becoming frustrating, as you won’t be stuck on a particular section long enough to get annoyed by it. This even applies to kids, which is a good thing as this game is clearly aimed at kids. The downside for seasoned gamers is that the game is too easy as a result, but I find that for the younger generation this is never really an issue.

OTHER NIGGLES

Sadly the negative points don’t stop there. I touched briefly on the confusing level design above, and this is a feature throughout the game. Ironically the basic cartoon like graphics mean that the background to the levels and the foreground (i.e. the bit you actually move around on) are often indistinguishable, which effectively means that it can be very difficult to figure out where you need to go, especially in the Jedi sections. The camera doesn’t help matters in this regard either as it often swings round to silly positions, which seem to deliberately block your view of where you need to go. Now admittedly the fact that you respawn instantly and cannot fail a level will help to keep frustration levels down even amongst the younger gamers, but this shouldn’t be seen as an excuse for what are basic errors that threaten to spoil the game even further.

And the easy difficulty doesn’t go any way to helping one of the most annoying aspects of the game; Yoda. Yes, you read that right. Yoda acts as your guide throughout the game, popping up with hints as to what to do next and what move to perform against certain enemies. All in classic Yoda style. Unfortunately he feels the need to pop up constantly throughout most of the levels. Even when have long since mastered the controls and are facing a group of droids for the umpteenth time, Yoda will still pop up and tell you what you already know. And whilst this may sound a little pedantic, he really did annoy me as the game wore on and managed to offer a constant distraction. Admittedly I imagine that kids will find him less annoying and/or may be able to ignore him more effectively than I managed, but I challenge any adult to play this game without getting the urge to strangle that little green guide at some point.

ANY POSITIVES?

So far I have painted a pretty grim picture of this game, and indeed I am not going to hide the fact that it is a very poor offering by any standards. However, it isn’t actually all bad. For all the issues with the repetitive levels, loose controls, bad level design, and poor camera, the game can actually be fun on occasion. Not being able to fail a level means that these issues can be masked somewhat, and at its most basic the game does offer some level of fun. Scything through a group of droids as a Jedi, for example, always offers at least a minor thrill even if you’re just mashing one button. Equally, diving behind cover as a clone trooper whilst coming under fire from a group of droids, only to throw a well timed grenade into the middle of them and blow them to pieces, is all good fun and quite satisfying.

This basic enjoyment can also be helped if you have a friend to play with, as the entire game can be played co-operatively. In the Jedi sections this simply entails the second player being the other Jedi that always accompanies you, whilst in the clone trooper sections the second player becomes another trooper in the squad. And in keeping with the general rule, the game is a lot more fun with a friend. Somehow the problems mentioned above become slightly less prominent (though Yoda is still irritating), and the thrill and taking on a large group of enemies is enhanced when battling with a friend.

For those who manage to enjoy the game sufficiently to keep playing it, there is also a decent amount of unlockable items to discover that are bought with points that accumulate as you complete levels. This adds a good amount of replay value as you unlock new costumes for characters, or new cheats to change the dynamic of the levels, and should keep the attention of those who are sufficiently drawn in to the main game.

RECOMMENDATION/CONCLUSION

Those who know their games might realise by now that a lot of mechanics of this game sound very similar to the Lego Star Wars games. And if you are thinking that you’d be right. Indeed, it couldn’t be more obvious that this game is based on the Lego Star Wars games. Unfortunately, the poor execution has turned what should be a decent game into a fairly miserable attempt at a Star Wars game. Simply put, Republic Heroes is not nearly as good as it should be and I just can’t recommend it.

I understand that there will be some parents who are asked to buy this by demanding children that are fans of the tv show. If that is the case, and your bundle of joy wants this game specifically because they enjoy the Clone Wars television series, then this might just be worth buying. As I have mentioned, there is some small amount of enjoyment that can be gleamed from this, and I think there is a good chance that a younger player can find that enjoyment more readily than an adult can. And indeed any kid that does enjoy this game may well be occupied by it for a while, which ultimately would make it a worthwhile purchase.

If, however, you are looking for a Star Wars game for your son/daughter that doesn’t have to be linked to the television series, then I would strongly advise you to avoid this and pick up any of the Lego Star Wars games instead. They work on the same premise, but are significantly better. In fact, they are truly great games with genuine humour and swathes of imagination that you will enjoy yourself. Certainly if I had the choice I would choose to buy Lego Star Wars over this without any doubt. If you have the luxury of that choice, I would urge you to do the same.
 

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