Reviews from

in the past


Decided to revisit and platinum this game after 16 years since I last played on the original Xbox and it still holds up to this day as one of the best Star Wars games out there.

Easily one of the greatest Star Wars games, would be 5 star if it ever had co-op campaign.

I had very fond memories of this game so I was pretty excited to replay it, unfortunately I found it too lacking to continue playing. The squad system is a neat idea and back then was the coolest thing ever, but other than that this game does not have much going for it other than the fantasy of playing a clone commando. The gameplay gets tiring very, very quick.

"I wish they'd stop doing that."


While the gunplay is substandard and the runtime is short, the characters and atmosphere carry this game. There is a clear tenderness for the world of Star Wars; for example, the title theme is written in Mandalorian. However, Republic Commando also distinguishes itself from the source material by portraying the Clone Wars an a gritty fashion not unlike Apocalypse Now -- you'll most likely know if the game clicks with you before you're even given real control.

I played it on my switch for a bit before I lost interest but I must say I was impressed by how intense the beginning was. It truly made you feel like a clone made to fight in the war.

goddd i wish this game worked on modern computers but its so finnicky. fun as hell though

Uma joia esquecida dos bons tempos onde Star Wars tinha bons jogos, as vezes o jogo peca, como nas INSUPORTÁVEIS FASES SOLO, Você se acostuma tanto com rushar que fica estranho, ele envelheceu bem, nem se parece com um jogo de quase 20 anos atrás, é um bom FPS principalmente pra fãs de Halo

Childhood nostalgia hits hard.

You can heavily feel the Metroid Prime and Halo inspiration in this one, yet they still manage to add their own twists to early 2000's FPS stereotypes.
The best part of the game is the strategic management of your 4 man squad, that's about the only innovation present however. It does massively change the thought process a player has when entering a new battle arena, but unfortunately it isn't integrated as cleverly as it could have been.
Most of the game is thoughtless corridor clearing, but when you do get some interesting level design, the combat really shines through, which is what makes me really wish we got the cancelled sequel.
Not worth playing unless you like Star Wars or are interested in early 2000's games.

Side note: The bonus features explaining how the game was made was hella dope! Even if this isn't my favorite game, seeing developers talk is really inspiring and informative.

This review contains spoilers

An absolutely wild ride set in the world of Star Wars that focuses on the less talked about Spec Ops side of being a Clone Trooper. Squadmates all have distinct if a bit flat personalities but they get the job done. Humorous one liners every now and then that don't overstay their welcome. Combat feels fairly dated now but is certainly still good for a game from 2005, nearly 20 years ago. Gameplay really forces you to learn the Squad Command system, and will actively punish you for "going Rambo" with swift but not necessarily permanent death, as squadmates can revive you if they are still nearby. Soundtrack is an absolute BANGER with very action heavy scores that feel distinctly Star Wars but also have a Gregorian chant to them that gives them their own unique identity. Story did lack a satisfying ending (Let me save Sev, Advisor!) Fantastic game overall, worthy of any FPS or Star Wars fan's time.

Pretty cool but sometimes miserable.

A fantastic view into a world that the Star Wars movies don't really show us. Seeing everything from a clone's perspective is very cool. The game itself is a little basic, but it's still fun. Too bad the sequel was cancelled because this could have really been something special with a little more polish.

First tactical shooter ever made.

was doing this really difficult part, fell into a hole before the game saved.

Still enjoyable in 2023 but would’ve felt stellar when it first came out.

Team we have one last mission, we need to execute order 66 over the Disney HQ before they ruin our franchise

İyi askerler emirlere uyar

The most overrated Star Wars game? This received strong reviews back in the day, is still held in high regard by the fanbase, and secondhand copies could go for pretty high up until it got rereleased on the Switch and PS4. I remember finding mine in a store years ago for roughly $21 and thinking that was a steal. Little did I know that when I would finally get around to playing it much later, I wouldn't end up having much fun.

Let me be clear, I absolutely LOVE what they were going for tonally. From the insurmountable odds, enemies that were fodder in the movies being turned into legitimate threats, and the occasional splatters of alien blood on your visor Republic Commando expertly captures the tone of a gritty war film. It does a better job of showing a darker, more desperate side of the franchise's conflicts from the perspective of an expendable grunt while still managing to stay true to that classic Star Wars feel than the likes of Rogue One or Andor have. At least until that ill-fitting credits song. If you thought Godsmack was out of place in Prince of Persia, let me tell you mid-2000s misplaced teen angst had nothing on this.

Unfortunately, the actual gameplay isn't as enjoyable. RC is a tactical first-person shooter that doesn't get the shooting, combat sequences, or arguably even the squad control mechanics right. I get you aren't supposed to be a gung-ho killing machine in these types of games, but I at least expected to be able to AIM properly. Targeting with the right joystick is bafflingly stiff, awkward, and clunky making it hard to hit exactly what you want to even with the overly large reticle taking up the center of the screen. To put it simply, Halo this ain't. That's a real problem when the campaign inexplicably wants to try its hand at being a regular FPS at points by stripping you of your AI-controlled allies and forcing you to go it alone. The poor gunplay and speed at which your enemies can kill you can make these stretches quite a drag.

Luckily, most of the time you're with your three AI teammates. It doesn't necessarily make things all that much better, but battles are less of a pain. Well, before they start artificially increasing the difficulty by continuously throwing more of the bullet-sponge special foes at you at once, that is. Your fellow members of Delta Squad are impressively competent on the battlefield. Honestly, the most you'll ever really have to do is point them to spots where they can lay down sniper or heavy weapons fire, focus all their attention on a specific threat, and occasionally tell them to heal up. For the most part though, they can handle themselves and whatever danger is headed their way so there's not always a reason to give them any direction at all. It kind of makes it hard to be excited about anything when you realize the action almost exclusively consists of walking forward until reaching the next area where you'll need to hunker down for a bit to fend of repetitive waves of hostiles, and that in most cases the smartest strategic leadership decision you can make is to just simply sit back and let your subordinates take care of everything. Especially in the stages where ammo pickups are scarce often leaving you with dry blasters. Also, I mean, come on... Ammo? In a SW title?

A shame, because the settings these firefights take place in are genuinely fantastic. From the massive canyons on Geonosis to the sprawling bowels of a Republic capital ship and the immense forest that is planet Kashyyyk, the level design has such a way with scope so that you're fully aware of exactly how VAST these locations actually are in a manner I've not personally experienced from another piece of Star Wars media despite the linear paths you travel through them. I caught myself wishing there was more going on with the writing to accompany the sights. RC is solely focused on delivering its central premise alone, so there's not much happening narratively. Delta are an amusing bunch, particularly Scorch who sounds and acts so similar with his constant sarcastic lines like Grif from Red vs. Blue I legitimately had to check to see if they were voiced by the same person (they're not, it's some dude named Raphael Sbarge), but they really aren't given a whole lot to do. There are some interesting lore tidbits such as the revelation that bullets were once a thing in the galaxy far, far away, and while I wasn't expecting something too significant from an EU story I did at least think there would be a semi-decent plot to keep me invested. Yet, after progressing through the three different scenarios you're treated to a hilariously abrupt conclusion that feels less as if intended to hammer home the theme of stepping into the role of a highly dispensable soldier, and more along the lines of they ran out of development time to include the final mission or two.

Republic Commando isn't a bad game. It simply never does anything it sets out to do all that well. Except maybe multiplayer, it's most praised aspect on release. Naturally however, the servers have long since been shut down so on the OG Xbox in 2024 that's far from a selling point. Even if you were up to go the split-screen route, man, I'd have to recommend you just choose Halo instead any day. As a hardcore fan of the property, I view this as an altogether skippable and forgettable experience. Of all the prequel era SW I've been annoyed by seeing get demoted to "Legends" status (because it's not like Disney is doing anything with this period of the franchise anyways), I'm not too sour about this one.

5/10

I had fun with Republic Commando but, to be honest, I wouldn't give two shits about this game if it didn't carry the Star Wars name.

And I dare say that you also wouldn't.

I like the fact that this game manages to capture what we've seen/read about the clone wars, putting you in the boots of Delta Squad's leader. Giving orders to your team, managing them in the field, aiding them when they need, blasting droids and even ocasionally seeing familiar faces was pretty fun. I also loved the portrayal of famous Star Wars areas, ESPECIALLY Kashyyk's Shadow Lands, which's always a great place to visit in a SW game. I somehow got lightly attached to my teammates. Maybe it was the convincing voice actors. Or maybe it was because they're clones and I LOVE that era of the saga. Probably the latter.

The shooting's quite competent. Not quite as tactical as I expected, but if you go in gun's blazing, you'll quickly die. This isn't Doom and it's better for it. Soundtrack's also pretty good, but that should go without saying, since most SW games nails the music and atmosphere. And while the challenge feels unfair, the sense of accomplishment you get after surviving a maneuver with your squad is great.

The problem with Republic Commando is that, besides being a SW fps, it's just very... Generic? The shooting might be good, but it lacks any surprises. Enemy variety is a joke and some objectives are utterly unbalanced. In the first mission you are a badass, but on the next, your character is made of GLASS! Anything kills you! Especially since you're alone for the majority of that level.

The environments are cool, but they're only cool because you know them from the SW's universe. Outside of that, they're bland, uninspiring and painfully repetitive. Checkpoints are atrocious, the AI doesn't always function as well as it should, the weapons feel weird to use and everything gets old fast. This game only has 3 missions, around 8 hours, but it manages to OUTSTAY ITS WELCOME! The controls are very clunky too. Even changing weapons or picking up ammo feels, somehow, unresponsive. I get that the game is old, but goddamnit, HALO Combat Evolved is from 2001 and did it masterfully. As for the story? It's nice. Typical Star Wars. I liked it. Until the final scene, which just murdered the climax. Credits just rolled. A big letdown, to be frank.

Whether I recommend Republic Commando or not can be boiled down to a question: Do you love Star Wars?

If you do, pick it up. It's filled with flaws, but you'll get some entertainment out of it. If you don't, just stay far away from it.


One of these days I'll play through (and probably really like) the campaign but for now the multiplayer is decent

Love the characters and gameplay. Nothing more needs to be said

This game reminds me a lot of Star Trek: Elite Force in that they’re both pretty basic shooters that are elevated by the IP they’re associated with. The best word to describe Republic Commando is ‘adequate’. The shooting, level design, and story are all nothing special but serviceable. The game’s main flaws come from its random yet frequent difficulty spikes where it seems to believe filling a small corridor with constantly spawning bullet sponge enemies constitutes a reasonable challenge, and the repetitiveness of its mission design. Every objective Republic Commando has to offer is just: Go here, shoot enemies, blow thing up, over and over and over again, with very little to break up the monotony. The game also has a strange lack of personality. There’s no memorable scenery, no compelling characters, and if it weren’t for the use of Star Wars jargon the dialogue wouldn’t sound out of place in any random C-tier FPS.

I enjoyed my time with Republic Commando and would say it’s a good game, but it’s really nothing special. I’d only recommend it if you’ve played the Jedi Knight and Battlefront games and are just fiending for another good Star Wars shooter, otherwise just play those games instead.

Played on Switch and PC
The Squad is sick and levels fun to explore wish the game was longer and PC can have trouble playing but Switch was perfect with the Star Wars Heritage Pack having updated most games on there.