Born for Wii: Star Wars Republic Commando
by Wesley Fenlon 
{ Nov 25th 2008 at 11:00AM }
Star Wars games have a tough time. With a few exceptions, they generally end up steaming piles of bantha fodder. For every Knights of the Old Republic or Rogue Squadron there's a Super Bombad Racing or Revenge of the Sith. Still, each console generation manages to grab hold of a few shining stars of the Star Wars galaxy, and oftentimes these games are universally praised and well-received -- after all, anything Star Wars George Lucas didn't manage to screw up is something worth celebrating.Star Wars: Republic Commando, developed in-house at Lucasarts, seemed to pass under the radar last generation, receiving less attention than most of its contemporaries. Those who gave it a chance were treated to a squad-based first-person shooter better than the Battlefront series and considerably darker in tone than most Star Wars games (hello, Lego Star Wars). Gritty, bloody, and atmospheric, Republic Commando is an underappreciated gem and a great opportunity for the Wii to bolster its rather meager library of first-person shooters.
Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Cubivore, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
red13 @ Nov 25th 2008 1:14PM
Ah, Republic Commando, it would have been perfect if it wasn't so short, but an amazing game nonetheless
guttertalk @ Nov 25th 2008 12:28PM
I think this is a very legit proposal, as I think the clone troopers have a certain level of popularity (and not just for the animated versions). My son is now reading book 2 in the Commando series, and his friends are very interested in it.
The problem is that, for these younger fans, the violence in the original is probably too much.
The other problem in remaking this game is the multiplayer: would the modes be present? Reworking them would probably consume the most time in a port, and dropping the modes would probably annoy many gamers.
Wesley Fenlon @ Nov 25th 2008 2:33PM
I didn't really talk about the multiplayer simply because it wasn't up to par with the campaign and I never played much of it. It could certainly be a strong addition to a port if there was one, though I imagine it would have trouble catching on well enough to be viable online.
But maybe, one day. One day.
marioN64 @ Nov 25th 2008 1:35PM
so, is there a set release date or price on this game yet?
Wesley Fenlon @ Nov 25th 2008 2:33PM
Unfortunately, no, it doesn't really exist. It's a "what if" type of thing, ya dig?
WilliamWallace @ Nov 25th 2008 2:18PM
I really enjoyed this game on PC and I am a huge fan of the clones and their stories. I've read the first three Republic Commando novels, and just bought the fourth. It would be awesome to see it on Wii.
larry @ Nov 25th 2008 2:55PM
Had this for XBox and really enjoyed it. I'm surprised to hear that it wasn't very popular. I'd rather see a sequel rather than another port of an older game.
Jasin Howe @ Nov 25th 2008 4:57PM
Great idea. I really like this game for the xbox (except that I prefer my FPS with Wii remote or mouse than dual analog sticks).
A better on-line experience, a better control scheme and more game experience...where to I send my 49.99?
AshStampede @ Nov 25th 2008 6:40PM
I normally agree with these made for the wii pieces yet having played this game on the xbox when it was released I can safely say it was NOT born for the wii. I suppose its only born for the wii section would be the horrible online/multilayer experience this game delivered, that was sadly very wii like. There should indeed be a sequel and it could be across all platforms but it would have to have controls like Medal of honor heroes 2. After brothers in arms for the wii, any squad based game on the wii makes me shutter.
ColdFusion @ Nov 26th 2008 1:01AM
Dude, hell yes. I have battlefront 1 and 2 for my pc as well as republic commando and ive been waiting for a good star wars shooter game.
But it seems im getting a 360 soon anyways so whatever.
SithGod @ Dec 12th 2008 2:26PM
I would like to see more multilayer for this game, thats really the only reason i play it(for PC ofcourse). The single player can only take you so far. And i really feel that this game was meant to be for PC because it just fits so well to it, but this Wii thing is interesting as well and it would certainly give Republic Commando a second chance. But like all you have asked I am forced to say it again, LUCAS ARTS MAKE A FUCKING SEQUEL!!