"RC-1138 reporting in Mission Control. I am on the ground behind enemy lines. Moving forward." I am RC-1138 or "Boss" as the squad calls me. I am in command of an elite team of Republic soldiers. I am the cool head and clear mind of Delta Squad. My team  and I don't mess around when on duty, we are fast, silent, and extremely deadly. At the moment we are on Kashyyyk, the home planet of the Wookiee race. We are here to infiltrate a Trandoshan camp at night and rescue the Wookiee leader, Tarfful, whose reconnaissance squad was overrun a few weeks ago. "Form up and move out commandos. Sev, set up a sniper position behind that boulder and cover our backs."

"Roger sir, just point me at the enemy and stay out of my way." RC-1107 moves forward, "We have lizards sir" he says as he takes off a Trando's head with a sniper round. "Hey, this looks more like a fortress. Should be fun."

"Move up squad! Give me an explosive solution to that door, Scorch. Sev, relocate your sniper position to those Med-Stations. Fixer, I want you on that missile turret in case they come over that wall. Scorch, I'll cover you as you set that breaching charge. Okay squad, lock and load." The breaching charge bursts and the doors slides open, revealing the two enemies inside. "Take down those lizards! Sev and Fixer watch our backs. Scorch get back here and help me clear the door." 

Scorch skips towards me, humming a song to himself. "You know, I wonder what the weather's like on Camino right now. I heard that the suns are usually high in the sky this time of year," says Scorch as he reaches my position. The oxygen pack on the back of a Trando explodes, throwing him into the air. "Hey, I didn't know that Trandoshans could fly."

"Form up squad, the attack is over. Let get through that door and into the fortress." The doors separate as we approach, "Okay squad, up ahead, that's the only way through." Suddenly an explosion sends a cloud of rubble in front of the doorway, blocking it completely. "They're on the catwalks. Hold this position while I find a way out. Mission Control, a little help would be nice."

"There should be an access panel on the right of this hallway, if you blow a hole in it you should be able to make your way past the rubble."

"Thank you Mission Control, I see the panel. Scorch, you heard the man, I want some ordinance on that hole. Squad I want you to cover him while he places the explosives, hold this position." A Trandoshan Mercenary, throws a thermal detonator down into our squad, exploding right under Sev. "Fixer, give him some vectors now, I'll cover you. Scorch, how is that panel coming along, is it set yet?

"Roger. Detonate, sir?" I give him a nod, "Okay, stay clear squad, fire in the hole!" The bomb goes off, sending shrapnel into the wall. "Well, do you think we used enough?" Scorch says with a small chuckle. We move into the tunnel, leaving the Trandos behind us.

"Okay team, is everyone alright. Sev, is your head okay, those electric charges take a little getting used to. Okay commandos, it turns out that this is not a surprise attack as we thought, so let's do this hard and loud. Move out squad!"

Star Wars: Republic Commando is a video-game that uses the First Person Shooter console as its fighting platform. It was released for Xbox on Febuary 28, 2005 and released for PC three days later on March 2, 2005. It is one of many more Star Wars games that are based on the movies and books of the Star Wars Series, however this game is one of the first to use the FPS style fighting system. Republic Commando, like all the other games, was produced and published by LucasArts, a company set up by George Lucas to "provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multi-faceted entertainment company."

Storyline

As soon as the Republic Assaults Ships started landing on Geonosis, there was bound to be trouble. Each ship carried millions of the Republic Clone Army (stored just like the onions from Kansas, very very tightly) to aid the overwhelmed Jedi Knights. You are one of these soldiers, except that you are in command of three other elite warriors, who make up the squad that you will be dealing with for the rest of the game. You, one of the genetically enhanced clones, will be ordering this squad to perform squad-based tactics in all battle situations, following clues from the intelligence items you gather from the dark catacombs of Geonosis, to a rogue Republic Assault Ship, to the forested turf of Kashyyk, in order to eliminate the major threats to the (so-called) Republic.

Characters

The Squad - Although all the clones are identical, there are those that are trained specially for certain tasks. A section of the Republic's Army is trained for missions that are covert and behind enemy lines, very much like the Special Ops Forces in our military. These SF Commandos are the best the Republic can offer, they are well trained, well equipped, and have a sincere grudge against any enemy of the Republic, dishing out severe judgment with out hesitation. Your squad is made up of four, including you, of these elite Republic Commandos (RC), each of which has a call sign beginning with RC and then a four digit number. To make calling to your squad easier, you only have to say the last two numbers, called the batch designations, or the commando's call name in order to get his attention.

RC-1138 "Boss"- This is the character you will be playing in the game, he's quick on his feet, intelligent, and has a very cool head in all battle situations. The reason he is called "Boss" by his squad is because he is the undisputed squad leader and he makes the executive decisions about what the squad will do in every combat situation. He has been through many battles before you took command, I hope that you will be able to live up to his exalted reputation and get all your men home safe.
   

RC-1140 "Fixer"- Fixer is considered the Second-in-command by the entire squad, because he is very by-the-book type of commando. For example, he calls the squad members by their batch designations ("Three-Eight," "Oh-Seven," "Six-Two") and he regularly will order the squad to keep the com clear of excess chatter. He also has quite an obsession with technology and team tactics, which earned him his nickname, "Fixer." He has a tendency to fix broken devices; giving him the job of computer-slicer and code-breaker.
    

RC-1107 "Sev"- Sev, short for Seven, is the most cold-hearted and ruthless killer of all the clones and has a passion for killing things. He doesn't need to be asked to rush into battle situations and decimate enemy forces, he is the designated sniper of the team and earned that position through a long record of murderous precision. He packs a grim sense of humor towards death and war, taking in the defeat of his enemies with a maniacal joy and pleasure. The squad generally believes that someone put an extra aggression gene into his DNA.
   

RC-1162 "Scorch"- Although an effective commando, Scorch always has an ironic, outsiders humor towards every situation that the squad comes up against, never failing to keep the squad from getting too serious about the mission, and forcing them to step back once in a while and take a look at the darkly humorous side of war. He is the squad's demolition expert and will gladly set ordnance on anything that needs to be removed. His obsession with explosives earned him his nickname, "Scorch," when a bomb was set off too early and left both him and his Drill Sergeant with singed eyebrows.

Enemies

"Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate."

- Thomas Jones

Trandoshans - A parasitic race that conquers planets and places all the inhabitants into slavery. Their latest victory has been over the great Wookiee race (they make very good slave boys). They are called "lizards" by the RCs because of their scaly skin, narrow, direct eyes, and long, claw-like toenails.

Droids - Although a reputation about the Droids is that they depend more on the quantity of their army rather than the fighting capabilities, overwhelming their enemies with the mass produced droids, the Federation has advanced the technology of the Droids, creating upgraded versions with more power weapons, thicker armor, and smarter instincts. Do not under estimate the Federation's power, if you do, you will surely fail.

Geonosians - Both Geonosian society and military are completely segregated, between the castes of society. In the military there are three castes, Drones, Warriors, and Elites. There are also commanders such as generals and captains, but those are usually occupied by the exceptional Geonosians. By appearance the Geonosians vary widely in colors and shapes, but they are all based on the look of a greatly enlarged insect.

Grevious' MagnaGuard - The IG-100 series MagnaGuard, created by MangaGuard Manufactures, is an incredibly difficult opponent to eliminate. It carries the MangaGuard ElectroStaff and the capability of firing two guided missiles from its back. Also, it has the ability to jump and appears to be flying over long distances and unbelievable heights, making it very hard to hit and take down. Although they usually fight in pairs, a MangaGuard on its own can still be a major threat to any group of enemies.
       

Weapons

"It's not enough to be able to pick up a sword. You have to know which end to poke into the enemy."

- Terry Pratchett

Note: Not all of the weapons in the game are listed here, only the ones that you will be able to use in combat.

Republic Weapons - These are the weapons that you start out carrying and you will use, for the most part, during the entire game. However, you can pick up an accessory weapon from a dead enemy, in case you run out of ammunition for any of your main weapons.

Trandoshan Weapons - The firearms used by the Trandoshans are manufactured by Arakyd Industries except for the Concussion Rifle, which is made by Blastech Industries, the same company that makes the Republic Weapons (those backstabbing gunsmiths).

Geonosian Weapons - The weapons used by Geonosian warriors are created by Gordarl Weaponsmiths

Wookiee Weapons - Each Wookiee firearm is individually made by Wookiee crafters with extreme care and attention. Being made individually leads to the fact that every weapons is different in some way from all others, not to mention that each of them effectively combine beauty with firepower.

Detonators - Known as "grenades" in our time, these portable explosives each have a different effect and should be used differently for different situations.

Turrets - Turrets are large, powerful, stationary weapons that are capable of releasing large amount of fire in a short while. In the game, these turrets will all have basically unlimited ammunition.

Missions

"Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't."

- Richard Bach

Geonosis - Hour Zero - Clone Wars - Geonosis
You are flying into enemy territory in a Republic Gunship. Your commanding officer is back at HQ, but is transmitting a message to you through a hologram. According to him, you are being inserted into the Geonosian Gladitorial Arena, where the other members of your squad have already landed. You are to regroup with each of them and fight your way through the Geonosian Catacombs to kill the Geonosian leader, Sun Fac. After that you continue onto the Federation's robot factory and disable it with some well placed explosives. Finally, you are to fight your way across the canyons to the core ship, where all the launch codes for the Geonosian Fleet are stored. You must keep the other ships from getting off the ground.

Assault Ship - Day 367 - Clone Wars - Chaykin Cluster
Far away from Geonosis a missing Republic Assault Ship reappears. The Delta squad should recognize the Prosecutor, they were first stationed and trained on it, under the supervision of its commander, Captain Martz. It was supposed to be protecting some trade vessels near Corellia, but command lost contact with it about two weeks ago. It might have gone rogue or may be a trap to lure the already thinly spread Republic troops for an ambush. So the Republic is sending in Delta Squad to check out the ship to make sure that it's safe. However, in order to complete that objective, they must split up and each take a separate sector. Then, after having endured many troubles and overcome many obstacles, you must find your way through the ship and reconnect with the rest of your team. The Federation does not surrender their prize so easily, so Delta Squad must ward off the endless Federation Droid Army and secure the ship for the Republic.

Kashyyyk - Day 785 - Clone Wars - Kashyyyk
As the battle rages in many other parts of the Galaxy, the Wookiees, on their home world of Kashyyyk, have been overthrown by the cruel Trandoshans, who have launched a horrible slave-trade. The Wookiee Resistance have called to the Republic for aid. According to reports from the Wookiees, their leader, Tarfful, and his squad were overwhelmed by the Trandoshan Slavers and they were taken prisoner. Delta squad is called in to infiltrate the Trandoshan fortress and rescue as many warriors as possible. However, while rescuing Tarfful, you discover that General Grevious has landed on Kashyyyk as well and this evidence solidifies the possible alliance between the Trandoshan and Separatist forces. Command now asks you to go deep into the Kashhyyyk jungle and obliterate the Separatist presence, but it turns out that this outpost is just the beginning of a Separatist invasion of Kashyyyyk. You must help the Wookiees ward off the first Separatist wave of troops in order to allow the Republic forces to arrive and aid Delta Squad and the Wookies. The Battle of Kashyyyk has begun.

Closing Notes

As a review of the game, Star Wars: Republic Commando has both pros and cons, as all games do. Its main problem is the length; if you played constantly, you could finish the game in about 10-11 hours, while most games on the market today require about 20 hours or so. However, many good things make up for the game's length. Republic Commando has amazing graphics and sound and the best squad AI and tactics I have ever seen. Each of the squad characters have a personality of their own and carry on a constant chatter amongst themselves. The story has a very compelling plot and mission setup.

As a final note, the write-up above is not the whole story and if you are interested in the game and want to read more, then go to my homenode or to http://www.lucasarts.com/games/swrepubliccommando/hud.html, which was my main source of information.