STAR WARS™ Republic Commando™

This definitely needs a remaster ASAP. First-person Star Wars squad shooter is underrated.

Man, this game aged like fine wine.
Amazing OST.
I think this is the the few media that really show how tough droids can be, especially the Super Battle Droids.
We have this game to thank for the term "Clanker."
And overall a well crafted experience.
They really dont make games like this anymore.

This game is a masterpiece, especially for its time. The gameplay is very dynamic and very fun. The ost is insanely good. The story is charged with emotion while not overexplaining itself, and let you experience it through the gameplay. It also shows a dark and very mature side of the Clone Wars. Here, you are not the main character, a powerful Jedi, or an important clone commander. You are the elite, yes, but unspoken of. You are replaceable, and you fall into the shadows for the greater good with your brothers, "each a part of a whole person", one among millions, and history will probably not remember you.

Very short game, at least if you know what you're doing.
If you've played fps's for a while, this is a cake walk on the hardest difficulties*.
For what it is, it's a great game. I would love to see a continuation in a sequel, or even a spin-off.
*Super Battle droids and Elite Geonosians excluded; they'll be the bane of your existence.

We really need a remaster or a sequel to this game, there is so much potential in this IP. This is one game that makes you "feel" like part of the conflict rather than just a spectator. Hardcore FPS fans will probably have a few complaints about the simplistic squad command system and the short length but there is no doubt that this is an adrenaline rush from beginning to end.

A great bit of 2005 gaming nostalgia. Holds up very well, but you'll need some slight modification for 1920x1080 and to remove the messed up texture issues with the engine that adds a screwed-up shine to the models if not patched. (I forget if it's bump-mapping or some other visual effect that breaks it on modern hardware). Oh, and to fix the mouse speed bug tied to I think refresh rate.
Thankfully, a simple patch fixes all of that. I recommend SWRCFix2.13 It's a simple copy-paste operation, and then you have the game working proper and looking proper. Haven't attempted the PvP multiplayer in 2026. Doubt you'd get much traction in it even if it is working, but you really buy this title for the fantastic single-player experience.
A truly singular Star Wars FPS gaming experience even to this day, Republic Commando puts you in command as a "squad" (really it's a fireteam) of four elite commandos tasked with doing-things-Republic-Commandos-would-do. The game follows a formula the likes of which you just don't see these days anymore. That being, a semi-tactical, or arcade-tactical experience where placement and management of your commandos and co-operation within the squad is key to getting through the stages in one piece.
Novel today, and still somewhat novel in its time, the game includes some basic commands for your squad, (Hold/Follow/Assault/Break off), and other actions which are entirely contextual, (highlight a context and the ghost-image of your squad member will appear on it per the action). On the map you'll often find positions where you are able to set up a squad-mate to use a powerful weapon in a stationary mode, sacrificing mobility for high-damage covering fire. This is often just before and during big set-piece fights, and this is where the break-off command comes in handy, as that commando will remain in that spot until manually detached via context command, using the break-off (all) command, or if you move too far away.
Character design is highly stylized, with everything from B1 battle droids, B2s, wookiees, and even Geonosians tending to feature larger, more intimidating and grittier aesthetics. It is not 1:1 with Star Wars canon by and large, but the sheer charisma of these commandos has retroactively worked its way back into canon (minus their personal shields). Here is where the notion began though, and we're grateful for it.
Your squad is decently competent, and while the standard rapid-firing blaster rifle you all share has a high fire rate and very little recoil, its damage against any heavier types of enemies is relatively low. This is where coordinated fire and sharing enemy aggro comes into play. Each commando is equipped with recharging personal shielding, (the likes of which were popularized by Halo/Mass Effect), and for the most part, outside of boss type enemies, most AI including your commados shoot in bursts, which means in ideal circumstances, any commando that is hit while exposed, can return to cover while another exposes himself to shoot, and can keep their shields up that way.
That is ideal circumstances, and more often than not a single commando will tend to remain exposed for longer, whittling their shields down until they are wounded or knocked into a downed state. Against fodder this is rare, but against heavies, unless aggro is very evenly spread, this is likely.
This is where it gets interesting. You can order a commando to, or you yourself can, revive a downed commando, but this takes another commando out of the fight for several seconds to get done. There are many instances where every bit of firepower is needed to cull a threat before reviving can get done, and this can even happen to you. In a downed state you can order your men to maintain orders, (and thus keep fighting), call one of them to break off and revive you, or you can load from a save state. (The game also features quicksave/quickload). When fighting is over they will automatically move to revive any downed teammate.
While the revives are free, you will not revive with full health. The game is littered with a smattering of bacta stations to account for this, as having a whole team at low health can be dangerous when facing heavy opposition. The shields only account for so much damage mitigation, and enemy melee attacks get through all shielding, so cover and "sharing the hate" are always smart moves. One final feature the game includes is using the interact button to highlight a particular enemy to pick out, after which all of your commandos will attempt to take them down. This highlight outlines the enemy through walls/cover, and also displays their health bar until they are killed. I don't use this quite as often as I'd rather my commandos seek out their own targets, but it's handy for bosses or minimal-opposition encounters to track highly mobile enemies or focus fire.
All in all, the gameplay holds up very well in 2026, and with multiple grenade types, strong melee attacks and personal shielding it's fairly akin to halo, with a mix of ADS/down-the-sight aiming for most weapons included. The sound design is handled very well, the acting is superb, and the soundtrack is incredibly evocative. If you're a fan of Star Wars and/or military stuff, or military Star Wars stuff, you shouldn't miss this.
This game absolutely deserves a remaster, and this whole genre of tactical, squad-based FPS game is fairly absent in today's market. Co-operative, or even competitive games, where players each command a squad would be fascinating, and it basically untapped today.

Every part of this game feels like it should combine to create a terrible experience.

Minimal story, rushed ending, and only four weapons with the occasional heavy artillery. Yet somehow the devs made the gameplay so fun, so addicting that i blazed through 13 hours without realizing i was near the end of the game.

The gunplay never gets old despite how barebones it is and commanding your squadmates to take up special weapons makes you and your teammates actually matter. The lack of options actually adds to the experience in a way, making the gritty tone of the setting sink in. Why the hell does a space laser gun have iron sights? ♥♥♥♥ if i know but it makes me feel a lot cooler than if it had a scope!

Your ai buddies actually being competent and not dead weight makes you feel like a team and ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ does it feel good to get out of a fight using good tactics and careful ammo management.

Republic Commando shouldn't be good, but it is and kicks ass while doing it.