Developer: Tick Tock
Publisher: Rebellion
Release date: October 17, 2017 (Nintendo Switch version set for later in 2017)
Available on: PC, PS4 (reviewed), Xbox One (Nintendo Switch coming later)
In 1981, Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons created the comic strip Rogue Trooper, which debuted in 2000 AD #228. The strip dealt with soldiers of the Genetic Infantry on Nu Earth, where war rages between the Norts and the Southers. The main character is named Rogue, who carries the chips from his fallen squad mates in his equipment- Gunnar is naturally a part of his weapon, Bagman resides in his backpack, and Helm is in his helmet. They’re involved in a hunt for the Traitor General, who betrayed the GI soldiers at the Quartz Zone Massacre. The strip went through various creative teams up until 2004. In 2006, Rogue Trooper made the jump to videogames, with the title releasing on PC, PS2, and Xbox. A Wii version, titled Rogue Trooper: The Quartz Zone Massacre, was released in 2009. Now, in 2017, Rebellion, along with developer Tick Tock, is bringing a remastered version of the 2006 game to modern consoles. Rogue Trooper Redux arrives as a third person shooter with updated graphics, assets, and controls, with a 13 mission single player campaign and two co-op online modes, Stronghold and Progressive. The game was fairly well received back in 2006, but how does it hold up compared to modern shooters?
As it turns out, not very well.
To begin with, despite getting an HD upgrade to its graphics, the game does not look very pretty at all when compared to other titles. Character models look clumsy, water effects feel like they’re from two generations ago, and the environments are bland, with nothing about them standing out. Explosions look okay but not spectacular, and big set pieces look cheap compared to the polished visuals in newer Call of Duty titles or Battlefield 1. The levels feel pretty generic. We have a beach level, a fortress level, an on rails flying combat level (one of the more fun levels to play, and also one of the shortest), a train level, and a final boss battle. Coupled with an overly familiar story of betrayal and the quest for justice, the game as a whole feels uninspired compared to current shooters. While a familiar story isn’t in itself damning, the fact that you have no real well developed characters to latch onto makes it hard to care about getting that justice. Poor to serviceable voice acting doesn’t help things, as it all just feels dated, but not in a good way.
Ugly graphics, thin story, and so-so voice acting can all be forgiven if the gameplay is fun. For myself, I didn’t enjoy my time with the game for the most part. It has its moments- stealth kills can be a little satisfying, though you get locked up in an animation, and the flight combat level was enjoyable. The gunplay feels off and inconsistent. You can pull off head shots and cause the tanks on the back of enemy soldiers to explode, provided you have sniper rifle ammo. But there were times I’d empty a whole clip into the face of a soldier with barely any effect, but could one shot them with a melee attack. Switching between weapons feels clumsy. On the PS4, you pressed the Triangle button the requisite number of times to get to the gun you wanted. Trying to do this in a hurry often resulted with the wrong weapon popping up, which often led to a cheap death. Using gadgets like a decoy or a sentry gun felt just as clumsy, to the point that outside of their introduction I never used them. Grenades were easier to use by just flinging them with a button press rather than target a group of enemies. The quick dispersal of mines could help in a pinch if you had a group advancing on your position, but they never felt useful enough to lay traps. Enemy AI was often none too bright, but they could overwhelm you with numbers simply because they’re bullet sponges.
The system of having to manufacture your ammo, grenades, and health packs from scrap sounds at first to be a clever way to introduce a layer of strategy and inventory management. Only your pistol has unlimited ammo (12 shots per clip), but everything else you needed to scavenge scrap from fallen soldiers and the environment. It takes a lot of scrap for some items, and trying to gather scrap during the heat of combat could easily get you killed. You’ll end up with plenty of upgrades to choose from, but there never seemed to be enough scrap to make use of them all. At least using the touch pad on the PS4 controller would pause the game while you made extra ammo and health packs. But all too often you never felt like you had enough, and especially in later levels it felt like you never had enough to combat the number of enemies. Armored mechs could only be dispatched from behind, grenades and powerful turret guns had no effect. The cover system was for the most part okay, and allowed for blind fire as well as aimed responses. There were many times, though, where Rogue would vanish on me as he moved into cover and the camera got too close. Other times he would prove to be too sticky. Prompts for climbing and vaulting could be inconsistent in spots, as you couldn’t proceed without getting the prompt. There’s no sprint button, and in spots you can take way too much damage simply because Rogue doesn’t move quick enough. Or he drops into a crouch when you don’t want him to. A tighter control scheme would have worked wonders for this game. Sadly, they just didn’t measure up well tot he controls for other modern shooters.
The campaign plays across 13 missions, each one taking you anywhere for 15-45 minutes to complete. The final boss battle felt unbalanced and very cheap, resulting in plenty of deaths as dying at a checkpoint meant you’d respawn directly in the line of fire. This led to plenty of frustration. For those who like to play with others, there are two online co-op modes for 2-4 players. Stronghold is your basic horde mode, where you hold off waves of enemies. The Progressive mode has your team trying to make it to a safety point. Both can be a bit fun to play, should you have a good group of players that work together.
In all, Rogue Trooper Redux feels like a game no one asked for. Fans of the comic may get more enjoyment out of it, and for those who enjoyed the original may benefit from nostalgia as they play this one. For those with no prior attachments, the game is mediocre and really shows its age. The voice acting is serviceable at best, and some of the dialogue is pretty cringe worthy. The gunplay feels inconsistent, and while the crafting system can make for some tense moments, it can also be quite irritating, and trying to collect salvage when you need it can lead to some very cheap deaths. Enemy AI can be quite poor, but can still overwhelm you through numbers and being bullet sponges. The story and levels all feel generic and uninspired, and the ending leaves you more with a feeling of relief that the game is over instead of a feeling of satisfied accomplishment. This was a game that just was not fun for me to play, and more than one occasion I shoved my controller away from me in sheer frustration. It feels more cheap than challenging, and already the memory of it is fading. Undoubtedly, there will be some who find some enjoyment here. But for most, I can’t really recommend it as a purchase. Maybe a rental, or wait for the inevitable price drop. There are just far better shooters out there to spend your time and money on. Rogue Trooper Redux just feels outdated, and soon to be found in your local bargain bin.
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