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> Results: Rogue Trooper
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Rogue Trooper is a third-person action game based on the British comic series 2000AD which also brought us the Judge Dredd: Dredd vs. Death. In this game you play a genetically grown soldier whose identity is stored on a chip that can be removed from the body and attached to weapons and armor. This provides two gameplay opportunitiesﾗchatter among the squad and leveling of equipment as the game progresses. Many upgrades are very useful, such as improved range and stabilization of the sniper rifle. You also find blueprints to have your friend the backpack make new weapons such as surface-to-air missiles. All of these add some personality and variation to an otherwise very ordinary shooter.
You trudge from place to place killing everything in your path while unraveling an insidious plot of betrayal at the center of a campaign to conquer Nu Earth. The controls work surprisingly well on the PC considering the game was obviously designed for console play. It's very linear and while there are stealth moves available, the best choice is almost always just to charge ahead. The game is entertaining while it lasts, but is very short, and the multiplayer has a limited amount of modes and even more limited amount of people ever playing online. If you are a fan of the series, the story and middling gameplay might justify the purchase, otherwise it is recommended only as a rental.  
The action in Rogue Trooper is standard material for a T-rated shooter. There is loads of violence but nothing that ever makes it seem too realistic. It has a very high body count and plenty of stuff to blow up. However, you get a strange feeling when your squad mate dies at the very beginning of the game and you cut his identity chip out of his neck and attach ﾑhim' to your gun. While it plays into the structure of the story and the genetic soldiers perfectly, the concept of ﾑgiving your life ... twice' is unsettling at times.
Aside from the moral issues, you are in a pitched battle against conquering forces, the last hope to save your planet against the odds. It is similar at its core to World War II shooters, but less realistic due to the comic styling and presentation, and less visceral due to the third person viewpoint. There are other characters along the way that hint at other story threads for other games or invoke the comic series, but there are no real interactions or relationships. Dialogue comes in the form of squad chatter or transmissions, and there is no freedom of choice when it comes to taking actions. The other moral issue in Rogue Trooper is that you are a genetic creation viewed as valuable but disposable. Everyone wants you working for them or dead, or both. These moral values are not explored deeply within the story, but I found myself thinking about issues of humanity repeatedly as I blasted my way through the game. This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Rogue Trooper |
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