Rogue Trooper Redux Review
Credits
Developed by Rebellion - the British studio that in recent years has dedicated itself to the Sniper Elite saga - the original version of Rogue Trooper appeared on PC and PlayStation 2 in 2006. Three years later it was proposed a porting not particularly bright and from then the traces have completely disappeared. Over eleven years after the developer first incarnation, the title now returns with Rogue Trooper Redux, a remastered edition already available for PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.
Storyline
As you remember (those who tried the original game) , the story of Rogue Trooper Redux is based on the comic book created by Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons in the early 80s. The narrative context starts from the secular conflict that rages between the Norts and Southers factions for the dominance of Nu Earth, a planet that has become arid and inhospitable after the massive use of chemical bombs that have compromised the integrity of the atmosphere, forcing the humans to wear special overalls and respirators to be able to move on the surface. As the conflict evolved, the Souther faction began to create an army of super-soldiers created in the laboratory and perfectly able to fight in the contaminated territories.
Gameplay
The early stages of Rogue Trooper Redux play take place during one of the key events that are told in the comic strip, which is the moment when the GI army is trapped in the Quartz Zone and exterminated by hostile forces. The only survivor of the catastrophe is the soldier Rogue, who is then charged with tracing the perpetrators of the massacre. The remastered edition brings a series of technical innovations to adapt - as far as possible - the visual experience and make it more modern with respect to the original counterpart: this is why the characters, weapons and vehicles present during the adventure have been remodeled, but they are the intermezzo sequences were also restored with the addition of dynamic lighting and new special effects, as well as the polygonal structures of objects and buildings. Logically, the difference compared to the Rogue Trooper for PlayStation 2 is perceived, nevertheless the graphic restyling has not been able to solve those evident deficiencies of visual and conceptual characterization that afflict the production on an aesthetic level.
The Setting
Although it is a third-person shooter of classical setting with obvious shortcomings of the type of realization, the old Rogue Trooper did not fail to propose some interesting gimmicks from a playful point of view. Also in Rogue Trooper Redux the distinctive element on the interaction level is entrusted to the biochips implanted in the skull of each clone. Curiously, when an GI soldier falls into battle, these electronic data can be extracted from his body and used as tactical support for an ally through three special slots available on the helmet, rifle and backpack supplied by the troops. And since Rogue's teammates will fall in the early stages of the game, all you have to do is extract these materials from your body and install them in your own equipment. So we have the Gunnar biochip inside the rifle, with which you can take advantage of an assisted sighting system and a sniper sight to strike the most distant targets with surgical precision. At the same time it is possible to turn the weapon into a sentinel cannon: all you have to do is place the turret on the ground and activate it to distract the enemy or receive an effective fire cover. Alternatively there is the option of the silencer, which theoretically should favor the stealth approach in cleaning up the maps.
During your play of the last option would be least exploited, thanks to the fact that the mechanics do not stimulate at all to lean for a weighted strategy; while striving to be precise, it is almost mathematical to be discovered by some patrols present in the neighborhood, even from a considerable distance. Moreover, the complete absence of indicators that allow to estimate the level of general alert is certainly not helpful in this sense: as you may have guessed, flattening the rifle and launching in an ignorant way forward turns out to be the only sensible solution to to adopt. Then we have the Bagman biochip; placed in the backpack, allows us to build objects and upgrades recovering the wreckage from the corpses of fallen enemies, turrets or small mechanical remains that are scattered around the maps. By accessing a special menu we can invest these resources and keep our equipment up-to-date. With the Helm biochip, finally, Rogue is able to bypass electronic defenses or create diversions using a hologram or calling the attention of the guards from behind the covers. Since this is a dated game,is predictably structured in single closed short-term missions, which envisage moving from an entry point to an exit point and crushing anyone who tries to distract the us from the purpose of our mission.
Defects
One of the main defects of Rogue Trooper Redux - further worsened to the test of time - is linked to the structure and the variety of levels. The title is in fact affected by a flat and not very interesting design, even in the presence of a technical update that, as far as possible, tries to make everything a little more appreciable. The problem of the game is upstream: the maps ooze old age and this because in 2006 the title of Rebellion certainly did not prove to be among the most advanced and avant-garde products available on the square. The scarce charisma shown by the characters is a child of the far too weak characterization of the universe to which reference is made, to the point of making almost all the few dialogues or fleeting interlude clips that alternate between one assignment and the other superfluously. .
Game Details
Developer-----------------Rebellion Developments, TickTock Games (Redux)
Publisher-------------------Eidos Interactive
Reef Entertainment (Wii) , Rebellion Developments (Redux)
Platform-----------------Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 4, Xbox, Xbox One
Release Date---------------------Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch: 17 October 2017
Genre----------------Third-person shooter
Mode------------------Single-player, multiplayer
Conclusion
The effects of time have also had a bearing on the management of the roofing of the game. In Rogue Trooper Redux is far too cumbersome to move fluently from one wall to another or shoot with acceptable results while remaining protected from the enemy fire. It is worthwhile to extend the reasoning also to the characterization of the enemies, really too limited for a title that re-presents itself on the market in 2017. In addition to the single-player mode, the two online multiplayer cooperative modes have been confirmed. In these sessions we must face some secondary missions untied from the main adventure and placed chronologically before the events that occurred in the Quartz Zone. By opting for Siege you must defend your position and resist the progressive incursions of the Norts, while selecting the Progressive mode you have the task of defeating the enemies and then reach a safe point before the extraction.
Despite the game proposing some interesting ideas regarding the management of the equipment, Rogue Trooper Redux suffers from a general fluctuating quality and a not very incisive atmosphere, which in the end also outlined the version of 2006. Net of the graphic adaptations, the shortcomings and the painful points of production have appeared even more evident in this remaster. You therefore find yourself in the presence of a title addressed above all as a irreducible supporter of third-person shooter game.
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