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Rebellion’s second release from the 2000 A.D. stable
comes from a lesser-known series than their first release. Judge
Dredd Vs. Death was met with a heavy-hand at retail, despite
being welcomed by the gaming press. Rogue Trooper has a
different path to retail, and comes at a time when the traditions of
the current-generation are about to become out-mooted.
To that extent, Rogue
Trooper has seen traditional boundaries incorporated with a need for
polish. The hand-holding of the first three Levels soon
disintegrates into gameplay-advancing comments from Rogue’s three
compatriots; Helm, Gunnar and Bagman, and movement through the
arenas is linear to the extreme. Occasional diversions round what
appears as a dead-end corner will result in the collection of
additional Salvage. Salvage is equipment recovered from the dead
which, once collected, can be used to create further ammo or, when
available, weapon upgrades. The Salvage System features a unique
presentation - if failing to produce any original results - however,
remains quite pointless throughout the games’ progression, as
there will never be a point where the player finds themselves
without a plentiful supply reaching into thousands above that which
is needed.
The title’s weapon options are pleasing, if often unwieldy.
The Shotgun in particular makes quite a devastating entrance, 
however, all the weaponry with which you can use at-will seems quite
under-powered and appears to lack any real sense of impact upon
striking an enemy. The mounted-artillery useable within the Missions
offers much more pleasing results, but their a-typical placement
results in the player taking-down the required Gunship/Walker
Bot/Transport Driller and little else before moving-on.
The Level Structure is presented well, with a series of
statistics being presented to the player after each is completed.
The variety of the Levels, however, is limited. Each acts as a
point-to-point exercise requiring the player to kill any enemies on
route. Occasional distractions, such as Mine placement and door
hacking, add a little flavour but are severely weakened by their
necessary nature; offering the player optional additional challenges
would have been an inviting proposal within a title so strictly
linked with the traditions of the Third-Person Action genre.
Rogue’s abilities are quite refreshing; at your disposal
you have an array of moves such as Blind-Fire when in cover,
Sniper-stabilising and a dive/roll manoeuvre. The title tries to
encourage the player to use Stealth Kills, cover and distraction
abilities to progress however, much like the greatly missed
opportunity Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, there is no
instance in which these abilities are necessary to progress, and the
AI hasn’t been crafted significantly enough for these talents to
become rewarding.
Graphically, Rogue Trooper parallels the pinnacle of
PlayStation2 development. The likes of God Of War and Shadow
Of The Colossus may be pushing the field in the way of detail or
clarity, but Rogue Trooper holds its own simply by forgetting
the detail, and achieving a striking amount of action and depth
on-screen at any point. With the Xbox’s greater abilities than the
PlayStation2, it may not stand-out as a striking title as well as on
its peer system; however Rouge Trooper remains a deniable
good-looker. The sound quality is comfortable, with Helm, Gunnar and
Bagman offering useful information, as well as pointless comments,
in clearly-pitched sound-bytes, and the background music simply
refuses to interfere with the gameplay.
Rouge Trooper achieves much as a stabiliser for the
average of a genre re-established on a dying generation. Without
pushing any boundaries, it competently involves the player in Nu
Earth with a story that flutters between engrossing and irrelevant
from Level-to-Level. Rouge Trooper may not be the
groundbreaking work fans are hoping for, but it will still please
those who’ve been waiting for the arrival of Rogue on their games
console.
 
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