Rogue Warrior is currently in development at the ever-industrious Rebellion, the British studio responsible for the Rogue Trooper titles on the Previous-Generation (later ported to Wii), the well respected PDC World Championship Darts 2009 and the highly-anticipated Alien Vs. Predator. Top that of with work on Free Running, Shellshock 2: Blood Trails and the continuing PlayStation 2 releases in the Call of Duty franchise, and you can easily see how the developer may well have their plate full. However, this hasn’t stopped them picking-up the reigns on Bethesda’s troubled Rogue Warrior, originally in development at Zombie Games.

            Playing as a virtual interpretation of real-life Navy SEAL Richard Marcinko, nicknamed “Shark Man of the Delta”, the First-Person Shooter has reportedly been in development for three years, and has seen some fairly radical changes in that time. Originally designed to present a game based around squad-based tactics, Rogue Warrior now prioritises the personality (or rather, reputation) of its protagonist above that of commanding additional troops.

            Much of the game takes place in North Korea, in a battle to halt a Soviet Nuclear Weapons Programme. Currently seeming to have been influenced by Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Conspiracy, the game promotes stealth by way of some extremely brutal close-combat finishers and context sensitive manoeuvres in which you can use the environment to dispatch opponents. Multi-player modes have also been confirmed, though is what form they’ll appear is currently unknown. Electronic Theatre hopes that the four-player co-operative mode previously touted makes it’s way into the final build, but the change in developer has so far resulted in a lot more than a lick-of-paint, and so we await confirmation.

            Richard Macinko has leant his likeness to the game and has reportedly been on-hand to dole-out advice throughout the later part of the game’s development. However, in-game, the protagonist will be voiced by none other than Mickey Rourke, famed for his roles in 9 ½ Weeks and White Sands, as well as providing the voice for Jericho in Driv3r, and seems perfectly fitting in this videogame role.

            With Rogue Warrior due for release this Winter, it’s highly likely we’ll start seeing more-and-more of the title over the forthcoming months. In its current shape Rogue Warrior provides enough to be excited about, and details coming over the next few months will hopefully do well to win this enticing videogame prospect a few more fans. Electronic Theatre will of course keep you updated.

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