Topic: User Impressions/Reviews Thread

@RR529 Nice review. Also dig the ample selection of screenshots. I'm mixed on the aesthetic of the game: the vibrant colors are very nice, but it also has those... unique One Piece character designs.

It sounds fairly short, and the lack of XP share is... unfortunate for an RPG. And the equipment and item systems... so, if I'm understanding this right, you have them say different quotes to improve their stats...? Am I getting this? I've literally never heard of a system like this before.

Well, it sounds like you had fun with it. One Piece isn't my thing, but at least it's not another arena fighter, like so many licensed anime games seem to default to!

I believe there are also One Piece musou games you can play. Have you tried those, or is this your first One Piece-related game?

@Ralizah, yeah, the character design can be off putting & is one of the reasons I never really got into the anime (he wasn't in this game thankfully, but there was one arc I saw back when it was on Toonami that featured a villain that looked like a vampiric bowling pin, and it was hard to take seriously). It's okay in small doses though, and I'm fine with (most) of the core cast.

Again, the "Strong Word" system sounds confusing, but it's really not. Instead of going into the menu & equipping Luffy with an Iron Sword or some such, you'd equip him with "I'm Going to be King of the Pirates!" instead. What probably muddies the waters are the "Item Words", which are also quotes, but these go in your item bag (rather than being equipped to a character) and are used as an item. Maybe it is kinda confusing to explain, but in practice I didn't find it all that hard to navigate.

Also, I did play One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 a couple years ago on a whim, and probably enjoyed it more than Fire Emblem Warriors or Hyrule Warriors surprisingly.

Platform: PC, PS4, PS5 (version played), Switch and Xbox
Release Date: January 2021

We all know the drill by now. We pack a fibre wire, a lockpick and an exploding rubber duck into our suitcase and travel the world, landing in the most exotic of locations to wear the most elaborate of disguises and assassinate the most wretched examples of humanity. We (hopefully) strive to attain a Silent Assassin rating, inconveniencing the innocent as little as possible. We delight in the dark humour, the sinister style and the sheer inventiveness of it all. We are Agent 47.

And yet, at several key points, Hitman III still managed to surprise me.

As a conclusion to the World of Assassination trilogy, its interface and gameplay has barely changed since 2016, when developer IO Interactive began this epic journey as an episodic release. It's been a rocky road for them in the meantime, having been dropped by SquareEnix, then briefly needing to partner with WB Interactive, before managing to make it as an independent, self-supporting studio. In the context of such turmoil, the consistent quality of the trilogy is all the more impressive. There were a few noticeable compromises along the way, but they were kept to a necessary minimum. Playing the entire thing, all twenty-one levels of it, through Hitman III is not just an embarrassment of riches for us gamers, but a glowing testament to IO's determination.

Terminal Extermination: The fact that we finally got an end to this trilogy is pretty amazing, and that end being amazingly pretty is just a bonus.

But, because of this, it's difficult to focus on Hitman III in isolation, even with those aforementioned surprises sprinkled throughout its six new locations. Some of them are slightly jarring; for example, one of its largest levels cannot support Mission Stories (the helpful, entirely optional scripted opportunities available to track throughout each sandbox). Instead, it opts for a narrow slow-burn reveal which widens to present a daunting open-ended freedom. It's a bold choice because, whilst there are indeed dozens of smaller scripted events to discover and experiment with, the total lack of guidance could be off-putting to new players. Even I felt a little overwhelmed by it all.

Moments like these make me think that Hitman III was designed to complement the entire World of Assassination trilogy first and foremost, which certainly isn't a crime, but is a risk. I'm bracing for the inevitable comment section outrage when Hitman III is sold for cheap by itself (or worse, given away "free" with PS Plus) and eager would-be assassins realise that they'll need to pay extra, and then play through two previous games, for everything to feel accessible.

It'll catch a lot of folks out, because this trilogy hasn't always generated the intense passion that it rightfully deserves. Hitman 2 was released in 2018 amidst a very crowded calendar, and was overlooked by many as a result, despite it arguably being the best (and certainly the most content-heavy) of the three individual games. It took a global pandemic and widespread workforce lockdown for Agent 47 to catch a break, with Hitman III arriving in a comparable vacuum to almost single-handedly rescue this year's post-holiday period. As a franchise fan, it's great to finally see some increased awareness of just how good these games can be, but it's undeniable that their haphazard history is difficult to justify, and must be a nightmare for newcomers. Episodic releases, season passes, pre-order bonus content and a baffling always-online requirement all feels like a bad hangover nowadays, in an age where such things are subject to increased scrutiny and objection. The effort to unify this mess under a single banner is admirable, but it's also needlessly complex.

Nevertheless, it is what it is, and it's come too far to be undone now. The real question, and perhaps the only one that matters, is simple. Is it all worth wrestling with, in order to experience Hitman III and have the entire World of Assassination trilogy at your fingertips?

You bet it is.

It's a Gas: I can't give any more context to this screenshot, other than to say that I was thoroughly confused by it, and that I adored being so.

Back to those surprises. Hitman III gets underway with a couple of pretty standard outings for our bald, barcoded anti-hero, but things quickly go off the rails thereafter, and his concluding chapters effectively convey the sense that his entire world is unravelling faster than a ball of string left at the mercy of an overexcited kitten. It gives IO the ability to be more theatrical than ever before. No longer are they bound to the template of showing us an overproduced briefing before dropping us some clear, defined targets. They demonstrate a skilful flair for the dramatic, and ensure that the ongoing paper-thin conspiracy storyline feels like it actually counts for something by journey's end. Don't get me wrong, I do love an overproduced briefing (and the World of Assassination trilogy has always boasted gaming's best), but this alternate approach made for a highly effective crescendo.

Your destinations are as diverse as ever. Things get off to a spectacular start atop a skyscraper in Dubai, whilst a trip to a tech-savvy corner of China comes with a sharp cyberpunk edge. As previously mentioned, the Mission Stories mechanic has been severely scaled back, but it doesn't mean the opportunities for smooth subterfuge aren't there. In one level, I managed to assassinate the first of two targets using an identity-swapping method which felt like it should've come with scripted guidance but instead, I'd simply stumbled across it in a happy accident. All of the experience's subtle nuance is as delightful as ever, even during the final level, which is intricate in its simplicity. Elsewhere, one of my favourite feints was dressing up as a detective to access the scene of a murder mystery in an English country manor (and yes, you can go full Agatha Christie and actually solve the case whilst you're there).

Combat Knives Out: If you want to ensure that the butler did it, you'll have to find him, knock him out, stash him in a cupboard and put his clothes on first.

There's no denying the benefits of playing Hitman III on a current-gen console, even if the overall presentation is not the cleanest of clean sweeps. Every location might be breathtaking to behold but, alas, every location is also populated by wonky, robotic character models which betray the spruced-up PS4 engine supporting it all. Nobody should've expected a visual revolution, and what IO have achieved with ray-tracing and true 4K support is laudable, but it's an area where the game's steadfast legacy support had ended up making minor issues more obvious. I'm also sorry to report the prevalence of an annoying audio glitch which routinely causes the background music to cut out (made all the more tragic by the fact that it's a sumptuous soundtrack, able to pivot from hardcore techno trash to a haunting, mournful choir at the drop of your disguise's gaudy hat).

I should also note that this game has (finally!) added a Photo Mode... of sorts. Wherever he goes, Agent 47 is permanently equipped with a new digital camera, which you can use for some non-lethal pointing and shooting. It's an odd little inclusion, used for some mid-mission hacking in the latest levels but otherwise possessing a miniscule selection of filters to help budding photographers take postcard landscapes or comedy shots of corpses. I don't quite know what to make of it.

Technically, this trilogy has been treated like a live-service game, for all the good (steady stream of content and support) and not-so-good (the need to maintain a constant connection to IO's servers) such an approach entails. Hitman III is the most polished I've ever known these games to be over the years, but it isn't invulnerable to momentary frustration. Despite no issues with my internet, a brief fluctuation elsewhere in the Matrix made my game automatically pause whilst an ugly prompt attempted to re-establish connection and, of course, it happened at a crucial juncture. There hasn't been any prolonged downtime for a while, but be aware that any saves made whilst online won't work if you attempt to access them in isolation. Your evening's entertainment is always at the mercy of the server gods.

An Interconnected Fate: Whenever you're booting up the game, you just have to pray that IO Interactive can keep the game's many, many lights on.

Having such affection for a game which features such a fundamental design flaw should be a tough contradiction to reconcile, and yet I can't bring myself to do anything other than wholeheartedly recommend the entire World of Assassination trilogy. Whether I would do the same for Hitman III as a standalone title would depend entirely on a person's previous experience. Its new levels reward loyalty whilst simultaneously devouring the uninitiated, to the point where it really shouldn't be considered a separate game in and of itself. If you're curious enough, go back and start from the beginning but, if you're like me and have been following Agent 47's exploits for a lifetime, then you should track down Hitman III and pull the trigger as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed.

And now, with a straightforward story playthrough behind me (clocking in at six hours, give or take), I'm free to return and revel in the addictive, different-every-time gameplay loop for each mission, working towards its Mastery to unlock new starting locations, disguises and equipment that'll help me ace any forthcoming Elusive Targets and Escalation Contracts. Hitman III is my new forever game. It'll give me something to tinker with during gaps in my gaming schedule, whether they be minutes, hours, days or weeks. I feel like, regardless of how deeply I explore everything it has to offer, I'll never uncover all of its secrets, thanks to its limitless ingenuity.

And, above all else, it guarantees one very important thing.

Project 007 is in the safest of hands.

@RogerRoger As a newbie to the franchise, I enjoyed reading your Hitman 3 review and appreciate both the palpable love for the property you convey, and the fair caution you mention to newcomers.

I’m not surprised that the game is best experienced as a culmination of the prior entries and I believe I’ll stash the game into the back of my potential future projects, behind Hitman 2. I’m seeing H2’s price be extremely reasonable (currently on sale for $12) and so your thoughts have me thinking that I’ll go that direction when/if I proceed in Agent 47’s journey. By the time I get to and through the second installment, H3 will likely be on the cheap. In fact — I wonder if IO will ever consider just putting out a trilogy pack, with everything in one purchase and with all the levels neatly bundled so as to avoid the complex porting of DLC styled movement of previous game content over to the new engine. If they did that in a year or so, I might be on board with paying a little more for the convenience and simplicity of the package.

Regardless, even with my shallow knowledge of the series, I agree with your notion that the series has unfairly flown under the radar a little bit and the gameplay offers something quite unique and ingenious. In a sea of copycat games, what IO has accomplished is really worthy of praise.

@Th3solution Well, you can already buy Hitman 1 and 2’s levels through Hitman 3. It’s a far more expensive way to do it than just buying the first two games outright and porting the levels over!

@Th3solution Thanks, buddy. I'm glad I conveyed that note of caution because (as is often the case once I've watched the credits roll on a game I've enjoyed) all I wanted to do was type "Eeeeeee, it's awesome, everybody should rush out and buy this immediately!!"

I do think a World of Assassination trilogy bundle is inevitable, probably as soon as Hitman III has outlived its financial usefulness as a standalone release and starts to regularly sit in the sales (a fate which has befallen the previous two games, as you note). Especially now that IO have managed to somehow compress the file size for the entire thing, it'd easily fit on a single disc, maybe inside a fancy steelbook with some bonus suits or something. If that's the kinda timescale you'd be looking to continue 47's exploits, in a year or so, then I'd definitely advise patience. It'll be worth the wait.

Right now, as @nessisonett notes, it's profitable for IO to publicise Hitman III and lure punters into purchasing the previous two games via its main menu. Soon enough, it won't be.

@RogerRoger Nice review!

Despite having been a fan of the PS2 entries years back, I think you kind of touched on the elements that have been keeping me away from the new trilogy of Hitman games that, by all accounts, is excellent. An always-online requirement for something single-player is just... well, anyway, I've also been continually confused by this thing where you can import the levels from previous Hitman games into the latest one. I guess I'm getting the sense from your piece that just playing previous games on their own is the way to go, though? I'm not much for most Western-developed AAA games, but Hitman is in a class of its own on a game design front.

Love the screenshots. It's too bad the photo mode sounds underwhelming. This is a beautiful game, and I can only imagine the hours you'd put in with a photo mode more in the vein of the one included with HZD.

A few questions:

• About the first two Hitman games: aside from the time-limited missions, is there post-launch content that can be played now? Or are you just limited to the core game content that shipped at launch.
• I remember reading something about a VR mode in this game. Is that a thing?

@Ralizah Thanks for reading! And for the screenshot praise, too. Part of me reckons I should be glad it doesn't have a proper Photo Mode, otherwise I fear it would consume me. I actually look forward to games which don't have Photo Modes nowadays!

Yeah, it's got to be said, whilst I applaud IO Interactive's determination to streamline the trilogy and keep it together across console generations, it's made for one heck of a confusing and slightly off-putting experience over the years. Like you, I was a big fan of the older games as well, but it took me a while to get around to Hitman (2016) and, even when I did, its presentation and always-online shenanigans left me cold. It wasn't until Hitman 2 in 2018 that I really got the bug, thanks to both games becoming merged under a single menu. Which is why I said it was ultimately worth it.

I'd recommend getting Hitman III and playing through the entire trilogy under its unified banner, rather than playing each game as a separate entity. By doing that, all of the live-service gameplay tweaks and graphical refinements are retroactively applied to the entire trilogy. Going back to play Hitman (2016) as a standalone game nowadays would feel comparatively clunky.

You can do this cheaply by snapping up the individual games in a sale, because then your account would recognise your purchases and allow you access to them within Hitman III.

In terms of content, it's all still accessible, providing you get the right editions. Hitman (2016) had a GOTY release which included some remixed levels and the Patient Zero campaign, all of which was unrelated to the ongoing plot, but were still kinda fun. Hitman 2 got a Gold Edition which included the game's season pass, which adds two full, brand new levels which are integral to the ongoing plot, as well as some Sniper Assassin maps, which aren't. Everything is playable via Hitman III if you've purchased it in the past, and is also available to unlock via the in-game store, for a premium.

And yes, there is a VR mode, but it's exclusive to PlayStation and, because PS5 doesn't have its new VR system sorted yet, is only accessible via a PS4 copy of Hitman III. A lot of fans want it to come to PC, but nobody's sure whether the current exclusivity is deliberate or not, so it might never happen.

Hope all this has helped. There really needs to be a single, unified release of the entire trilogy. Here's hoping one surfaces by the time you're interested in giving it a shot!

@Ralizah The VR mode is hilariously janky but fantastic fun. It made me feel awful afterwards but someone with actual VR sea-legs should be fine. The controls are a little odd but it’s worth it just to explore the levels in VR.

@RogerRoger I find your unhealthy fixation on photo mode exploits to be oddly charming. Besides, the results usually speak for themselves. You have quite the photographic eye.

Ahaha, OK, I got your recommendation mixed up somehow.

Personal attribute Close Reading drops ten points.

Honestly, to continue riffing on the nitpicks you mentioned in the review, I'm not even sure how I'd want to go about spending money on the first game, since I have most of the missions for the first game available for free via PS+. Seems a waste to spend the full sale price to gain access to the one mission I'm missing. Although you mentioned that the GOTY version remixes some of the levels, so would those be different from the individual chapters I have access to via PS+ anyway?

Another thing I'd love to clear up, since I have your ear: the first two games also have stories to them, right? So, when you import the first two Hitman games into Hitman 3, do you get to play through three games worth of story content? Can you transfer levels if you only own some of them?

I'm so sorry. Somehow I have this explained to me, and then I seem to lose track of the info as soon as I start thinking about something else, which probably just means the initial explanations never made sense to me in the first place. Trying to figure out how the new Hitman trilogy works reminds me of the hours I've spent trying (and failing) to understand just what the hell bitcoins are.

So, yeah, I might just take you up on that and wait for a trilogy release of the three games! It's not like the games are going anywhere.

@RogerRoger Excellent review as always. The new Hitman trilogy is one of those gaming series that I can appreciate for being excellent but I'll probably never play. This is because I find stealth games hard and if I couple that with a the abundance of choice, I'd just get analysis paralysis. However, I have watched some friends play on stream and to watch the world is awesome. I love the fact these devs have the 007 license for a title. You know it is going to have a solid foundation regardless.

@Ralizah Aww! [blushes] I'm just grateful to have somewhere to share them in some limited capacity, otherwise I think I'd feel rather silly (well, more silly than I already do)!

Absolutely no apology necessary. In fact, I should be saying sorry to you, as my propensity for conversational writing probably hasn't helped keep my answers clear. Not only that but, having kept track of the trilogy's interconnectedness in real-time over the years, I might find explaining it all a little easier, but it still doesn't make it easy! Even I think I'm missing a few bonus suits and novelty items, but I can't be bothered risking the headache to figure out what, where and when.

Put simply, to get access to everything, purchase Hitman (2016) GOTY Edition, Hitman 2: Gold Edition and then Hitman III, and play it all through Hitman III.

I don't know whether the free individual levels given away on PS Plus would unlock in the subsequent games, I'm afraid, and it's clear that they've deliberately stopped short of giving away the game's final level (Hokkaido) to ensure that people pay up. Providing you've bought it all, you can play through the trilogy's entire story in Hitman III. There's a "Campaigns" sub-menu which allows you to run through all three games in sequence, with all of the cutscenes and narrative versions of the missions listed.

The level remixes I mentioned are separate contracts which simply use the existing infrastructure of the story's main mission (for example, there's one set in Sapienza which transforms the town into a movie set, and you're tasked with assassinating the lead actor whilst he's filming a scene). They're not essential to the core storyline, and were basically the first game's DLC content, alongside the seasonal stuff and Elusive Contracts. You can totally enjoy the trilogy without them, but you'd forever see some greyed out missions on your game's menu, and they're kinda fun, so if you can get them, do so.

If you're anything like me, it'll be best to think about all this when you're ready to make a purchase, which'll be when you're ready to play through an entire trilogy of stealth games. On that day, if you need any further (needlessly verbose) assistance, give me a shout.

And I promise not to suggest buying it with Bitcoin!

***

@Rudy_Manchego Thank you! And I totally understand your hesitance, by the way. I think that's what happened to me when I first tried Hitman (2016), and why I didn't like it at first. I don't mind admitting that I've leant on guides more than a few times, when trying to trigger the really intricate stuff. I'd never find it naturally otherwise. It's incredibly daunting.

Yeah, roll on Project 007. I'm not one to pre-judge anything... but it's gonna be awesome!

@Ralizah @Rudy_Manchego If I may butt in and share some of my experience as a newcomer to the franchise, currently playing through the first game with the game club folk on yonder thread. Although, as noted, the game is pretty difficult for the uninitiated, but as @RogerRoger pointed out, there is a mechanic in the games (called “Opportunities” in the first game), where you can select a mini-storyline from the menu within a level and it holds your hand a little more and gives you some guidance on where to go to get certain things done and to acquire certain disguises to accomplish a kill. For me it’s made the game quite approachable and more enjoyable than wandering around with the full creativity and sandbox of doing it on your own. It might be considered like an easy mode for the game. Even when utilizing opportunities it can still be pretty hard, but not in a Soulsborne kind of way where you want to rage-quit, rather in a ‘my score is going to be poor, but I’m just gonna go ahead and kill some civilians because I can’t figure out how to progress otherwise and I’m sick of trying to get this stealth attack just right’ kind of way.

Anyways, just a little added perspective here from someone who’s not a veteran of the series. Definitely worth a go if/when you feel like something a little different from your standard action games.

@Th3solution Good shout, thanks buddy!

Star Wars: Republic Commando (Switch)

Tactical FPS set in a galaxy far, far away heads out on a Nintendo platform for the first time ever (originally an OG Xbox console exclusive).

Gameplay:

• A Tactical FPS, it sees you and 3 AI teammates working your way through three different campaigns (each split up into multiple missions) in largely linear fashion. Each campaign should take you only a few hours each, for a total playtime of 9-10 hours (maybe less, depending on how adept you are at it).
• While there were small instances of stuff like a teammate getting in my line of fire (and friendly fire IS a thing, so you can hurt each other & yourself with your own grenades & the like) your ally AI is surprisingly good and they're generally pretty good at taking care of themselves. However taking command is a requirement for success, and there are two types of commands you can give out to them.
• The first of which are more general all encompassing orders triggered by a combination of the "A" button & a D-Pad input. You have "Search & Destroy" (the default command, this leaves your squad to their own devices, for better or worse), "Form Up" (they'll stay close to you), "Secure Position" (they'll defend the spot you're currently aiming at), & "Cancel Manoeuver" (this cancels all commands currently engaged). Also, pressing "A" while aiming at an enemy will cause your squad to focus on it exclusively. I personally like to have everyone "Form Up" after clearing a room, as once too often I'll be rooting around for any dropped ammo only to learn that my squad took it upon themselves to advance to the next room engaging the enemy before I was ready.
• The other type are more specific orders given to a single member. You'll see symbols littered throughout the environment that denote things such as sniping & grenade positions, mountable turrets, hackable computer terminals, surfaces to place an explosive charge, & more. Simply aim at one of these symbols & press "A" for the nearest squadmate to take up position. Many of these things you can also do yourself (as seen below), & you'll have to decide whether it's better for you to place a charge or hack a terminal yourself, or to help provide cover for an AI ally to do so instead (most charges & terminals can be activated in 10 seconds, but some take into the minutes to activate). To cancel these more specific positions, aim at the location & press "A" again, or use the "Cancel Manoeuver" command (this affects everyone though). If everyone is already locked into a position when you pick a new one, the furthest back squad mate will drop his current position for the new one. If you don't call off a squadmate's command they will stay there even after you've moved on, so make sure you keep tabs on them.
  
• You'll need to make use of these commands too, else you'll run into situations where you'll be routinely slaughtered until you think of the right strategy. It isn't an easy game (I played on Normal) & there are some sudden difficulty spikes in spots, but it does a lot to ease the frustration. Firstly, it isn't a game over until everyone is dead as you can indefinitely revive your allies (to half health) & they can revive you as well. Secondly there are healing stations (called Bacta Tanks) installed liberally through the levels that have unlimited uses (usually every couple rooms, or even stationed around an area you're expected to hold for several minutes). Allies will heal up automatically if they're gravely injured, but you can also command them manually to top off too. Finally, auto saves come pretty quickly & you can make manual saves at any time as well, which particularly comes in handy as this is an older game & the auto save system will put you into some unfavorable positions at times.
• I also want to point out that in terms of structure I think it fits the Switch surprisingly well. Each of the three campaigns has 4-6 missions, and each of those is usually broken down into several smaller segments (probably for loading purposes). Each segment is usually just a few rooms big, which (alongside the frequent saving ability) makes the whole thing pretty digestible in more bite size sessions.
• The UI is organically built into the presentation as well. You view the world through the helmet of your Clone Trooper, and UI elements such as your (easily depleted) sheild power, health (as well as that of your squad), & equipped grenade type appear to be part of your helmet's display. Also, a wrapon's total ammo (as well as what's left in it's current clip) is built directly into it's design, all of which you can see in the screenshot below. While this is mostly cook, one small problem with this approach is the one timed objective in the game. The first campaign is capped off with a task that must be completed in 5 minutes (IMO, the hardest part of the game, since it requires a more gung ho approach that kind of runs counter to the tactical nature of the rest of the game), but it isn't made immediately apparent as the countdown is presented sort of in the background by the computerized voice of the facility you're in (there's no on screen representation of it), and you don't really realize the countdown isn't just for effect (as there'll be ominous warnings elsewhere presented similarly which are just that) until it's too late.
  
• Let's talk ordinance, shall we? There are three weapons you'll have on you at all times (technically, 3 configurations of the same weapon), the first of which is an Assault Rifle (the default configuration, you access it by pressing up on the D-Pad), a Sniping configuration (press right on the D-Pad), & an Anti-Armor configuration (launches charges that really obliterate enemies but only holds 4 shots at a time, press left on the D-Pad to access it). Ammo for these weapons tend to be lying around after every other skirmish, usually near Bacta Tanks or in the corners/slightly hidden nooks of larger rooms you may be fighting in for awhile.
• Other than those you can also pick up enemy weapons (of which you can hold one at a time), which are accessed by pressing down on the D-Pad. These range from Assault Rifles, Shotguns, Bowguns, Laser Cannons, Concussion Rifles, to Rocket Launchers. My favorite was a heavy duty Chain Gun which could really mow down foes. To replenish ammo simply walk over a dropped weapon of the same type you're currently in possession of.
• If you run completely out of ammo you'll revert to a basic laser blaster that has unlimited ammo, but an overheating feature so you can't just spam it. You can also access it at any time by double tapping down on the D-Pad if you want to conserve ammo elsewhere or for whatever other reason.
• You also have 4 grenade types at your disposal (of which you can hold up to 5 of each), and you cycle through them with "L" (the game never tells you this though, and you don't automatically switch over to the next type when you run out of another, so it took awhile to figure out). Thermal Detonators are your basic grenades & EMP Grenades are extra effective against Droid based foes, but you also have Sonic Detonators (I'm not sure what specific effect these have, but I'm guessing they may be extra effective against organic enemies?), as well as Flash Grenades that temporarily blind enemies. Extras are often found alongside the ammo for your main 3 weapon types.
• You'll need to know when and where to use what weapon, as some enemies (particularly the tougher Droid types) are absolute bullet sponges unless under the effect of an EMP Grenade or picked off by a couple of well aimed shot of the Sniping configuration. The game likes throwing new enemies (or altered versions of current ones) at you at a pretty regular pace throughout the first 2 campaigns, and while the final campaign only introduces one new enemy type, it's an absolute doozy that'll ask the most of you whenever it shows up (plus, enemy types introduced in the first campaign that skipped the second return here, so it throws everything you've been introduced to at you).
• Other things to note are that "L2" & "R2" are used to lob grenades & fire your weapon respectively (pressing the right stick as a button lets you aim down your sight), "R" cycles visor modes (in addition to your standard view you have a "Low Light Mode" that gives everything a lo-fi black & white look that lets you see in dark places, and a "Tactical Mode" that adds some extra noise to your view, though I'm not sure it's exact purpose), "B" performs a melee attack, "Y" is jump (I literally got stuck at a downed pipe for 10 minutes as I didn't know you could do this, lol), & "X" reloads. Oh, and you have to press the left stick as a button to crouch (and hold it down to keep doing so), which is a bit of a pain.
• You unlock development extras such as videos of concept art or developer interviews after clearing each campaign, but much like the pre rendered cutscenes in titles such as Onimusha & the Devil May Cry games, no attempt has been made to remaster these videos into HD. Also, I think there might be a glitch as the last one didn't unlock after I finished the last campaign which the game stipulates as it's unlock condition (not a huge deal though).

Story:

• Set during the events of the "Clone Wars" in Star Wars canon (though I'm not sure if the events are still considered as such after the big Disney retcon), the game does away with lightsabers & Jedi & instead follows "Delta Squad" (of which you're the commander), a specially trained strikeforce of Clone Troopers who take on missions of insurmountable odds in support of the Republic's war efforts. You exist on the periphery of the overall Star Wars narrative and as such there's no game long story arc (each campaign, though played through in a set order, is largely stand alone), and what few famous figures do appear (such as the shot of the villainous General Grievous below) do so in fleeting cameos. What the game lacks in overall narrative & recognizable faces it makes up for with a strong brotherhood between your squad (who'll begin to rib each other with playful "Bro" talk as you get further in) & a surprisingly gritty war torn atmosphere for the Star Wars universe.
  
• The first campaign takes place during a major battle on the rocky desert world of Geonosis (I believe it's supposed to be the same battle featured during the climax of the Star Wars: Attack of the Clones! film), and while your team is first sent in for an assassination mission, the powers that be decide you may as well destroy the enemy HQ while you're there. Despite the generally limited scope of being a linear shooter it does a great job of making you feel like you're in the middle of a massive battle, and it's all that action on the periphery that I believe helps contribute to Switch's frame rate woes (while frame rate hiccups do appear elsewhere, they feel most prominent during the opening campaign).
  
• The second campaign takes place on a Republic Assault Ship which has sent out a distress signal, and it's my absolute favorite of the bunch. Your team is split up at the onset of the mission, and due to the isolation & the foreboding atmosphere of "something" gone wrong (such as dead Clone Troopers), which builds up to seeing other Clone Troopers assailed by myserious assailants just out of your reach, and ultimately a tense solo trek which sees enemies surprising you by jumping out of grates & other sudden encounters, it gives off an almost Metroid vibe that's unlike anything else in the game, and it feels good to finally meet back up with your squad to kick some butt and take the ship back.
• The final campaign sees you off to Kashyyyk, the forested homeworld of the Wookies, where you must free the imprisoned resistance & help them retake their occupied home. I'm sure it'll put a huge smile on any Star Wars fan's face to team up with the famous creatures, and it is neat to see them toss around foes like ragdolls (and similarly sad to see them die due to their tendency to rush headfirst into danger).
• The narrative unfolds organically as you play, and as such there's a minimum of cutscenes (and nothing pre-rendered). The game does have brief prologue & epilogue scenes that bookend the adventure, but even in those you can move the camera around to some degree. Each campaign will also start you off rooted in place as your squad huddles around a hologram of your commanding officer (usually riding in a transport vessel where you can look out the door to the action outside), but once it puts things in your control it never wrestles the controls from you to focus the scene, as more modern adventure games tend to do.

Visual Audio:

• It has a grittier take on the franchise to really focus on the wartorn aspect of it all, and while there can be a bit of hallway deja vu in the design every now and then, I generally feel it changes things up just often enough where it never feels too repetitive. There's at least one screenshot from each of the three campaigns below, but picking them out I had to keep myself from making it all Assault Ship shots. While it is the most "hallway-ized" campaign in the game, due to the simpler geometric shapes that make up it's environments I felt like it held up the best graphically (I didn't post a screenshot of one, but there are these vents you occasionally crawl through in the early portion that have a heat effect, and I thought these looked really good).
  
  
  
• There's a great attention to detail in the action as well, as your visor will be smeared by raindrops in rainy areas & enemy "blood" (black from Droids, orange from the insect like Geonosians, & green from the lizard like Trandosians) whenever you get a kill up close, which is quickly wiped away by a an electric "wiper" (this you can see back in my UI screenshot).
• There's a lot of recognizable elements from the wider franchise present, whether it be the unmistakable blaster sounds & musical cues, to common enemies such as the Battle Droids, Super Battle Droids, & Droidekas (which I've always called "rolly poly robots" until now, lol) which appear prominently in the prequel films, as well as the aforementioned Wookies & the unmentioned R2 units that roam the halls of the Assault Ship.
• The big convo regarding the Switch version is in relashion to the aforementioned frame drops, and while a patch is promised for early May to fix the issue, as I write this I can say that the issue is currently pretty prominent. It wasn't enough to keep me from enjoying the game & I felt like they became less frequent the further I got, but if you have any issue with this at all it may be better to wait for the patch (and as an OG Xbox game the problem shouldn't have been there to begin with in all honesty).

Conclusion:

• It may have it's share of technical hiccups and general dated elements, but this is still a really strong example of the genre. I may not rate it quite as highly as other gen 6 HD conversions like FFX & Okami (though genre bias will play a part in your own ranking), but I'm more than glad to have been able to play it on Switch and as always hope to see more games from the era cleaned up and given a new lease on life.
  
  Accomplished, your mission is.

@RogerRoger, great write-up on Hitman III BTW. They really don't look like my kind of games, but I'm glad you had fun with them in spite of the online requirements. They do look very pretty though.

@RR529 Great One Piece review!

I've had this downloaded onto my Switch for a while, but now I think I might actually pick it up. The colourful aesthetic and the (by the sounds of it) relatively simple gameplay make it seem like a nice casual pick-up for the spring months. I'm not the biggest follower of One Piece but I like the setting and enjoyed Pirate Warriors 3, so I'm sure I'll have a decent time with this.

@RR529 Ah, nuts. You beat me. [screws up pages of Star Wars: Republic Commando notes and throws them out an open window]

Only kidding! Seriously, great write-up of the game there. I have very little to add, other than to note the perfect timing of the release, what with The Bad Batch preparing to debut next week. I have a feeling it's the closest we'll ever get to seeing where the infamously-cancelled Imperial Commando sequel might've gone, at least in terms of broad story strokes.

Between us, we've played everything but the Xbox version. I can't decide whether I prefer the PS4 remaster or the original PC port, as both have merits lacking in the other. It's a shame Aspyr haven't managed to patch the Switch framerate issue yet. They're usually faster than this.

Awesome stuff, and very well-covered... oh, and thanks for the Hitman III feedback, too!

@timleon, thanks for reading! The bosses can get pretty tough, but nothing you can't cheese with a bunch of healing items. Other than that though it was a nice filler/time killing game.

@RogerRoger, given your extensive Star Wars knowledge I'm glad you didn't notice much oversight in my write-up (it means I was pretty thorough).

Out of curiosity, as far as you know would Imperial Commando have starred the same squad? From what little I know of the Star Wars universe it doesn't really seem like clones are a part of the Empire's forces, and while I know that's because they weren't thinking that far ahead (or in this case behind) back when making the original films, I always kind of wondered what the in-universe explanation was for having these hundreds (thousands?) of clones (not to mention Battle Droids on the other end) be effectively non-existent a mere 20-30 years later (I know Boba Fett is one, though one with a regular aging process). Did they somehow lose the ability to make more?

@RR529 Apparently yes, it would have. It's why one of the squad suddenly goes missing right at the end, which was a deliberate sequel hook. Details are vague, but it's likely you would've started the game still loyal to the Republic, trying to rescue him, until Order 66 gets activated and you turn on the Jedi. Which might explain why it got cancelled, as that'd be an incredibly dark thing to enact.

There have been numerous answers to your question over the years, via varying levels of canon, which is why I think The Bad Batch is gonna be so interesting (because it's basically the premise of the show). The most logical explanation I've heard is that, because of the rapid ageing, the Empire simply had to phase them out during the twenty years before A New Hope, and it was too expensive to grow replacements, so they just started recruitment drives instead. Others point to Imperial racism, or the political desire to cast off anything associated with the "old ways" (especially evidence which could be used to expose Palpatine's treachery). If you think about it, the Clones were genetically bred to be traitors, so I'm sure the creeping paranoia of a totalitarian regime would've had a field day with that, too.

But there's a whole chunk of "history" there which we've never explored and, according to some books and comics, some Clones continued to serve the Empire for a good few years before retirement. As for the Droid Army, that was just a simple switch-flick; Vader shut them down, and they all got melted in order to build Star Destroyers and whatnot (although some battalions were retained by private warlords, and have turned up in various media set throughout the ongoing timeline).