E3 06: Rogue Trooper Exclusive Hands-On - Battle for Nu-Earth

Just because the Xbox 360 has been picking up steam since its release and Sony and Nintendo's next-gen offerings are looming on the horizon, don't think that every publisher under the sun is done with those old workhorses the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. For instance, Eidos and developer Rebellion are readying Rogue Trooper, a third-person action game based on the comic book of the same name from Judge Dredd publishers 2000AD. We had a chance to check out a nearly completed build of Rogue Trooper recently to see what sets it apart from the rest of the third-person pack.

For starters, you probably won't get the storyline mixed up with those in any other games. Like the comic book version, the game version of Rogue Trooper focuses on a group of genetically engineered supersoldiers fighting against a hostile force called the Norts for control of Nu-Earth, which is apparently where humanity ended up when the original Earth went kaflooey. You play as Rogue, one member of a four-man squad. Each of these guys has a personality chip implanted in his skull, and these come in awfully handy when Rogue's three teammates all meet inauspicious ends at the hands of the Norts. Rogue simply pops out the chip, installs it into one of his pieces of equipment, and next thing you know you've got another disembodied voice egging you on as you gun down wave after wave of bad guys.

Eventually you end up with Gunnar installed into your multifunction rifle, Bagman kicking it inside your high-tech backpack, and Helm residing inside your apparently computerized helmet. These three disembodied personalities make for more than just an interesting plot device, though; they also confer a bunch of extra abilities that Rogue can use to waste Norts with giddy abandon. For instance, Gunnar will help you out with a loose auto-aim when you've got your reticle more-or-less centered on an enemy, and you can set up the rifle to act as an independent sentry gun if you need to flank an enemy position. Helm can project a holographic version of yourself as a distraction, and he's even more useful for hacking through security terminals when you come up against an obstacle you can't otherwise surpass.

Those other capabilities are nice to have, but Bagman is the one who will contribute the most to your armament. You can pick up "salvage" from downed enemies, and your backpack has the ability to use this scrap to manufacture ammo for all your gun types, extra grenades, medical kits, you name it. Occasionally, you'll even gain access to blueprints for new weapon or grenade types, which Bagman will also make for you. In fact, aside from salvage, there are no pick-ups in the game--everything will come straight from your backpack. You'll gain new weapons and gear--such as a shotgun, which flattens enemy soldiers with a serious punch, or a scramble grenade, which disables nearby electronics and is useful against enemy mechs--periodically throughout the game, and you're generally getting some new toys to play with every level or so.

There's nothing out of the ordinary about the combat in Rogue Trooper, but it has a solid, tactile feel to it. Enemies drop quickly when you mow them down with your primary weapons, and the grenades produce a satisfying amount of splash damage that sends foes flying with a well-placed throw. You don't have to dash into the fray with guns ablaze, though; the game gives you a respectable amount of flexibility to approach the various combat scenarios in different ways. Your multipurpose assault weapon (the one manned by Gunnar) can also be used as a sniper rifle, so you can pick off enemies from a distance. Sometimes you'll pretty much have to snipe, such as when you're facing off against computer-controlled pillboxes. These will mow you down if you step out into the open, but you can disable them simply by switching to sniper mode and destroying the small sensor located up top.

There are stealth elements integrated into the combat, too. You can move quietly while crouched, and if you can sneak up on an unsuspecting foe, you can do a one-button instant stealth-kill. Taking out enemies this way will give a bonus to your salvage, though usually you can only get away with stealth-killing one enemy before the rest of them come running. There's one more comical way to take out unsuspecting enemies. It seems the Norts can't tolerate the atmosphere on Nu-Earth, so they have to wear oxygen masks and tanks at all times. If you can hit an enemy's tank when his back is turned, it'll begin to leak gas and eventually explode, which is worth an instant kill and a good chuckle at the same time.

We like what we've seen of Rogue Trooper, with its wide assortment of offensive options and a core combat engine that's been quite satisfying so far. The game even features a four-player cooperative mode that lets you play online with all four members of the original squad still alive and fighting. The game is due out in late May, so look for more information on that co-op mode and more in the coming weeks.