Rogue Warrior
Published by: Bethesda Softworks
Developed by: Rebellion
Genre: Shooter
Reviewed by: Brian Allen
Richard “Demo Dick” Marcinko has had the perfect life to inspire a hit tactical shooter game, but this mission was not accomplished here. Even if you’re a huge fan, you will be better off buying $30 worth of Marcinko novels.
Unlike a lot of games I review, where one wonders if anybody ever figured out a target market, it’s easy to see how this one came about. If ever there were a candidate to challenge the fictional Sam Fisher as the king of stealth action, real life Navy SEAL Marcinko is the man for the job. They even brought in Mickey Rourke to do the voice work, so the stage was set for a decent game.
But it’s also easy to see where this one went awry. Zombie Studios was the original home of this game’s development, and they touted innovative features such as four-player drop-in, drop-out co-op. Then the game ended up in the hands of Rebellion Studios, developers of the underwhelming Shellshock 2:Blood Trails. I would call this game Shellshock 2 1/2, but even adding a fraction might suggest this game was an improvement over that effort. It’s not.
Rebellion didn’t aim for any of the lofty goals Zombie did, going for the most bare bones of first-person shooters. Sadly, they missed even the low target they were aiming for. There’s nothing about this game that’s fun.
Stealth options are a joke. The oblivious A.I. guards will often ignore your character’s ridiculously loud footsteps and allow you to sneak up and snap their necks. Also, the cover system is so busted hiding does you precious little good. A tiny targeting reticule means any shots you actually hit from cover are a total accident.
The story is set in 1986, perfect because the graphics here are from a couple of console generations back. There’s clipping, slowdown and Rebellion crossed the lighting line from “dark enough to be suspenseful” to “too dark to see what’s going on in combat.”
You will die too often, not because of anything to do with your skill. Rather deaths are because you couldn’t see what was happening, your gun targeting was sporadic or numerous other cheap ways.
And to boot, this game can be beaten in about two hours. Multiplayer would require you to lots of other people that bought this game at full price, so good luck with that. Really the only redeeming value here is that it’s quick and dirty achievement points. Still, it’s hard to recommend a title this flawed even as a rental.
Recap:
This game takes all the potential of the Dick Marcinko novels and makes a colossal waste of it. Do not buy this game and rent it only if you are desperate for easy achievement points.
Final Score: 2/10 – Awful
