Online Review
Star Wars: Raptor Squad

Publisher: TieRyl
Developer: ShardWare
Genre: Action/3d
Platform: PC/PS/N64
Street Price: $35.99


Review by: RadDevil
Click on thumbnails for screen shots


For years video game fans have been treated to a deluge of games toting the Star Wars moniker. From flying games to first person shooters, there has never been a lack of entertainment making it's way to us from that galaxy "far, far away".
That being the case, it's no wonder that the geniuses over at Shardware would waste little time in throwing their hat into the proverbial ring. Developers of such cult VG hits such as "Life without Limbs" and "OmegaCarp", Shardware now bring us Star Wars: Raptor Squad.

The first thing that jumps out at you are the varied levels of the game. Not content to just be a standard first person shooter, Star Wars: Raptor Squad allows the gamer to not only shoot up stormtroopers, but to pilot one of several ships in the constant struggle against the Empire.

Crazy Han's Used ships...

However, the main strength of this game is it's character interaction and plot. You get to choose one of several members of the rebel spec-ops team Raptor Squad. And, as with most games, choosing the right character is paramount in completing the various missions set before you.
In Star Wars:Raptor Squad you must choose from one of six different characters.


Thermal Detonators are your
best friend
First is Klux Martin, the teams Jedi. Despite the cool factor of getting your own lightsaber, Klux is powerful in the force, which can come in very handy when handling multiple opponents.However, Klux can be a dangerous character to play...in addition to his lightweight armor if you wield your lightsaber without enough force points you are bound to lose a leg or two.
Next is Ket, a young arrogant gunslinger. Where Klux has the force Ket has attitude. In some of the early levels it is best to choose Ket, since once you unlock his dual Sentinel IV blasters (hidden on the Greymoor level) you have a large amount of firepower at your fingertips.The only downside is the longer you play Ket on one level, the more his health deteriorates, and the only way to replenish it is to gun down innocents. Not a good way to make a impression on the rebellion high command!
For later levels requiring you to scour the streets of Valex 3 for underworld contacts, Vic Palisades is your best bet. While he has a decent skills with a blaster he is absolutely lethal in hand-to-hand, which comes in handy if you need to snap someone's neck real "quiet" like. The major downside to playing Vic is that EVERYONE in the game seems to be gunning for you...apparently he has a bounty of 100,000 credits on his head that every two bit hood is looking to collect.
When you make it to the Imperial Garrison level, you will want to choose A'sok Thurgood. A'sok is a light skinned alien who looks human but can hold his breath for up to 5 minutes. He is also an expert hacker, and, assuming you can unlock his hidden computer spikes, should allow you complete access to the garrisons computer core. While A'sok has a knack for hacking he also has a knack for bleeding...he is almost useless in hand to hand combat, so make sure you don't run out of ammo!

Who do you want
to be today?
The teams smooth talker is Xander Paddox. In the Adarlon and Celanon levels you are required to do some wheeling and dealing. This is where the majority of the RPG action takes place in this game. Between shooting up Imperials with your small hand held blaster and smooth talking some contacts, Xander will grace your interface with an occasional smirk.However, let Xanders health drop below 60% and "panic" will set in, causing the character to shake uncontrollably, and making it nearly impossible to aim your weapon.

And finally there is Khara Doone. This blue skinned thief is not only light on her feet but deadly with a vibro-stiletto. On the Jalon Station level you must bypass several security guards, use Doone's stiletto to silently stab them in the back, preventing them from sounding any alarms. While stealth is Khara's strong point, make sure you keep her out of prolonged combat, as her lack of armor makes her a vulnerable character after only a few hits.

Another strong point to this game is the host of supporting characters. Fully rendered and backed up by a complex AI, it is almost as if you are actually hob- knobbing with the denizens of the Star Wars universe. This also aids the player in getting into their characters and supports the plot throughout the game.
The story is intruiging with an easy to follow plotline. Your rebel control is a man named Jax Sheba'. He sends you out on various missions, each one with a specific set of goals that must be acheived to advance to the next level. After all of the goals are accomplished, you realize that they all fit together to assist you in the final mission.
The "final mission" is actually the infiltration of a Hutt's palace and rescue of a rebel informant. If you are successful you are offered a spot in rebel alliance intelligence, if you fail your intestines get turned into wall decoration.


You will learn to hate
this face.
As you start the game you are armed with a blaster and endless supply of thermal detonators. As is commonplace in most Raptor Squad missions, you get extra points for the highest amount of damage you do. While this spits in the eye of conventional video game standards, I found it surprisingly refreshing.
And convention is not something you will find much of in Star Wars: Raptor Squad. This is a game that awards paranoia of the highest degree. In fact, you can kill any person in the game with the exception of your own teammates. This paranoia is well founded though, as previous contacts will sometimes re-emerge as blaster toting madmen intent on your death.

Another bright point to the game is the hidden easter eggs and weapons. Lightsabers and blasters are here of course, but some of the stand out items are Vic's light repeating blaster, Kharas sensor no-show which enables you to go invisible for a short period of time and the oh-so delightful "Thermal Well", which will liquefy up to ten city blocks-including your character if don't set it correctly.
Hidden characters are also present. By completing certain levels with your health at 100% or better, you can unlock personalities such as Chance Mulgrew, Perfo Kryll and Vanas Drooxf.

Unlock hidden characters
like this happy fella

If you are looking for another replay factor, you can't ignore the little additions that make this game so unique to the Star Wars galaxy. For example, every time your character "dies" a 21-B medical droid is shown attending to your character floating in a bacta tank. And should you fly your ship too close to a building in the piloting levels, a sarcastic droid voice will inform you that "piloting lessons on Bespin are only fifty credits, why don't you take some?"

Another area where Shardware didn't skimp on the product is in the utilization of brand-name voice actors. Glancing at the list is like reading a Hollywood movie's A-list:

A stellar list to be sure, and one has to wonder how many favors were called in to get these actors. Nonetheless, they play their roles to perfection, and one almost wants to stop playing just to watch the characters interact with their enviroment.

Worried about a lack of space combat? Star Wars:Raptor Squad has your piloting fix as well. Throughout the game you assume the roll of pilot and choose a ship to complete various levels. At certain points you will find yourself battling tie fighters in the Celanon Sector, pirates in orbit above Ord Mantell or dodging asteroids in the Kuras System.
While the piloting is fun, it is the additional equipment allocated to you by the rebellion that really makes the combat sizzle. Reach a certain level and Jax will equip your ship with a "sensor mask", rendering you invisible to other ships; reach another and your ship gains a quad-laser cannon that obliterates anything in your wake. The ability to tear through a swarm of tie fighters and watch them reduced to slag is worth the price of the game alone!

Have fun flying,
just don't get cocky!

My major problem with this game are the actual mechanics. Star Wars:Raptor Squad uses the archaic OmegaCarp engine, so whenever you drop into the first person shooting mode you are going to experience some slow frame rates. Of course a faster processor can fix this problem, but the fact remains that ShardWare should have developed a new game engine for Star Wars:Raptor Squad as opposed to using an outmoded one. The good news is if you are playing this on a console you shouldn't experience anywhere near the problems I did.
Another slight drawback is the lack of aliens available for character play. While the supporting cast has aliens in abundance, from twi'leks to wookiees, almost every member of Raptor Squad appears to be human, with only slight variations. Hopefully this can be addressed in later games as it takes away slightly from the "Star Wars" feel.

However, where the game falls short on mechanics it more than compensates with sound quality. Given the high standard Lucasarts has set for itself in the audio community this isn't much of a surprise. In Star Wars: Raptor Squad you will hear experience every sound effect in crystal clear quality. On the Valex 3 level, when Vic cuts off an informants finger to get information the sounds of bone splitting away from cartilage is completely gruesome. And while playing Ket his maniacal laughter will stick in our head and haunt you for days. This is sound quality at it's finest and the game knows how to deliver.

Overall I would have to recommend Star Wars:Raptor Squad, while it's not on the same par as some of the other Star Wars games, it does make for an entertaining ride. As long as your comp is up to speed, I think you will enjoy spending a few evenings running with Raptor Squad, just make sure to pack plenty of explosives and bacta.

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