Hot on the heels of last week’s Star Wars: Hunters reveal — a game no one really asked for — comes the announcement of a digital re-release everyone has actually been asking for: the classic, tactical first-person shooter Star Wars: Republic Commando is coming to PlayStation 4 (and PlayStation 5 via backward compatibility) and Nintendo Switch on April 6.
Republic Commando initially released for Xbox and PC in 2005 and was lauded by critics and fans alike for its frenetic yet tactically challenging first-person combat. The game follows a special squad of commando clones, called Delta Squad, during the height of the Clone Wars. Players assume control of clone RC-1138, aka Boss, and have the ability to issue commands to their NPC squadmates. Though the story of the game is now considered Legends or Extended Universe material, Commando clones are still apart of the current canon thanks to appearances in The Clone Wars animated series and Battlefront 2.
The pending digital re-release may not come with an HD coat of paint, but the trailer shows that the 16 year old title has aged surprisingly well and may not even need the visual upgrade. Game Informer reports the game will feature modernized controls for the new systems; however, that feature has not yet been confirmed by LucasFilm Games.
Republic Commando is the fourth classic Star Wars game to get the current-gen re-release treatment in the last year, with Episode One: Racer, Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast, and Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy each being brought to Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2020. In the announcement post on StarWars.com, Lucasfilm Games executive producer Matt Fillbrandt spoke about the importance of these legacy titles and teased the future of projects like this, saying “I hear from fans all the time that [Republic Commando] was their favorite game, just like many other games from the original Lucasfilm Games and LucasArts are for so many others. That’s the spirit and feeling we want to capture with the return of the renewed Lucasfilm Games brand.”
Following years of lackluster releases under the Electronic Arts umbrella, it’s refreshing to hear that the reformed LucasFilm Games is committed to recapturing the magic of the classic LucasArts and LucasFilm Star Wars titles. While this isn’t as exciting as a full-fledged reboot of Republic Commando or a Battlefront 3 announcement, getting the opportunity to return to one of the best Star Wars games of all time (for just $14.99, mind you) is certainly cause for celebration. At the very least, it’s more exciting than a free-to-play arena shooter from the makers of Farmville.
Who knows, maybe if these re-releases sell well enough LucasFilm Games might even be enthused to focus on story-driven Star Wars games in the near future. We can all dream, right?
Are there any classic Star Wars titles you want to see re-released for modern systems? Let us know in the comments below or tweet at us @TalkinTauntauns.
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