Starship Troopers

In 1959 legendary science-fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein had a book published called Starship Troopers. The book took stock sci-fi fare, alien invasion and war of extermination, and interjected some real human concerns and ideals into the affair.

In the 1990s, aliens invasions were big box office draws – including Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection, Predator 2, and Independence Day. All these had something in common – the aliens had reptilian or bug-like qualities. And then there was Paul Verhoeven’s entry into that bug-alien invasion theme of films. Verhoeven’s production strayed from Heinlein’s introspective look at the motivations of the human race and dealt with the war itself, filling the screen with violence, pop-out monster attacks, and fresh-faced young actors – some of whom delivered angry(ish) proclamations with all the emotion of a street mime walking against the imaginary wind.

Eight years have passed since that film’s debut – eight years in which lines like “do you want to live forever?” have passed from meaning ‘gut-check time’ to becoming just another cliché.

Now Empire Interactive and Strangelite Studios have brought the war home, in the form of the first-person shooter based on the movie, which is based on the book. If you liked the movie, you will get a kick out of this game because the majority of cutscenes in this game are culled from the film.

The game begins with the player’s introduction to the Marauders, a supposedly clandestine and highly skilled fighting unit, outfitted with special armor and weapons. You get a sense that while it is commonplace for you to be part of this unit (does not seem too secretive a group), it comes as a bit of a surprise to some members on the star transport that you are there. But there is little time for that. The transport serves as a quick tutorial to the controls and in moments you are down on the surface of Klendathu, blasting bugs.

“Welcome to the first day of the rest of your war,” intones a voice, somewhat reminiscent of Michael Ironside’s from the movie. Allergic to clichés? Better take your medication because the voice acting is rife with them.

The missions begin with making it to and supporting a group of soldiers at a besieged outpost. If you are looking for action, and wave-after-wave of targets, this is right up your alley. The bodies start to pile up quickly and just when you think that had to be the last wave, here comes more.

The control scheme of this game is stock for the FPS genre. The mouse allows the camera to free look, the W-A-S-D keys work for movement, G is for grenade, the mouse wheel will allow you to swap weapons on the fly and so on. Weapons are key and varied in the game. There is a lighter machinegun that does not run out of bullets but can overheat – which requires a cool-down period – if you just rattle off round after round, and there is a heavier weapon which does bigger damage but has finite rounds. Using the dip-in, see mob, back up to maintain distance and fire, works well in choke points, but when the game opens up an area and you have bugs rushing in like high tide, it can get a pretty intense.

While the voice work has some minor problems, the game’s music underscores the tense atmosphere, the bugs squeal like piglets, and the sound of explosions and weapons fire punctuates each minor victory. The audio is also determined by proximity. If you are standing closer to a plasma barrage than to the officer issuing orders you may miss something.

The game has some solid graphical elements, with very good animation, well-rendered environments. Waypoints are given so players won’t stray too far from the game’s mission-driven path. However, some of the elements make this game stand apart from the rest of the space shooters. In one instance the controlled soldier took a short cut around a ridge and found himself sort of wedged between a rock and a dead bug. Movement was restricted, so the bug body was targeted, a few rounds later and the trooper could move forward.

The AI, for the most part, seems very well done and the dynamic lighting effects work particularly well in adding mood to this desperate battle.

Starship Troopers does not look like it will be the type of shooter that will appeal to everyone. Even at the easy settings, the game spares no bugs for assaults at the higher difficulty levels. Battles can go on and on and just when you think it won’t ever end, they seem to subside.

But for those who are looking for intense combat situations, seemingly non-stop action, that is graphically pleasing, Starship Troopers may be just the title you are looking for.