hen you think of Star Wars, a number of things come to mind: Wookies, star fighters, classic characters, and classic battles. Well LucasArts is hoping that you also start thinking in the lines of “team-based FPS action” thanks to their upcoming title Star Wars: Republic Commando. Today I got a chance to sit down with two separate preview builds of the game and am happy to say that although a team-based FPS is new territory for a franchise that has mostly skewed towards flying gameplay lately; don’t count out the folks at LucasArts when it comes to taking their beloved series in new directions.

While I didn’t get much background story of Republic Commando during my hands-on time with the game, I did manage to experience a great variety of different gameplay elements that really propel the title in the direction of the potential of becoming a breakout hit for LucasArts.

Since the game is a team-based FPS, you’ll have the resources of three team members at your side at all times. Thankfully, the squad element of the game is shaping up to be one of the most impressive that I’ve seen in quite awhile. Your squad members are smart and will react in battle realistically, thanks to some highly tuned AI. If you want a bit more control of their actions you’ll be able to direct commands at them using a fairly simple system of pressing the A button on the Xbox controller and then also pressing a direction on the control pad. Commands are limited but essential. You’ll be able to command your teammates to do things like regroup, search and destroy, fall back, and most importantly, protect your position. I was most impressed by the fact that commands were actually acted upon in a timely manner. Many squad-based titles on the market suffer from NPCs that are either uncooperative or just downright unresponsive, but none of these features ever came into play during my hands-on time.

Outside of issuing commands via the D-pad system, you can also direct your squad mates to interact with various environmental objects using an intuitive reticule-based system. For example, if you run across a object that can be detonated with an explosive, all you have to do is aim your targeting reticule at the object and then press and hold the A button to send a teammate to it to get started on the demolition. If you change your mind mid-way through the process you can just press the A button again to cancel the action. If you like to take matters into your own hands you can also interact with such objects yourself by simply getting closer to the object and pressing and holding the A button. In all the system is very user-friendly and really gives you a great degree of control in dictating what actions you want your squad mates to perform. Keep in mind that simple demolition jobs are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to interactive objects. In my short time with the game I ran across things like gun emplacements, special health-restoration stations, and computer terminals.

Taking the “smart squad” idea one step further is the entire system of health and restoration. Each of your teammates has their own life bar. As they take damage the color of the bar changes from green to yellow and then red. Once the bar reaches red status that particular ally becomes incapacitated. The same goes for you as well, once you reach red status your out of the action. To help keep you (and your mates) going is the fact that your allies will actually go about healing on their own. Each team member, including you, is outfitted with a special medical gun that can recharge a person’s health from red to yellow status. Once in yellow status you (or your team members) can then move around and seek out a health station to fully recharge. When you go about healing your teammates the system works much like the command issue system and all you need to do is point at a fallen comrade until your reticule turns into a special cross symbol and then press the primary fire button for a few seconds. The most impressive feature of the whole health system was the fact that your teammates will heal you if you become incapacitated without any commands from you. They’ll also heal other team members without any provocation. In all it makes for one heck of an intuitive system of staying alive.

In all there will be 15 missions which are comprised of 50 sub-levels. I only got to see two levels in action, but both were impressive. One took place in a jungle-like environment, complete with extensive foliage and trees. The other level took place on an Imperial transport ship and was decked out with all sorts of machinery and electrical gizmos.

Levels in Republic Commando, however, aren’t quite so cut and dry as just being places from the Star Wars universe. Perhaps the most impressive feature of the levels, outside of the large number of interactive objects, was the fact that they all take into account the fact that the game is a squad-based title. Levels are designed around this idea and truly test your ability to handle tough combat as well as manage your squad. While simply running into the fray with guns blazing may prove successful every now and then, it takes a more calculated approach to really succeed in the game. For example in one level you face off against a large spider-like robot boss that is heavily armored. While regular weapons to damage the robot, you may notice that there is a gun emplacement nearby. Sending a squad member to man the gun will ultimately make the fight much easier. Another example is one level that requires you to hack into a computer to detonate a deadly minefield that prevents you from progressing further into a level. Sending a teammate to perform the hack results in a flood of enemies from all directions, making the situation quite a bit more hectic considering that you need to not only make sure you stay alive but also that you protect your ally who’s still manning the computer terminal.

Visually the game seems to be coming together quite well and I noticed a pretty high degree of detail through the game. Environments are rendered very well and all feature that special Star Wars look that you wouldn’t expect from a game from LucasArts. Character models are also impressive and you’ll have no problem recognizing the standard Battle Droids and Droidekas from the films. The only visual grip that I have so far is that the Imperial transport level featured quite a bit of unimpressive “grey wall syndrome,” but given the fact that the game is still early I’m hoping that LucasArts can add a bit more visual punch to those types of levels before the game ships.

If you’re not really a fan of playing through a game by yourself, you’ll be happy to hear that the Xbox version of the game will feature Xbox Live gameplay. While LucasArts hasn’t concretely finalized the multiplayer content, I did get confirmation that Capture The Flag, Deathmatch, and Team Deathmatch will all make appearances. 16 players will be able to battle it out online and for those with no Internet access, the game will also support 4-player split-screen. Voice chat and downloadable content are also in the works, although I couldn’t get a confirmation as to what content will eventually become available.

Overall Star Wars: Republic Commando is really shaping up to be a great squad-based game but also a title that takes the Star Wars universe in a new direction. With some impressive visuals and perhaps one of the smartest squad AI I’ve seen in quite some time, hardcore Star Wars fans and newbies alike will all find something to whet their whistle. Considering that I only had access to two different levels, I’m most interested in seeing what sort of other environments LucasArts has up their sleeves and if they will feature the same degree of interactivity. But if the two levels that I spent time with are any indication, my worries shouldn’t be a problem.