Good god does Star Wars: Clone-Wars Republic Hero suck.

[averyblund]

I really want to like Krome studios, I do. Every interview I read suggest that they care about Wii gamers. Sadly like HVS it seems that passion often doesn't lead to a great product. That's putting it nicely. SW:RH is one of most broken Wii games I have played in a long time. This is a game that would have sucked in 2007.

So what the hell is wrong with it? Pretty much everything. First off the graphics, uggg early PS2 quality, and significantly worse than the Clone Wars game on Cube (circa 2003). Models are low rez, movement is comically wooden, and half the time the camera is so far zoomed out you have trouble seeing what is going on. This game makes Force Unleashed (also by Krome) look like Metroid HD. If this is the same engine, what happened?

Sound is also surprisingly weak, with everything sounding tinny. Usually even in a bad SW game the music is good. Not this time.

As for gameplay, the one category to rule them all- well sadly this is the worst part of the experience. In fact this game finds ways to turn a "feature" aimed at helping younger gamers, and instead makes it into an excercise in frustration. What happens is when you are supposed to jump from object to object there is only a microscopic spot from which you can jump and not fall. If you jump from that spot you can't miss the landing, but if you jump from a half step away you can't possibly land it even with perfect aim (you will often overshoot it for no reason-imagine 2 magnets pushing away). This "feature" is there I assume to make sure that if somebody jumps from the right spot they can't miss, but instead you jump like a lemming to your death thanks to what becomes pure trial and error. It is maddening and counterproductive all at once. I didn't think in this day and age a game could screw up something as fundemental as jumping is to a platformer. I was so wrong.

On top of the frustration the game is boring, the story is not compelling at all thus far, or even interesting in the least. The combat is passable, but really bland just like the enemy variety (there is none). The motion controls are super touchy and often wont work, which is especially fun when playing a boss. Luckly it is almost impossibly to die, except while jumping. Funny enough the only 2 difficult things in this game are jumping, and fighting off the boredom.

 

Friends please don't support a game like this. Though I haven't seen any reviews yet, I'm certain that my opinion will be shared. Don't let a love for Star Wars cause you to pick it up. Honostly its only worth a rental to the biggest fans.