Starship Troopers is a cult classic. Paul Verhoeven’s film deals with all sorts of political issues while focusing on soldiers shooting giant arachnids dead. But, for some reason, it’s gotten very little movement on the gaming front. Offworld, however, looks to change this with Starship Troopers: Extermination.
The general consensus of the game is simple – kill bugs dead. You’re sent on missions, solo or with friends, to take out the large creatures and conquer. Along the way, you’ll do some base building (rather easy, actually) and upgrade one of six available classes.
For good measure, the console release also has single player. It revolves around a campaign that includes good ol’ Rico himself, Casper Van Dien, giving the orders.
That said, it’s not a flawless affair. Actual bugs – we mean glitches – constantly get in the way. And mission structure in single player needs a whole lot of work. Still, if you’re a fan of the series and want to feel like a soldier, it’s not bad.
Come On You Apes, It’s Starship Troopers: Extermination!
There’s not really much plot to speak of here, but is one needed? Nasty bugs have overtaken a number of planets within your system. And as a member of a protective federation, it’s your job to clean house.
Extermination does provide six different classes to choose from. Many are effective in a specific way, like medics providing health and snipers hitting from afar. But they’re well done, and you can also upgrade accordingly with mission success to make yourself better. These upgrades make a difference, especially against tougher arachnids later on.
Of course, the 16-player co-op kicks butt. Being able to jump in with a squad is an absolute blast, even if you’re not entirely coordinated. This kind of delightful chaos is worth indulging in, though setting up a match can take a little while.
Single player is also included, with Casper Van Dien’s Rico giving the orders. He sets things up pretty nicely. However, the missions themselves are way too short. You’re in the midst of a successful spree and just when you reach an open area…the mission ends? This could use a little more polish.
General gameplay feels great. The guns have a unique handling to them and require focus when it comes to killing bugs. And dare we say that throwing a grenade is not only effective, but especially gooey. Bring an umbrella.
That said, Extermination has a big problem – bugs. No, we don’t mean the ones you kill in the game. We mean a number of glitches that hinder progress. One place actually had us falling out of a level unexpectedly. Another had arachnids passing right through us. Hopefully Offworld is aware of these and will provide a level of polish sooner rather than later.
There’s potential with Starship Troopers: Extinction, particularly with its online co-op. But it definitely needs some clean-up with visuals, along with single player touch-ups. So, yeah, guys, squash those glitches. A good bug is a dead bug, as they say.
Does the Presentation, Um, Bug Us?
Comedic glitches aside, Starship Troopers: Extinction doesn’t look too bad. While some of the smaller creatures don’t animate that well, the larger ones do. Plus, the way they blow up is oh-so-satisfying, especially in a rush. The weapon effects are also nice, and the level design resembles the movie quite well. The frame rate is also acceptable, though the glitches can be a bother at times.
As for sound, it’s not bad. The sound effects team deserves awards here. The bugs sound better than ever, along with the authentic weapon noises from the film. I also liked the heroic themes taken from the soundtrack, as brief as they might be. And Van Dien still nails his part as Rico, though he can be a bit too cold for his own good. (Guess that’s what war does for you.)
Again, with some updates, Starship Troopers: Extinction could easily be a cult favorite amongst the gaming community. Let’s just hope they get here soon enough.
We Would Like To See More
There’s potential with Starship Troopers: Extermination. The class system is excellent, the co-op is a lot of fun, and bug squashing is a blast. Plus the presentation isn’t bad, and it’s awesome to see Rico back in the mix.
But more work needs to be done. The glitches are a bigger problem than expected, and single player comes up short. I have faith that Offworld will do its part and make this more of a complete package soon enough.
As it stands, I think fans will get a kick out of this. Just be aware it might take more effort than you might think. Damn bugs.
GAMERHUB RATING: 3 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
Thanks to Offworld Industries Ltd. for the review code! You can get it now for Xbox, PlayStation and PC!
More epic action awaits if you check out our review of Space Marine 2, as well as the awesome Worms Armageddon: Anniversary Edition!
