There’s no arguing that Starship Troopers is prime fodder for a video game. The 1997 classic remains a sci-fi war movie with a sardonic sense of humor and satire, fantastic action scenes and gruesome gore brought to life with a mixture of practical and CGI effects that holds up well (the sequels…not so much). So it’s no surprise that there have been a few swings at a licensed title that captured the tone and feel of the film. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a good official tie-in game. Titles like the Earth Defense Force series, as well as Helldivers, have made up for this in the meantime, but it’s not quite the same universe. With the new release ofStarship Troopers: Extermination, developers Offworld and Knights Peak took a great big ol’ bite of the apple, but the results are a bit dizzy.
At its core,Starship Troopers: Exterminationis a squad-based cooperative shooter that pits up to sixteen players in a match against the horde of bugs. Primarily focused on multiplayer, most of the matches involve capturing and defending territory, building refineries to drill ore, hoof said ore to what will become the primary base, build up some walls, gates and ammo boxes, and hold the point for a certain amount of time. When the time limit is done, players will need to hoof it to the dropship while being harried by bugs and get off planet.
There are slight variations, such as a Horde mode that foregoes the busy work at the beginning of the match and dropping the players right at the base with resources to build up and go. This is more fun, as turtling up better captures the feel of the best battles in the film, and there are side objectives that pop up, where squads are encouraged to venture out beyond defensive lines to set up power stations or whatnot. These create tense moments as players will be trying to defend themselves and hope that folks back at the base don’t get overwhelmed and can continue to provide cover. When these matches work, theExterminationsings. There are plenty of awesome moments, like a well-placed grenade launching bug parts skyward in a satisfying boom or realizing that the bugs are letting their bodies pile up against the wall so that their corpses create a ramp for infiltration. Stuff like this shows that the developers were really trying instead of phoning it in.
Gimme the nuke.
The problem is that, too often, the matches don’t work as intended. The game is riddled with glitches, which are immediately noticeable. Every time a new match starts, the game hitches and stutters with a lag that makes it unplayable. It’s common to eat it the moment you load in because the enemies can attack the player while the field looks peaceful and wide open. The internet connection used was symmetrical gigabit, and speed tests showed the connection was operating as advertised. Usually, the issues resolve as the match goes on, but not always.
Texture pop in can also be an issue. There was a point during play where I was crossing a rocky field and began taking a lot of damage. Thinking it was a surprise bug, either the lag or intentional enemy, I took evasive maneuvers and the damage stopped. Looking back, there were no enemies. Baffled, I moved on but turned back again and saw the solid ground, only for a lava flow to suddenly appear. Mystery solved, lava hot.
Review: Helldivers II
Does Helldivers II provide enough fun experiences to keep players coming back to fight for liberty, or is Super Earth doomed from the start?
The technical issues are frustrating, but there are a couple of design decisions that really hold the game back. The biggest bugaboo comes in the form of lighting. Much of this game is dark, taking place in caves or at night. The flashlights are weak, illuminating a circle at a close distance and nothing else. The idea was likely to create a sense of tension and nervousness in the player, but in practice, it removes the suspension of disbelief. How is it possible that humanity can travel lightyears across the galaxy but forgot how LEDs work? Was all of our good flashlight technology being stored in Buenos Aires and that is why the bugs destroyed it with a meteor in the movie? If so, bravo, bugs. A common refrain heard by other players and myself during the game was “I can’t see what’s going on.”
We thought we were smarter than the Bugs.
Enemy pathfinding and animation also glitches out often. There are times where the bugs will stop animating and just slide back and forth along the ground, in an alien take on the Jitterbug. Sometimes, they forget how to walk around buildings, choosing instead to charge into a wall and continue walking in place. They’re not getting anywhere, but they are danged determined about it.
There are times where the bugs will stop animating and just slide back and forth along the ground, in an alien take on the Jitterbug.
The other major issue comes in the form of the unrewarding progression system. As one would expect, playing the game earns experience towards the player’s overall account, character class and weapons. Leveling up unlocks weapon attachments or cosmetics. In its current form, there just isn’t much. The cosmetics come in the form of slight color variations. The word “slight” is the operative word, as there’s little discernable difference between even navy blue and jungle green, and there are few colors to unlock.
There are stickers that can be slapped on the helmet, but those aren’t noticeable. There are cosmetics that actually do look different, but those are DLC and not included with the game. Even then, the premium options are dull camouflage options that don’t seem worth the money. Being able to customize things like your gamer card in game are all exclusively sold through the DLC. For a game with such an anemic amount of unlockables, this feels a bit mean and removes the sense of being rewarded.
The enemy cannot push a button… if you disable his hand.
Weapon upgrades and perks fare better. Unlocking a bandolier to carry extra ammo is helpful, even though the initial carry limit feels balanced. Handling mods, quicker reloads and the like aren’t game changers, but they contribute to a feeling of progress. There was one upgrade that turned out to be a hindrance. The reflexive sight often turned into complete static, removing the usefulness and further blinding the player. I’m not sure if this was an intentional design choice as I was leaning on the trigger quite a bit trying to take down some of the bullet sponge larger bugs, or if this issue was itself a bug.
While the game does focus on multiplayer, there’s a solo mode option where the player leads a squad of three other mobile infantry on a series of missions. The introduction to each mission is narrated by Johnny Rico, voiced by Casper Van Dien. That should be a selling point, but it seemed like he didn’t quite know how to handle what was written. It’s terrible. These scenes are a static shot of an aged Rico giving orders and repeating lines from the movie, which also doesn’t do it any favors.
Review: Earth Defense Force 5
Earth Defense Force 5 is easily the best in the series and an incredible high point for pure action gaming.
The actual solo play is rather dull due to the more limited scope. It’s a decent place to try out the six different character classes and get used to their small amount of abilities, and it does provide an opportunity to get better at the building element of the game, but these missions tend to be dull affairs. There’s a reason that this section of the game isn’t marketed, where the real meat of the game is in the multiplayer matches.
Closing Comments:
Starship Troopers: Exterminationis a frustrating game. Not because of the challenge, but because it’s so close to being good only to crash into the ground in a heap of green blood and mandibles. The technical glitches, poor lighting and unrewarding progression system interfere with the moments that capture the feel of the action from the film. With some patches and expansion, this title could be fantastic. In its current state, players would be better off going back to Earth Defense Force or Helldivers II.
