As a gamer with over two decades of experience under my belt, I’ve seen and played it all – from the pixelated classics of yesteryear to the cutting-edge VR experiences of today. Starship Troopers: Extermination, set in the chaotic world of the 90s cult classic, found itself on my radar for its promise of co-op base defense and bug-slaughtering action.
Starship Troopers: Extermination, from Offworld Industries, is my go-to first-person, cooperative base defense-shooter set in the over-the-top violent future depicted in the 90’s movie. This game lets me team up with friends and parachute onto an alien planet swarming with aggressive space insects. If only that didn’t remind me of a rather large elephant lounging on the opposite end of our chaise-lounge, decked out in a tie-dye T-Shirt emblazoned with “DEMOCRACY”.
It’s not entirely accurate to say that Helldivers 2 overshadowed the impact of Extermination; rather, they share some similarities that can’t be ignored. The frequent comparisons drawn between Helldivers 2 and Paul Verhoeven’s action-packed B-movies, such as Starship Troopers, are evident, but Extermination offers more unique elements. For instance, it features Casper van Dien, a key cast member from the original Starship Troopers movie.
In the portrayal of Jonny Rico once more, van Dien appears exclusively in stylish static shots, yet his delivery of lines suggests a veteran eager to reprise his iconic role. He serves as both your mentor and guide, providing mission instructions and outlining objectives during live operations.
The solo campaign is, sadly, not up to much. You’ll head into bug-infested worlds with a squad of fairly useless AI bots, carry out mostly simple, signposted objectives and clear out swarms of Arachnids as they spawn. The enemy AI is set to charge or shoot with no grey areas, to the point that they kind of get stuck on you as they try to occupy the same time and space. There’s no way to see the animations properly as once the bugs get up close your vision is obscured and all you can do is shoot blindly and swat with your weaksauce melee attack.
At the beginning of each battle, you have the option to pick a class and loadout, which subtly changes your gameplay experience by providing you with unique stats and special abilities that require a cooldown before use. While it might seem insignificant in solo campaign mode, it becomes much more meaningful when playing online with others, as the multiplayer aspect offers an exhilarating and dynamic experience compared to single-player AI opponents and monotonous objective traversals. The contrast between modes is significant, as the multiplayer environment provides a fast-paced and thrilling experience that isn’t burdened by unreliable AI or tedious objective walks.
In both modes, there’s a strong focus on constructing defensive structures. You’ll find a build menu that allows you to place bunkers, ore-extractors, ammo crates, and defensive walls and towers. Many tasks involve either guarding these positions or transporting the resources you gather from one spot to another. Occasionally, pests will emerge unexpectedly from the ground, attacking in large numbers, so teamwork is crucial for numerous mission types.
Funny enough, base construction never became second nature for me. I tended to forget about it unless the game prompted me or a teammate got overly enthusiastic and started constructing a three-bedroom semi-detached house with a lawn-mounted Gatling gun. Just joking, that’s not possible, but you can certainly build endless grey walls, which the Arachnids seem to enjoy scaling like giant agitated ants.
If anything, though, my biggest gripe with Starship Troopers: Extermination is that the shooting doesn’t feel fun. The guns lack a meaty kick, enemies ragdoll before you like you’re blowing down toys, and they hurtle towards you in such a predictable way that there isn’t much time for nuance. You just open fire until everything is dead and then move on. There’s a distinct lack of tactics unless you really coordinate with your team over the base-building and defence; outside of this it’s just an awful lot of shooting and fighting against the recoil.
As a fan, I found Starship Troopers: Extermination entertaining enough for passing time, yet it falls short compared to its peers in terms of refinement and style. It misses the mark when it comes to embodying the over-the-top essence of the film. However, when you’re deeply engrossed, defending your temporary stronghold against endless swarms, it’s a delightful escape from strategic thinking, focusing only on where my next shot is aimed.
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2024-10-18 12:46