We are back to the hellscape of Klendathu in Starship Troopers: Terran Command – to kill or to be killed by the bugs. This, in the form of a free addition called Territory Mode. It’s in Open Beta currently, so anyone that owns the game on Steam can give it a go. That is what I did.
Is it fun?
Mechanically, it’s all there, and reminds me of the more fun “open-ended” missions from the campaign. You start with nothing, and slowly build your forces from that. Simultaneously, the bugs are escalating their military too with new units and big attacks. It’s rather simple, and it works, but from the few hours I put into it. It got to me how much of the fun of Starship Troopers: Terran Command comes from the campaign and its cheesy story. This is entirely missing here, since the focus is on the combat. And if you really like that, I guess it’s a fine addition, however, for me, it feels a little lacking.
I would have personally preferred a new “paid-for” campaign than this, yet it’s hard to complain, since it’s free. One thing that I find odd is how much of the defense is left to turrets, and how easy it is to defend in general. This makes the engineer the most important squad. The only thing that limits filling the map with turrets of the different variety is one simple resource – which you get plenty off! It just comes off as highly unimmersive and quickly falls into “routine”. Use a couple of infantry units to capture a base, then crank out all kinds of turrets and move on to the next. It’s mostly a build-and-forget approach. Repeat that a couple of times per map, and you are done.
Mindless blasting
It’s not very interesting. I got a couple of sidequests, too, but they also felt off. For example: I had to rescue a guy in a house in the middle of bug territory, just for him to run 50 meters to continue his research, while I protected him. No reason as to why or anything, just do or die, soldier! This RTS decidedly needs a story, but then again, I need that for most games. Starship Troopers: Terran Command just makes it so very clear in this mode, when mindless game mechanics are the only thing left with minimal narration. It’s especially noticeable when the story before has been pretty good.
Now, it’s not a bad addition. However, like I said, I would have preferred a new campaign with a story instead. The latest, Urban Onslaught, was damn good, and I hope we get to see more Starship Troopers in that style. Anyway, the mode is set for release in January, with it being free to try for everyone now already. Remember, it’s not finished yet, so don’t expect polish. Let’s see what the devs got in store for us next, after January!
/Thomas
Tom's Gaming Vault 