Star Wars: Zero Company – Three Strikes and You’re Out

Finally, a long-sought-after turn-based tactical game in the style of an X-com-like is here, and simply, it’s good. Now, that’s not to say it doesn’t have problems, because it does, but in a general sense, Star Wars: Zero Company is a welcome addition to the genre and should satisfy the call for squad-based combat. I might as well make one thing clear already. This is not a battle simulation in the style of Jagged Alliance 3—it’s more of an Xcom 2 (nuXCOM) game, with perhaps even a stronger focus on board game rules, gameplay and combat abstraction. But before we get into that, let’s talk about the story, which is a huge focus in Zero Company, maybe to its detriment in some cases.

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Star Wars: Zero Company – Very Early Impressions

After geeking out on Star Wars: Zero Company for about eight hours now, I’m ready to give some very early impressions—so take what I say with a grain of salt. This will be a bit haphazard, so I won’t go over things in detail; I just want to talk about a few points. We can start with the story and the protagonist. The story so far seems interesting, with you running a mercenary company during the height of the prequel era—and having the big separatist war looming in the background is just awesome (if you like the prequel movies, that is). However…

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One Day – Two Releases

Today is a busy day, since the personally hyped turn-based Xcom-like Star Wars: Zero Company is being released. I have avoided reading and watching reviews, as I don’t want anything spoiled, but at a glance, things are looking good. The only definite sad thing I know about the release is that the devs will not support mods officially, which is a baffling decision considering the genre. We will see how that turns out, but it probably means they have a lot of DLCs they want to sell down the line. I just hope it’s gameplay and story stuff and not only a cosmetic onslaught—if that is the case. The second release is…

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Star Wars Games Are Best When They Let the Weird Jobs Matter [Guest Article]

Star Wars games have always had one very obvious problem.

The Jedi are standing right there.

They have laser swords. They have magic space instincts. They get dramatic robes, ancient temples, moral crises, and the sort of destiny speeches that make everyone else in the galaxy quietly check their schedule and wonder whether they still have to pay rent.

So naturally, a lot of Star Wars games end up orbiting the Jedi fantasy. And fair enough. When it works, it works. Jedi Knight, Jedi Outcast, Jedi: Fallen Order, and Jedi: Survivor all understand that swinging a lightsaber around while the galaxy collapses is, scientifically speaking, quite fun.

But the strange truth is this: Star Wars games are often at their best when they let someone else have the controls.

Not the chosen one. Not the last hope. Not the robed person in the middle of the poster.

The bounty hunter. The clone commando. The pilot. The smuggler. The soldier. The mercenary. The doomed fool in a cockpit wondering why the Empire brought that many TIE fighters.

That is where Star Wars games get interesting.

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Star Wars Zero Company [Gameplay Trailer]

This awesome trailer for Star Wars Zero Company came out a few days ago, so let’s talk about it. But first, a release date was also announced, and it’s surprisingly close: 27 August this year. Only about two months out, which will go fast. Now, about the trailer, the first thing that stands out to me is the light comic style of the graphics, much like Xcom 2. It fits and looks good, going by the trailer—and well, the era it’s in helps with the visuals: late-stage Clone Wars era (a favorite of mine).

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Star Wars: Republic Commando Intro Remake [Animation]

I’m a bit ambivalent when it comes to game remakes, since it’s mostly old hat, with a new, “supposedly” improved skin. However, if there’s one game that would probably benefit from a remake, it’s Star Wars: Republic Commando—if it were more than just a surface-level improvement, that is. It could use an upgrade in mechanics and especially in size, since it feels overly cramped in places where it shouldn’t. Sadly, the video by Oleksandr Maziura is just that: only a video—but he provides a great visualization of what a remake could have looked like if we lived in a better timeline. Video after the click!

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