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Good: Great action, varied level design, big environments, multiple ways to play

Bad: Cumbersome controls, inconsistent framerate, too short, no online competition

Food For Thought: What do blue people call sun-tanning? Sun-purpling?

Ever wonder what the Blue Man Group would be like if they were equipped with talking machine guns, placed on a poisonous future version of Earth, and given a whole army worth of guys in giant bio-suits to shoot? If you find yourself fitting into this category, then Eidos has just the game for you. Rogue Trooper, their new third-person shooter, puts you in almost that exact scenario, and surprisingly enough, the results are pretty fun.

Players assume the role of the titular blue commando, Rogue, who is a member of a futuristic mutant army, known as the Genetic Infantry (GI). They have been engineered as perfect soldiers in the midst of a planet-wide war on Nu Earth, a poisonous wasteland. These genetic warriors are the only beings able to breathe the air on the planet, an ability which curiously enough results in their having blue skin. Additionally, the souls of these soldiers are stored on tiny bio-chips which can be removed from their bodies and placed in specially-slotted equipment should they be killed in battle.

The storyline kicks off with the massacre of most of Rogue's fellow GIs, an action set in motion by a traitor among their numbers. Following this betrayal, Rogue sets out on a quest for revenge which will carry him through a wide variety of locales on Nu Earth. Fortunately, he's not completely alone on his mission. Early on, you will inherit the bio-chips of three other GIs named Gunnar, Bagman, and Helm, who fittingly become in charge of your rifle, inventory, and helmet respectively.

At its core, Rogue Trooper plays like a fairly standard third-person shooter. Combining elements of stealth games and first person shooters, the game does a good job of letting players decide how they want to play. Cautious players can sneak through levels, sniping enemies or creeping up on them to deliver stealth kills. Meanwhile, those more inclined to a trigger-happy shooting fest can simply charge through the levels, guns blazing. A lot of the fun in the game comes from trying out different play styles, and many players will want to play through the game again just to try out different strategies.

While the core mechanics of the gameplay are fun on their own right, it's Rogue's interactions with his three GI buddies that really help set the game apart. Throughout the first few missions, you will receive the bio-chips of your deceased buddies and each of these unlocks a new series of abilities. Furthermore, the bio-chips somehow have the ability to talk, so throughout the game, your bodiless comrades will offer up a wide-variety of commentary and one-liners. Each GI has their own unique personality, and their constant banter is refreshingly well done.

The first GI that you will unlock is Gunnar, in charge of Rogue's firearms. Gunnar allows you to set up your rifle as a stationary sentry gun while you run around shooting enemies with your pistol. While this ability is certainly useful in some of the early levels, you'll quickly find it more difficult to actually pull off than it's worth. He also gives you additional help with aiming, and lets you equip different types of ammo in your underslug.

Next is Bagman, who becomes in charge of your inventory. Throughout the game you will find pieces of scrap metal on fallen enemies and in hidden stashes in each level. Bagman can then use this scrap to manufacture a variety of ammunition, items, and weapon upgrades. The idea is certainly novel, but in many ways, it makes the game too easy. Since scrap pieces are readily available and the manufacturing process is instantaneous, you will very rarely find yourself completely out of ammo or health packs, making most of your firefights fairly stress-free.

Rounding out the team is Helm, who is in charge of Rogue's helmet. He gives the ability to create a holographic version of Rogue to distract enemies, but this ability is really only useful early on. He also has the ability to hack into computer systems, one which you will utilize often, especially towards the end of the game. Additionally, since Helm is also in charge of your radar, you will lose the ability to spot enemies from afar while he is hacking, creating some unique gameplay challenges.

Unfortunately, with the wide variety of skills at Rogue's disposal comes a control scheme that is often times more cumbersome than intuitive. The game uses the standard first-person method of running and aiming with the dual analog sticks. However, outside of this, most of the controls feel out-of-place and there will be times when you'll end up dead because you keep hitting the wrong button. Additionally, the game's grenade throwing system feels extremely unnatural, and turns out to be harder to pull off in combat than it's actually worth.

One of Rogue Trooper's biggest draws lies in its level design. The variety in missions is exceptional, with a great mixture of stealth and all-out action. Sniper fights, plane chases, and all-out battlefield fighting are just a small example of what to expect from the single-player storyline. Aiding this is the impressively expansive nature of the levels themselves. Most of the environments are jaw-droppingly huge, and all offer multiple side paths and alternate playing strategies.

The game's graphics are also very good, especially for current-generation hardware. The character models look good, and the animation is well done. The large environments are superbly detailed and often awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, with all the graphical finesse comes the big problem of inconsistent framerates. There were literally entire missions where the framerate would drop to almost unplayable levels, marring an otherwise enjoyable experience.

Sound-wise, the game holds up a little better. The voice-overs in particular are extremely well done, which is a good thing considering the frequent quips you'll hear from your dearly departed teammates. The soundtrack is also very good, nicely complementing the action.

For how enjoyable the game is, it's really sad that Rogue Trooper's biggest drawback lies in its replay value. With the single-player game only lasting about five or six hours, it feels like the whole thing is over just as it's getting good. Furthermore, with only a small handful of unlockable cheat codes and additional difficulty levels, the incentive to play through again is small. Even worse, the game's multiplayer mode seems like more of an afterthought, offering only co-op play through the internet or system link. Considering that it's almost impossible to find someone to play with online, you can rest assured you won't be coming back very often for multiplayer action.

As a single-player game, Rogue Trooper really is a blast to play through. The missions are all exciting and varied, the graphics and sound are both solid, and the gameplay is fun and innovative. It's just too bad there's not more of it.

Graphics: 7.5

Sound: 8.0

First Play: 8.5

Replay Value: 6.0

Gameplay: 8.0

Overall: 7.6