Starship Troopers

Format PC

Developer Strangelite

Publisher Empire Interactive

Genre First Person Shooter

It might be seven years since the film hit our screens, but we're finally on the verge of seeing a Starship Troopers game that actually might do Paul Verhoeven's mentalist satire-cum-action romp some justice.

While the last PC-based Starship Troopers game took the form of a fairly lame RTS back in 2000, Strangelite's upcoming title is a first-person shooter with an eye on recreating the crazed, epic and gore-drenched battles seen in the movie. Set "just after" the events of the film, it casts you as a Marauder, an elite member of the Mobile Infantry fighting the arachnid alien menace.

Most of the levels will be mass battle affairs pitting you and a group of friendly grunts against legions of bugs. And we do mean legions: Strangelite's custom-designed engine is able to render over 300 scuttling insectoids on screen at once, in addition to troopers, vehicles and artillery. The idea is to let you participate in chaotic, fast-paced skirmishes against an overwhelming number of enemies, all with a distinct cinematic flavour. The movie's memorable Whiskey Outpost siege is one scene that has certainly inspired a mission in the upcoming game: this has you defending the walls first from waves of smaller bugs and later from huge, flame-spitting behemoths. With variety being the spice of life, the developers are also working on a number of solo infiltration-style missions with a stealthier feel.

You'll have to contend with around 20 varieties of bug throughout the game, ranging from the basic Warrior infantry to Blaster Bugs and the hulking, beetle-esque Tankers. Each species will sport its own AI and behaviour: some will rely on sheer weight of numbers to get the job done; others will take to the skies; a small number will be able to unleash sniper style attacks and heavy artillery.

Bug Baiting
Luckily you'll have access to a seriously deadly arsenal. Details on the available hardware are still somewhat sketchy, although you can expect several variants of the Morita assault rifle, a shotgun and (praise be!) some form of mini-nuke. Dropships are on hand to ferry you and the other troopers around, but with Strangelite concentrating on perfecting the ground-based action, you won't get the chance to jump behind the controls.

Your AI comrades cannot be controlled, acting instead in much the same way as the friendly units from Call Of Duty. As a member of the elite, it will fall to you to handle the most powerful, advanced weaponry and undertake the bulk of the nasty jobs. A cooperative multiplayer mode is also planned, allowing you to enlist a few mates before embarking on a post-pub bug hunt.

Visually, Starship Troopers is shaping up nicely. Seeing 300-plus spiky arachnids swarming towards you is impressive in itself, but the engine will also incorporate ragdoll physics and normal mapping to give everything a polished sheen.

If work progresses on schedule, the game should make its way into the shops some time in the autumn. In the meantime, watch this space for more info, and never trust Psi-Ops!

PC Zone Staff