First, I heard the press start rumbling about the screenshots, then the videos. Then Rulke and Chienne started posting said images and what not. Then I started banging on and on. It only made sense that when UgLy got hold of a copy of Rogue Trooper, that it fell to me to actually play that sucker and give it a review.

You should have seen the grin on my face when he passed me the disc and the PS2 to play it on. I was filled with glee. And for the first hour or so, that silly grin didn't move.

Oh I do like to be beside the sea sideeeeeee

Why was I so keen though? "Just another FPS," you could claim. No, no, no, my friend, ever so much more than that. This was Rebellion and 2000AD's second foray into games - and with a character I actually liked as opposed to ole Stony Face in the Judge Dredd game. Excited was an understatement. But it also gave us a chance to see if the game followed the story or not, or if they'd taken the characters and the world, then made up a new story like they did for the Judge Dredd game (Dredd vs Death). Thankfully Rebellion learned their lesson, and they created a story which fit in with the comic world Gerry Finley-Day and Dave Gibbons created.

Now, I have to say straight up, my console experience consisted of Tekken and Wipeout on the PS1. Whoopdy doo. I'm comfortable with a mouse. With a keyboard. With a big humming box of PC next to me. These PS2 thingos with their lack of presence and stupid controllers, well lets just say, it was a steep learning curve! But for good ole Rogue and the boys, I was willing to try.

I've been reading Rogue Trooper (the comic) for over 10 years now. I know the story pretty well. So I was curious to see how they'd do it. How would they introduce Rogue and his comrades, Gunnar, Bagman and Helm? Would Rogue's mates be biochips from the start, or would they be playable characters? ...to my surprise, the developers pulled it off pretty well. What really impressed me the most (and really illustrated how seriously they wanted to stick to the story) was the Nu-Earth Encyclopaedia. This was one of the "Extras" included on the disc. Rather than just a dump of info, new information opened up as you got through different points of the game, based on the enemies you'd been fighting to that point. Each category would have an image and a description of that character or item, then sometimes concept art, or the bit I loved most, images of that article directly from the comic. The designs were all based on what fans like me already knew existed, not redesigned to suit the game designer's requirements.

Excuse me sir, you got the time? I left my watch back in the Quartz Zone

But this isn't really telling you how the game was. So I guess I should move onto gameplay. There were two options here, either single player or multiplayer. It makes sense to start with single player. I tried and I tried and I tried, and sadly, I couldn't finish the game. What kind of reviewer doesn't finish a game? One who just gets bored by repetition maybe. Kill a Nort. Plant a Micromine. Set up Gunnar as a sentry gun. Rinse and repeat. It got old pretty fast, and you quickly lose the incentive to play. It was a shame, as the game certainly had potential.

From the start, you are continually learning. New features are added as you get through the game, Bagman able to download blueprints for new improved weapons and ammo, but having said that each new feature ended up being used exactly the same way each time. There was no challenge to try and take out some Norts using some wonderful scheme you've concocted, as each new encounter wasn't new, it was just the same enemy in a different environment.

What about the AI? Unfortunately it was almost non-existent. Woeful springs to mind. If you set up Gunnar as a sentry and then flanked the enemy, they would completely ignore you unless you shot at them. There were some stealth manoeuvres you could do if you got close enough to the baddies, and if you missed and actually bumbled into them, it didn't matter, they probably wouldn't notice and you could try again. Their movements were so very predictable, based on executing the same routines until you distracted them with a bullet.

Killing made easy. Gunnar does the hard work while you contemplate a cup of tea

The game did have a few novelties tho. As I said, Bagman would occasionally download new blueprints, so new toys were available (although under utilised). Sometimes, there would be salvage available too, piles of metal, or the corpses you just created could be plundered, so that you could replenish your ammo, or build the new toys with what you picked up.

The architecture was visually pretty exciting, but that didn't equate to easy to play in. Spots that seemed obviously meant for climbing up couldn't be scaled, fences that should have been blown up weren't, Pillboxes that should have cut you down in seconds didn't even register your existence if you kept low. I spent half an hour running around one section trying to get through a fence, and it wasn't until the following day I could work out how. It wasn't because it was a puzzle, there were no puzzles at all in this game, it was simply due to the poorly designed architecture.

I really do want to say more good things about it, because it wasn't as terrible as I'm making it seem. But it is a struggle to find selling points. I wanted to leave the best to last as it was, and that is the storyline. While for the normal gamer, the story slowly unfolds - if you have a bit more knowledge from years of the comic, you'll spot more and more tell-tale signs (the General on the drop ship, and a few other comments that are made). The devs have taken the story, and slowly let it tell itself, and also explain a little of the back-story.

Run away, RUN AWAY!

I know the back-story of Sláine pretty damn well funnily enough, but I like to think I knew the origins of Rogue Trooper pretty well too. But one thing that had always escaped me was just how did Bagman, Gunnar and Helm find themselves on the Biochips? All you know is that they were salvaged by Rogue in the Quartz Zone Massacre, but there was never any real detail given. This game goes into that and explains the story quite well. The Quartz Zone Massacre is played out through out the entire game, and rather than it being a day or two of conflict which was my assumption until now, instead it takes weeks, and Rogue's comrades (and their abilities as Biochips) are slowly located as the story progresses.

The story and the Nu-Earth Encyclopaedia were the only reasons I lasted as long as I did playing the game. To be honest, I think many gamers will find the same. But hopefully it will work in reverse as well. There will always be one or two people who enjoy a game, and if they hadn't heard of Rogue Trooper before they picked up their controller, then hopefully once they've played, they will hunt down a copy of 2000AD and have a read as well so I'm not the ONLY person ordering it at my newsagent!

I said there was a multiplayer as well tho, maybe a possible redeeming feature? Sad to say, no it is not. The multiplayer felt like a cut down version of the game in the most basic format they could find. The scenarios last about 5 minutes or so depending on your skill levels, and that's it. Then you are back to the multiplayer menu setting up the next scenario. There wasn't much to them, run around killing people and that's about it. If you die, well that's fine, as there are about 10 re-spawns available if you do. I tried it with an experienced gamer and I played it with someone whose idea of hardcore gaming is Spider Solitaire on expert mode, and our opinions were all the same. Boring, no real challenge.

So at the end of the day, sadly I have to give it a thumbs down. It's the kind of game I'd love to own purely to say I'm a proper 2000AD geek, but I really can't justify buying the PC version since that's all it would be worth, bragging rights. It would be a talking point to show my obsession. If you have read Rogue then sure, have a look, you'll like the story, and if you have more patience than me, you might get more from it. But if you are looking at it as a way to get into the comic, don't waste your money on that, go buy issue 1500 in a few weeks at the newsagent, all new stories starting, and bound to be much more entertaining.