Rogue Trooper logo

KRISALIS £24.99 * Joystick and keyboard

The first Rogue Trooper game from Piranha didn't really receive much acclaim, mainly due to the fact that the game hardly reflected the feel of the comic strip at all. However, Krisalis have managed to snap up the licence and haven produced a game which perfectly recreates the struggle of the lone Genetic Infantryman in his struggles through the dangers of the Nu-Earth War.

You play the last GI after he has been captured and imprisoned in a Nort base. You have managed to break out of the cells and must find your Bio-Chip pals before escaping to continue your search for the Nort traitor who caused the slaughter of the rest of the GI division.

No Escape
The game begins in the passages of the Nort base as you search for Gunnar, Helm and Bagman. Once you have found them all, you must go on to blow the pressure seals in the fourth sector, poisoning the air in the base and thus killing the rest of the Nort guards.

The presentation of these sections perfectly captures the feel of the original comic strip. The graphics have been well studied to make sure that the look is spot-on, from the Nort pressure-suits to the rather sick use of dead bodies!

Moving Target
Next up is a flying section, with Rogue escaping in a stolen ship as he continues his journey. Occasionally, the blue hero comes across a couple of scavengers named Bland and Brass, who can supply Rogue with extra equipment. The 3D flight is effective, but everything seems a little too clean and metallic to be the desperate and war-ravaged world of Nu-Earth.

If Rogue can survive for long enough to reach the Souther base, he must then fight through the guards (who are trying to arrest for desertion) and reach Souther Command and present the evidence of the traitor, who killed his fellow buddies, to the generals.

Blue Moon
It's nice to see that people are taking this much care over comic licences for a change. There haven't been that many cartoon superheroes appearing in quality computer games, which is a shame, but with Batman, Spiderman and now Rogue Trooper things are definitely beginning to look up!


The Gls Blue

As the war on the planet Nu-Earth rages on, the Souther scientists have come up with a new force to battle the Nort troops - the Genetic infantryman.

These strange blue-skinned warriors were genetically created to be the optimum warriors, with tougher emotions, 20% improved strength and weapons skill plus total immunity to all chemical weapons which make it possible for them to safety walk around the surface of Nu-Earth with no pressure suit. Every GI is implanted with a Bio-Chip, which records their brainwaves at the point of death. The chip then can be implanted into a piece of GI equipment - as long as the operation is carried out with the minimum time limit of 60 seconds!

However, disaster befell the GI troop on their first mission. A traitor in the Souther HQ had given Nort troops the details of the GI drop, allowing the Norts to wipe out the entire team... except one. That GI is hunting for the traitor. He is Rogue Trooper.
BIO-CHIP BUDDIES
Rogue is helped on his mission by his three Bio-Chip friends:

Rogue Trooper
HELM: Coaxed into a North trap aboard a rescue shuttle, Helm was killed by a missile attack and now sits in Rogue's helmet.

Rogue Trooper
GUNNAR: He was killed by a Nort Plasma-Sphere in the ambush and so Gunnar now resides in Rogue's rifle.

Rogue Trooper
BAGMAN: Shot by a Kashar Drill-Probe, Bagman now sits in Rogue's backpack, ready and waiting to help his buddy.

Rogue Trooper logo

Er ist der letzte GI - der einzige Überlebende der "Genetic Infantry". Diese Einheit war eigens für den Kriegseinsatz unter verschärften Weltraumbedingungen gezüchtet worden, doch ihr erster Einsatz war auch schon ihr letzter. ein Verräter hatte sie in eine tödliche Falle gelockt...

Es versteht sich von selbst, daß es hier nur darum gehen kann, den Verräter zur Strecke zu bringen. Was nicht so ganz einfach ist, weil sich der Kerl am Ende des vierten Levels versteckt hat - und da muß man erst mal hinkommen!

Als erstes ist Sammeln & Ballern angesagt: Der Rogue Trooper muß sich mit Händen, Füßen und Gewehren seiner blauen Haut erwehren, während er ein Gebäude voller Plattformen nach Bio-Chips absucht.

Ist dieser Abschnitt bezwungen, düst unser digitaler Mohikaner mit einem Fluggerät über eine schnell scrollende Ebene und ballert solange auf die heransausenden Gegner, bis er ein bestimmtes Raumschiff heruntergeholt hat.

Im dritten Level wartet dann ein Alptraum auf ihn und im letzten eine logische Knobelei.

In aller Regel kommt nichts Vernünftiges dabei heraus, wenn ein Game aus den Elementen so unterschiedlicher Genres zusammengepuzzelt wird - Rogue Trooper ist da eine rühmliche Ausnahme.

Das Spieldesign ist hervorragend geglückt, das Gameplay fesselnd (man will gewinnen, und man kann gewinnen) und die technische Umsetzung ausgezeichnet.

Von Kleinigkeiten einmal abgesehen (z.B. die merkwürdige Animation des Spielersprites), ist diese Comic-Versoftung wirklich in jeder Hinsicht gelungen! (H.W. Raabe)


Rogue Trooper logo

The new Rogue game is set in the character's early days. On the planet Nu Earth two sides are battling for supremacy on a planet polluted by man-made toxins, which will kill any exposed human being. To gain the upper hand one side, the Southers, have created a race of genetically bred people who have been transformed into super tough, super fast combat machines, immune to the poisons of Nu Earth.

On the day of their combat deployment the genetic GIs are almost completely wiped out as the result of a traitor general notifying the enemy about their intended drop site. Rogue and his three computerised buddies vow to destroy the general, setting the scene for the game.

Rogue starts the game unarmed and unequipped inside a hostile base and must retrieve his helmet, gun and backpack before making good his escape.

This section isn't exactly original. Several levels are connected by lifts, with regular enemy patrols out to get you. Objects need to be found by searching computers and flicking switches, with the odd puzzle to slow you down. Though not very well animated, the graphics are nice and large, which is a saving grace.

The next two sections have Rouge piloting a space craft around Nu Earth. This section is reminiscent of Elite's Space Harrier, and seems at odds with the flavour of the original comic strip Again it looks great but it's not that exciting.

The fourth and final section is in the same style as level one Rogue now has to place explosives at strategic points around an enemy base to blow up the dome and eliminate the traitor. Intermittent screens show the plot, as it unfolds, in comic book style, but it's not that effective as only two frames are shown each time. It's all rather sparse and doesn't add to the overall effect.

Rogue Trooper is one of my all time favourite 2000AD characters, and though it would always be a challenging licence, I had high expectations for this version. There's just not enough Rogue and not enough of the elements that made up the classic strip. I would feel slightly cheated if I'd bought this for the sake of the comic.

The manual contains a reprint of the first dozen episodes of the comic strip, which could become a collector's item, but information about the game is painfully thin on the ground. I'd have preferred greater detail on exactly what to do in the game rather than a small-sized reproduction of the original comic.

An average game but a tragic waste of a great licence.


Though 2000AD has been published for almost fourteen years, few stories have had the longevity of Rogue Trooper. Originally scheduled as a short run story back in 1981, Rogue's popularity was such that he's still battling away today, albeit in a slightly different guise. A potential mega licence, Rogue's computer debut was made several years ago in a rather poor game from Piranha. Since then the comic book character has gone from strength to strength, with t-shirts, compilation books and a regular feature in 2000AD, inspiring Krisalis to gain the licence and attempt an improved computer conversion.