The Case

Ever wondered what would happen if you pitched Desert Strike to a company in 2011? Well, this is how I imagine it would turn out. Now, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as they have taken a basic formula and updated it with modern trends. So, how does Renegade Ops stand up as its own game? You’re about to find out.

The Trial

Brilliant! That’s it, well I will go into more detail, but, basically, that’s it. I haven’t had this much fun playing an isometric shooter in a long time. As the video game industry has advanced over the years and many concepts, like the 2D plat former and puzzle games, have fallen by the wayside, only to be used by indie developers, it’s refreshing to see an established studio and publisher release this game.

Renegade Ops was developed by Avalanche Studios, know for games like “Just Cause” and “Just Cause 2”, and, in fact uses, the same combination of the avalanche engine 2.0 and Havok physics that power those much larger, prettier games. This creates the solid level of destruction and visual density required to take this game to the next level.

Though, before I go jumping the gun and start running my mouth about how tight the graphics are, especially as this is a console port, I want to explain the story. Yes, the story. The story is actually good, bizarre, that basically an arcade game can have a good story, but it’s true. The story is cliché and full of tropes, yet its execution and voice acting are superb. The story is portrayed like a comic, with vibrant cut scenes using brilliant cinematography. Such as moving images in the background and foreground to create the illusion of movement, cutting from panel to panel and many others. It’s actually surprising how well put together it is.

The basic plot is this, the megalomaniac villain, and that term fits him perfectly, Inferno has unleashed his armies and the world’s governments are going down the route of negotiation. All the while Inferno’s power is growing, so, General Bryant throws down his uniform, storms out and decides to deal with Inferno himself. And so ends the story of the creation of the Renegades, you play as one of 5 characters who are a part Bryant’s outfit, Armand, Diz, Roxy, Gunnar and even Gordon Freeman!

Each character has their own vehicle and special ability, Diz can unleash and EMP to disable enemy weapons, Gordon can summon Antlion helpers ect. You can also earn exp, and level up, allowing you to unlock perks for that character. Though a lot of the perks are shared, though the characters unlock them in different order, you also have unique perks dedicated to the special abilities.

Now, I have to mention this, the controls are strange. If you’re playing on a controller then its fine, but if you’re using a keyboard, God have mercy on your soul! Well it’s not that bad, but, using the WASD keys to drive is fiddly, and it’s only made worse by the isometric perspective. So, basically, beg, steal or borrow a controller from somewhere. It makes one hell of a difference!

Now, back to the graphics, the graphical options are limited, you can control your resolution and the level of MSAA you have, but that’s it. However, the game looks stunning anyway, using such a well developed engine has paid off; imagine using the cry engine to develop a 2D fighting game? It’s going to look pretty damn good, plus the game is still going to be pretty easy to run. Even though the screen fills with explosions and houses are blown apart, happens often if you play as Roxy, the game refuses to stutter. I got a solid performance through the entire game, which is a rare thing for a game these days.

Sound wise? This game is okay, voice acting is solid, though there is little of it, and the engine/gun sounds are fine. The music, on the other hand, is mediocre and forgettable, only serving as background noise during the levels. This is okay though as the levels don’t drag on long enough for it to become a problem.

The Verdict

A brilliant little game, though it has some problems like having only 3 secondary weapons, and a few areas that seem designed to kill you outright, but for £10 you can really let it slide. That and I got 8 hours out of this baby, possibly more, as I will definitely play this through again later for fun. So if you’re looking for a solid arcade style isometric shooter, look no further! It’s tight, visually pleasing and you even start falling for the whole Bryant vs. Inferno atmosphere.

Case Review