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A new video gamebased in the Starship Troppers universe.


Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Review:
Meta Shooter Delivers Chaotic Fun
--------------------------------------------
Thanks to Paul Verhoeven's 1997 cult classic, Starship Troopers
has stayed relevant with a number of sequels, television shows,
and video games. Some of these have embraced the film's
political subtext and satire better than others, with others
being more similar in tone to the 1959 novel. The latest game
in the franchise, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! does a
great job of blending satire with its retro-shooter style and
will please fans of the Verhoeven film.

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! has two campaigns, with the
first being from the human perspective. This is a traditional
shooter, albeit one with a fun retro flair, featuring some great
sprite work and an art style that reminds me of classic 90s
shooters. Levels are surprisingly open, as players are able to
do objectives in an order of their choosing before leading up to
a final battle prior to excavation. There are also swarms and
swarms of bugs to kill, which makes finding ammo key and
rewarding players who use the full array of weaponry they can
find around the levels.

However, what really won me over was when I got to watch the
live-action cutscenes in-between levels. It's incredibly meta,
with the game you're playing actually being propaganda that is
trying to turn children into new recruits. Delightfully acted
with a proper degree of camp and cheekily written, and featuring
Johnny Rico, these cutscenes are hilarious and do a great job of
rewarding players for completing each level. The funniest twist
comes at the end of the game's second campaign, which had me
laughing hard. It really helps elevate what would've otherwise
been a good game into a memorable one that plays into what makes
the franchise itself so special.

Video Game Trailer (1min 36secs)
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLQt2CEED6s>

Ultimate Bug War's secondary campaign is called bug mode and has
you wreaking havoc as an assassin bug. While this is a pretty
cool idea, and there are a few transformations that allow you to
either fly in the sky or spew fire, it gets pretty repetitive as
you are destroying the same few structures over and over. I didn't
find this to be as fun as the main game, and I would've preferred
more levels to the eight-level human campaign instead, but I do
have to say that the hilarious ending to bug mode made it my
favorite moment of the game, so it's well worth playing as a
result.

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War also has a high level of
replayability. This is thanks to its four difficulty modes (the
hardest being appropriately titled Citizen), and each stage holds
two secrets that can be found. The secrets can then be enabled
during missions, with some hysterical in-world "developer
commentary" tracks being unlocked by default. Throw in a fun
trophy list, and you've got a shooter campaign that is short but
one you'll come back to quite a few times.

Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! Review: Final Verdict
While Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! can be uneven in spots
throughout its two campaigns, there is no doubt that it wonderfully
understands the appeal of the franchise and makes the most of the
license. Featuring a hilarious and meta story element that shines
in the live-action cutscenes, any Starship Troopers fan will want
to check this retro FPS out.

SCORE: 8/10

As ComingSoon'sareview policyaexplains, a score of 8 equates to
"Great." While there are a few minor issues, this score means that
the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.



<https://www.comingsoon.net/games/reviews/2108425-starship-troopers-ultimate-bug-war-review-meta-shooter-delivers-chaotic-fun>





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