Review: Star Wars Republic Squadron (TV Games)

Written on Oct 8, 2009 by Brian and filed under Jakks Pacific, Reviews

Jakks Pacific is known for their line of plug and play TV games. Star Wars Republic Squadron is their latest effort, this one conceptually based on the Clone Wars TV series. While a lot has stayed the same, just add batteries and connect two cables to get started, Jakks has freshened up the concept by adding motion controls. The only game buttons are for firing, all other movements are handled by tilting the controller in the proper direction.

When the game starts kids are immediately dropped into conflict that epitomizes the Star Wars Cone Wars series:

Republic forces under siege. Join Jedi leaders Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker and lead an elite squadron of Clone Troopers against General Grievious and his Separatist forces. The force is with you when you use the motion controller to fly and blast your way to victory.

Republic Squadron is designed for kids 5 and up, though the range of gameplay will make this interesting for much older kids. Younger kids can largely get by with button mashing and a forgiving game sequence that helps you move along. Older kids will have interest in the more detailed parts, like high score, accuracy bonuses and so on.

The gameplay is broken down into five campaigns, each campaign consisting of several missions. Kids can jump around as they wish, but the first four campaigns must be completed to unlock the last one. Jakks has done well to keep the game interesting; it’s easy for these games to get repetitive. Missions are one of four types of gameplay, and they’re mixed up through each campaign, so kids will see enough variety.

Space battles have kids use the motion controller to move their crosshairs to shoot down enemy droid fighters and other crafts. In gunnery missions, kids will control a stationary turret to blast enemies. Evasion gives kids full control of a ship to maneuver around obstacles. Lastly, in surface battles, kids have to blast both air and ground units.

Regardless of the mission type though, they all rely on the motion controls. Even within some of the missions, kids will have to make extra actions, like shaking the controller to replenish shields. We found the motion controls to be accurate and they really give the game more depth by increasing the interactivity.

We’ve tested a lot of products from Jakks and have to say this is by far their best effort to date. With a $30 street price, kids will have a lot of fun, with a game that’s completely portable and doesn’t depend on a gaming console. Republic Squadron will definitely make young Jedi happy.

Editor’s Rating – 4 out of 5 stars

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