Rogue Trooper Redux Nintendo Switch review - Was it worth a remake?

I'd never heard of Rogue Trooper until it was being remade for the Switch. I even felt a little ashamed when the marketing materials claimed it was a stone cold classic - how had it escaped my attention for this long?

After chatting it over with colleagues and fellow journos, I quickly learned I wasn't the only one. While Rogue Trooper is certainly an interesting cover shooter from the PS2-era, it's not the fondly-remembered classic that publisher Rebellion would have you believe.

So why did Rebellion remake it? After spending a good chunk of time with Rogue Trooper Redux, I still can't answer that question. Even more curiously though, I'm kind of glad it did.

So what is Rogue Trooper and what's this Redux all about?

Rogue Trooper is a third person shooter that originally launched back in 2006. It's based on the 2000 AD comic, and sees you take up the mantle of the last survivor of a group of genetically modified infantry.

It's basically a revenge thriller, in which you go AWOL to track down the traitor general responsible for the annihilation of the G.I.s.

Essentially, this is the video game equivalent of an action B-movie. It's silly, dramatic, and unrealistic, but also undeniably charming and entertaining.

The Redux bit basically refers to it being a remake of the original. As you can expect, the graphics have been spruced up - nowhere near enough to impress, but it's just enough to prevent you vomiting.

Redux or reflux?

Rogue Trooper is a very brown cover shooter from a period when brown cover shooters were all the rage.

For the vast majority of the experience you're automatically snapping into cover, firing at enemies when it feels safe to do so, and chucking grenades to blow up groups.

Well, that's what you do when it works. Very often you'll find yourself just not snapping into cover despite literally running into it.

Shooting doesn't feel as fluid as it should either, and throwing a grenade with any accuracy is incredibly difficult - even when using the manual aim.

But it works just enough to not be a total mess, and the experience isn't so difficult that you ever really need to be super precise. Even if things go horribly wrong, you can always find a way to recover.

And fortunately, that kind of plays into the experience. You've got a bunch of different weapons and gadgets at your disposal, which results in a wide variety of different ways to tackle each challenge. Figuring out the best way to beat them is part of the charm.

So is it worth it?

Rogue Trooper Redux is an odd one for sure. It's far from the classic Rebellion claims it is, but it's un undeniably charming and entertaining blast from the past nonetheless.

It's the videogame equivalent of watching an 80s action movie and simultaneously laughing at how ridiculous it is, while also feeling misty-eyed nostalgia for the days of yore.

So take from that what you will. It's ugly, not a good cover shooter by today's standards, and a lot of the time it doesn't even work properly. But it's very reminiscent of the period, and will provide fun for those who remember it.