The Clone Trooper levels fare a little better because at least there's no platforming or cheap one hit droid kills to be had. The clone portions of the game play like a third-person right stick shooter; strafing enemies while continually firing your blaster. You'll also find some temporary secondary weapons to make use of such as thermal detonators and rocket launchers. The only downside is that aiming these secondary weapons is extremely clunky. You'll need to hold down a button and manually aim an on-screen reticule, all while eating droids' blaster fire because you're unable to move while doing so. There's also a host of repetitive and simplistic mini-games found throughout almost every level that don't really seem to fit and serve only to take you out of the otherwise passable, action-oriented firefights.

With two players on-screen at all points, Republic Heroes is clearly supposed to be a co-op game. Admittedly, the game is slightly more enjoyable when playing with a human-controlled teammate but only because the A.I. teammate is so inept. Whether they're standing in a corner while you're being assaulted by a wave of droids, running in the opposite direction you wish to go, or missing almost every jump and waiting to respawn until the next checkpoint, they are just distracting and virtually useless. Human teammates also make the instant challenges scattered throughout every level that pit you against one another in brief contests of collecting the most shiny objects or killing the most droids at least somewhat enjoyable and much more interesting.

Whether you've got a friend playing with you or not, Republic Heroes likely won't hold your interest the entire way through. Sure, the game is fairly long, but every level feels the same as the last, as you kill wave after wave of the same few droids types and continue to fight with the game's biggest challenge: its poorly implemented platform jumping. Being able to play as both Jedi and Clone Troopers was an interesting idea and one that I think could have worked, I only wish it had been tried in a better Star Wars game.

By Adam Brown
CCC Staff Contributor