Combining a down-and-dirty Star Wars-inspired ground-based shoot-em-up with an engaging update of the X-Wing versus TIE Fighter space combat game, Troopers: Dawn of Destiny is one of the most ambitious UT2004 add-ons I've ever seen. This total conversion multiplayer mod transports gamers to George Lucas' timeless fictional universe and provides them the weapons and the purpose to stay for a long time.
The mod lets you relive the film series' Galactic Civil War as you battle in the trenches on the ice planet Hoth, capture an Imperial Star Destroyer with your X-Wing strike team, or participate in the famous Death Star trench run while battling Imperial Fighters. Although created as a multiplayer mod, Troopers also contains a comprehensive single-player component where you can play on any of the mod's sixteen maps with any number of enemy and friendly AI bots. It even ships with a short tutorial that explains how to control and maneuver the X-Wing fighter (which works much better with a gamepad or joystick than with the default keyboard/mouse combo).
Developed by Kinetic Studios -- currently comprised of a dozen core members -- Troopers version 6.0 is the fourth and final chapter of this long-running UT2004 mod (four earlier versions exist for UT2003). This latest build came out in November of 2007 and features a number of significant upgrades over previous installments.
Chief among these are some all-new space fighters like the Y-Wing, A-Wing, and Tie Bomber; new weapons like the Merr-Sonn PLX, a portable rocket launcher, E-Web heavy repeating blaster, and stun-capable medic weapons; some new character and weapon animations; and two entirely new maps. One of my favorite weapons is the standard-issue Electro Binoculars that not only provide three unique vision modes and three magnification settings, but can also call in air strikes on enemy troop concentrations.
With its clever balance of ground and space fighter combat, Troopers also provides crossover appeal for non-FPS fans who've long bemoaned the decline of the space shooter genre. The mod's Rebel X-Wing fighters and their Imperial TIE fighter counterparts may not boast the prettiest cockpits and weapons pyrotechnics in the business but combat-starved PC fighter jocks aren't likely to complain too much. After all, it's been years since anyone else has given them an arena in which to flight-test their zero gravity dogfighting skills.
Even better, both camps will want to hop on to one of the mod's cool ground-based speed bikes as they battle over the parched sands of Tatooine or the forested moons of Endor. Zipping through these detailed landscapes while straddling one of these speedy ground rockets (and blasting anything that crosses your path) is probably one of the most addictive things you'll ever do in a PC shooter.
As with the previous Mars Wars mod, I couldn't find much action in the game's Internet multiplayer lobby but the built-in single-player practice mode should keep you busy enough until you can talk some friends into downloading this 416MB gem and joining you online.
