In the great battle between human and Bug, no contribution is too small when it comes to preserving the colonies, spirit, and livelihood of humanity and their vast galactic reach. Starting on their home planet of Klendathu, the Bugs have challenged humanity’s way of life, and the might of the United Citizen Federation has been the number one safeguard against total eradication. Now, the Bug threat has extended much farther onto human worlds, and it’s up to you to defend our people and secure our future! Would you like to know more?
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! certainly seems like the home run video game the franchise was always capable of inspiring. While it took almost 30 years since the Paul Verhoeven-directed film that propelled it into cult status and almost 70 years since the release of Robert A. Heinlein’s novel, we take what victories we can get, because any win against the Bug menace is a win for humanity!
Get used to this sight because the Bugs are relentless
Ultimate Bug War! is a retro-styled first-person shooter from Auroch Digital, the same team that did Warhammer 40,000 great justice with their boomer shooter, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (and its upcoming sequel, Boltgun 2). For those who know, that’s probably all I had to say; you’re already pulling up Steam with the quickness to wishlist this bad boy. If you need more convincing, read on.
Ultimate Bug War! is a clear callback to the FPS games of the late ’90s with some flavoring from the PlayStation 2 era in the 2000s and, of course, modern accoutrements and comforts. At its core though, it’s really simple: You have a wide arsenal of Bug-repelling weapons, from the iconic Morita assault rifle (very inspired by the pulse rifle from the Alien franchise), a sniper rifle that bores tunnels in Bug carapaces, and all the explosive ordnance and air strikes to level even the most frenzied Arachnid variant like the flame-spitting Tanker or the bull-rushing Centurion. Use them freely and fiercely to defend humanity as Private Sammy Dietz.
Just like Boltgun before it, Ultimate Bug War! strikes a balance between high-definition pixels and sprites, and fully 3D models and environments. The meshing of these two styles is nice and neat, full of color and sharpness to make the important stuff — Bug, Federation squadmates, weapons — all stand out. The design and color palettes, aside from having the sci-fi militaristic Starship Troopers feel, also remind me of the first two Red Faction games that were similarly designed.
The mood is immaculate, each mission starts with a rousing, rallying briefing from your CO
Gameplay is rock solid. Sammy is quite capable, engaging Bugs from any range, maneuvering across wide maps to accomplish objectives with her fellow Federation grunts. All manner of Bug assails key human colonies, threatening the natural majesty of the lands we occupy and the manmade beauty of our structures. You know what they say: The only good Bug is a dead Bug, and it feels immensely satisfying delivering on that motto. Guns are powerful as hell with hearty sound effects to make gameplay feel kinetic and responsive. Every weapon feels tuned for ultimate Bug destruction, even if some variants are pretty spongy. It’s also incredibly violent and, most of all, fun.
This is a fresh, new story in the Starship Troopers franchise, but it’s far from some soulless cash-in on Gen X/millennial nostalgia. It goes as far as to include live-action full-motion video-like cutscenes produced specifically for Ultimate Bug War!, including prominent casting of Casper Van Dien, who played the lead character Johnny Rico in the 1997 film. The satirical, ultra-patriotic, and militaristic vibes of the film are fully intact here as a result, with that commitment being a driving factor in making this game stand out among the slew of boomer shooters we see every year (not that I’m complaining).
If you’re a fan of Helldivers 2 and want to see where that game got a lot of its thematic sauce, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is poised to be the best action-oriented entry point into the franchise and its lore on a PC or console up to now. The game comes out on March 16, but you can play the demo now on Steam and do your part! Defend and reclaim Zegema Beach! Remember: Service to the Federation guarantees citizenship. Enlist in the Mobile Infantry now and save humanity from the Bugs!
Ultimate Bug War! is a clear callback to the FPS games of the late 90s with some flavoring from the PlayStation 2 era in the 2000s and, of course, modern accoutrements and comforts. At its core though, it’s really simple: you have a wide arsenal of Bug-repelling weapons. Use them freely and fiercely to defend humanity as Private Sammy Dietz.
In the great battle between human and Bug, no contribution is too small when it comes to preserving the colonies, spirit, and livelihood of humanity and their vast galactic reach. Starting on their home planet of Klendathu, the Bugs have challenged humanity’s way of life, and the might of the United Citizen Federation has been the number one safeguard against total eradication. Now, the Bug threat has extended much farther onto human worlds, and it’s up to you to defend our people and secure our future! Would you like to know more?
Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! certainly seems like the home run video game the franchise was always capable of inspiring. While it took almost 30 years since the Paul Verhoeven-directed film that propelled it into cult status and almost 70 years since the release of Robert A. Heinlein’s novel, we take what victories we can get, because any win against the Bug menace is a win for humanity!
Get used to this sight because the Bugs are relentless
Ultimate Bug War! is a retro-styled first-person shooter from Auroch Digital, the same team that did Warhammer 40,000 great justice with their boomer shooter, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (and its upcoming sequel, Boltgun 2). For those who know, that’s probably all I had to say; you’re already pulling up Steam with the quickness to wishlist this bad boy. If you need more convincing, read on.
Ultimate Bug War! is a clear callback to the FPS games of the late ’90s with some flavoring from the PlayStation 2 era in the 2000s and, of course, modern accoutrements and comforts. At its core though, it’s really simple: You have a wide arsenal of Bug-repelling weapons, from the iconic Morita assault rifle (very inspired by the pulse rifle from the Alien franchise), a sniper rifle that bores tunnels in Bug carapaces, and all the explosive ordnance and air strikes to level even the most frenzied Arachnid variant like the flame-spitting Tanker or the bull-rushing Centurion. Use them freely and fiercely to defend humanity as Private Sammy Dietz.
Just like Boltgun before it, Ultimate Bug War! strikes a balance between high-definition pixels and sprites, and fully 3D models and environments. The meshing of these two styles is nice and neat, full of color and sharpness to make the important stuff — Bug, Federation squadmates, weapons — all stand out. The design and color palettes, aside from having the sci-fi militaristic Starship Troopers feel, also remind me of the first two Red Faction games that were similarly designed.
The mood is immaculate, each mission starts with a rousing, rallying briefing from your CO
Gameplay is rock solid. Sammy is quite capable, engaging Bugs from any range, maneuvering across wide maps to accomplish objectives with her fellow Federation grunts. All manner of Bug assails key human colonies, threatening the natural majesty of the lands we occupy and the manmade beauty of our structures. You know what they say: The only good Bug is a dead Bug, and it feels immensely satisfying delivering on that motto. Guns are powerful as hell with hearty sound effects to make gameplay feel kinetic and responsive. Every weapon feels tuned for ultimate Bug destruction, even if some variants are pretty spongy. It’s also incredibly violent and, most of all, fun.
This is a fresh, new story in the Starship Troopers franchise, but it’s far from some soulless cash-in on Gen X/millennial nostalgia. It goes as far as to include live-action full-motion video-like cutscenes produced specifically for Ultimate Bug War!, including prominent casting of Casper Van Dien, who played the lead character Johnny Rico in the 1997 film. The satirical, ultra-patriotic, and militaristic vibes of the film are fully intact here as a result, with that commitment being a driving factor in making this game stand out among the slew of boomer shooters we see every year (not that I’m complaining).
If you’re a fan of Helldivers 2 and want to see where that game got a lot of its thematic sauce, Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! is poised to be the best action-oriented entry point into the franchise and its lore on a PC or console up to now. The game comes out on March 16, but you can play the demo now on Steam and do your part! Defend and reclaim Zegema Beach! Remember: Service to the Federation guarantees citizenship. Enlist in the Mobile Infantry now and save humanity from the Bugs!
by David Rodriguez
