Star Wars: Grievous

North American cover art

Star Wars: Grievous is a non-canon first person shooter/hack and slash game with platforming elements, focusing on the Kaleesh warlord General Grievous from Star Wars media. The game would have similar gameplay to Acclaim's Turok games.

Info

Developer: Acclaim Studios Austin

Publishers: Lucas Arts, Acclaim Entertainment

Systems: PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox, GC(?)

Plot

There is little to no story in this game. Star Wars: Grievous focuses on the cyborg general who likes to collect the lightsabers of fellow lightsaber wielders he defeats in duels. The general traverses the galaxy to visit numerous planets and combat Jedi, Sith and others to collect more lightsabers, blasters and other things.

Gameplay

The player is in control of General Grievous from a first person perspective. The game involves shooter and hack-and-slash gameplay as well as platforming elements.

Once a level is beaten, the player can replay it if they want to, or go to the next one via a hub. Sometimes, two levels are unlocked and you can play either one before the other, but you must beat both to go to the next level.

Not only can the player collect lightsabers, but he can also collect various blasters, and even dual wield some of them. The player can eventually unlock a grappling hook ability too.

As for lightsabers, the player, Grievous, will collect more than he can hold. At the hub, the player can customize which lightsabers to take on the mission. Eventually, the ability to split arms and wield four lightsabers is unlocked, along side the blaster dual wielding, and the simultaneous wielding of a blaster and lightsaber.

The blasters will not need reloading; they can be continuously fired until they are out of ammunition. You can find health and ammo pick ups through out the levels of the game.

The Levels

Naboo

The game begins on the plains of Naboo. Grievous is equipped with a cyan bladed lightsaber and a pistol. His enemies here are Gungans who are easy to take down, and have weak attacks. Some throw energy bombs and some melee-use spear like weapons. Grievous enters a jungle, where Gungans can be more hidden, thus making the gameplay slightly more challenging. Grievous finds a lake which he swims in to reach an oxygen bubble arena room with the first boss battle of the game, the Jedi Kit Fisto. Once you defeat Kit Fisto, you claim his green-bladed lightsaber, which can be used underwater. You can also wield any 2 lightsabers you have simultaneously. You are continuing to swim underwater, to reach the city of Theed. In the water are swimming Gungan warriors (the ones that wield spears) and you can combat them using Kit Fisto's lightsaber.

Theed

You are back on land once you reach Theed. B1 Battle Droid AIs are here combating the enemies. The enemies on Theed are more Gungans as well as Clone Troopers, who can take more damage than Gungans and have more powerful attacks (blasters). As you go further into the city there are more Clones and less Gungans. You enter a building with a mini-boss of a Clone Commander who has a rapid firing blaster, and can call in reinforcements of regular clones. Once you defeat the Clone Commander, you can wield the rapid-firing blaster and you have finished Naboo.

HUB

Once you finish Naboo, you are on a Seperatist shuttle HUB, where you can view which weapons you collected so far, and access a level select map of the galaxy. You can replay any planets you've already played through. Once you beat Naboo, you have 2 planets you could go to next; you can play either one before the other, but you must play through both to progress.

Tattooine

On the desert planet of Tatooine, you must avoid the sniper fire of Tusken Raiders in rocky valleys and pathways, and combat nearby ones. Eventually, you reach a Tusken Raider camp with the miniboss of the Tusken Raider tribe leader. Once you kill him, you can then use the Sniper Rifle, a long range blaster with a scope.

Mos Eisley

The Tattooine level continues in the city of Mos Eisley, which is patroled by Imperial Stormtroopers, who can take the same damage as Clone Troopers. Grievous enters the Mos Eisley cantina to duel the Sith apprentice Darth Maul. Once Grievous defeats Maul, he claims his double bladed, orangish-red lightsaber, which can not be used with other lightsabers, at least for now.

Kashyyyk

Kashyyyk starts on a beach with Clone Troopers as well as Wookiees. The Wookiees are stronger than Gungans or Clones, and have powerful short range attacks (they use Shotguns). The player enters a forest where there are fewer Clones and more Wookiees. The player reaches a relatively small building and faces off against a Wookiee Chieftan. Once the player defeats this miniboss, you now can use the shotgun. You continue to progress in the forest and meet the Jedi Ki Adi Mundi, and duel him. Once you defeat him, you earn his cyan-bladed lightsaber. Just like Kit Fisto's lightsaber and the lightsaber you initially have, you can use this lightsaber in combination with one of the other lightsabers to use 2 simultaneously.

Geonosis

Once you beat both Kashyyyk and Tattooine, you go to the droid factory planet of Geonosis. You start with the inside of a droid factory, where you are attacked by Geonosian drones, who are as weak as the Gungans but they fly. As you progress through the factory, you reach a room with a IG100 MAGNAGUARD who has been reprogrammed to attack Grievous. Once you defeat this miniboss, you can wield an Electrostaff, which is best to use for blocking melee attacks in gameplay.

Arena

After defeating the Magnaguard, you are now at the arena to face two bosses, starting with Jedi Shaak Tii. Of course, you obtain her blue-bladed lightsaber afterwards and can use it, even in combination with any one other lightsaber for dual wield. After defeating Shaak Tii, you combat Jango Fett, who files and uses twin pistols. Once you defeat Jango, you unlock the ability to use a grappling hook (which will come in handy in later levels) as well as the abilities to:

• dual wield pistols, rapid firing blasters and shotguns
• wield any lightsaber (including Darth Maul's) or Electrostaff in left hand and a pistol, rapid firing blaster or shotgun in the right hand simultaneously
• ability to split arms and use 4 lightsabers simultaneously (excluding Darth Maul's)
• Be able to wield Darth Maul's lightsaber/electrostaff with another lightsaber or the Electrostaff

Coruscant

The next level is on the metropolis of Coruscant, with B1 Battle Droids and B2 Battle Droids combating Clone Troopers. This is by far the game's biggest level. There are floating platforms, some of which you will have to grapple-hook to. Partway through is a Shocktrooper miniboss, a Clone Trooper with a rapid firing blaster and a shield, which he covers himself with sometimes to block attacks with. The Shocktrooper can call in regular clones too. Once you defeat Shocktrooper, you can use a shield in combination with any one other weapon, except for the sniper rifle and the devastator, a rocket launcher like weapon which you also get after defeating the Shocktrooper. You continue to make your way through the wartorn metropolis until you reach a platform to duel the Jedi Mace Windu. Once you defeat him, you earn his purple bladed lightsaber.

After beating Coruscant, you have two planets you can choose to go to next (just like with Tattooine and Kashyyyk earlier); this time it is Kamino and Ilum

Kamino

Kamino is a rainy planet, with lots of platforms to grappling-hook to. But be careful, because of the heavy rain, some platforms may be slippery wet, and you could fall into the deep water below! There are also Clone Troopers here, and lots of them as this is the planet in which they are created. Once you enter a building of Kamino, you duel Jedi Obi Wan Kenobi, and collect his green-bladed lightsaber afterwards. His lightsaber is made green in this game so that there could be more than one green lightsaber.

Ilum

Ilum is a snowy planet with probe droids flying about. They are weak and easy to take down and fly; they are just like Geonosians. On Ilum, you enter a cave of crystals and duel the Jedi Plo Koon, and obtain his blue-bladed lightsaber afterwards. Ilum is a relatively short level compared to others in the game.

After beating both Ilum and Kamino, you unlock 2 new places, Mustafar and Death Star. Of course, you can play either one before the other like with Kashyyyk and Tattooine, and Kamino and Ilum.

Mustafar

Mustafar is a platforming-heavy level with lava below to avoid, as well as clones and battle droids battling each other, and later in the level, stormtroopers and rebels instead. Both stormtroopers and rebels are enemies to Grievous, the player. The player reaches a castle and battles stormtroopers inside, and gets to elevators to get higher in the castle until the top room, where the Sith Lord Darth Vader is. Darth Vader is surely one of the more difficult boss battles, but he is defeated in the end, with his red-bladed lightsaber in Grievous' collection.

Death Star

Among the death star are rebels and stormtroopers battling each other in a labyrinth of sterile, metal hallways, and only stormtroopers later in the level. The player will explore various sections of the Death Star, and eventually find the throne room to duel the Emperor. The Emperor is a boss fight character, who discharges electricity from his hands. The electricity attacks can be deflected using the electrostaff, and blocked best with the shield. Once Palpatine is defeated, he is seen falling into the deep chamber leading to the Death Star's core, similar to his defeat to Anakin Skywalker towards the end of the movie Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.

Defeating Palpatine rewards the player with an electricity shooting arm-mount.

Mandalore

Once you have beaten Death Star and Mustafar, the last planet is unlocked. Mandalore. Mandalore starts with a forest, with the occasional rebels and storm troopers to take down quickly. Eventually you reach a gateway to a mostly light-colored city with lots of platforms to grapple-hook to, and new enemies: Mandalorians, who fly in jetpacks and use various ranged attacks. The Devastator is most useful here as the blaster fire of the Devastator can track targets. Grievous makes it to a throne room, where there is an unnamed Mandolorian warrior who rules the planet, by way of his possession of a darksaber. The unnamed Mando warrior also flies with a jetpack, and sometimes approaches the player for melee combat. Once the boss is defeated, Grievous kills this unnamed character and claims the darksaber, making him become ruler of Mandalore so that the game can have an ending.

When replaying levels, you can use the dark saber, in combination with other weapons.

Controls

Star Wars: Grievous requires either a PlayStation or PlayStation 2 analog controller. A PlayStation digital controller will not work with this game.

Menus

X = make a selection

Triangle = go back to previous menu

Dpad/left analog stick = scroll through menu options

Gameplay

Left analog stick = run

Right analog stick = look

X = jump

R1 = right hand attack

L1 = left hand attack

R2 = lower right hand attack (four lightsaber wielding)

L2 = lower left hand attack (four lightsaber wielding)

R3 = scope (sniper rifle and devastator)

L3 = use grappling hook

Up and down (D-PAD) = cycle blasters

Left and right (D-PAD) = cycle melee weapons

Triangle and Square = cycle wielding modes

Circle = action (opening doors, etc)

Select = weapons menu

Ports?

Xbox

While the XBOX controller has just as many buttons as PlayStation 2, it does not have 4 shoulder buttons rather 6 face buttons. In four lightsaber wielding mode on the Xbox port, the R trigger and L trigger alternate which right and left hands attack alternating between each one by each press of said triggers. The white and black buttons are unused on the Xbox port.

The XBOX version could have better graphics than the original PlayStation 2 game.

GameCube port?

Similar situation with GameCube, but Gamecube has fewer buttons than PS2 or XBOX. On Gamecube, the analog sticks don't press down as buttons, and there are 3 shoulder buttons, oddly. Just like with Xbox, L and R alternate which hand they attack with in a sort of A-B pattern. Z may be used for grappling, and the B button would be for action (opening doors) while also being the scope button when the player is using the sniper rifle or devastator.

The weapons menu would have to be on the pause menu as GC has no equal to the select button.

Ultimately a GC version is unlikely to be made.

Windows port?

A Windows XP version (also working on 2000 and 98) would also exist.

Multiplayer

The game would also feature a multiplayer mode, be it locally with multiple controllers or online/system link.

The XBOX version can support system link to connect 2 Xboxes to one another to have up to 8 players.

The PC version would have the multiplayer be online, supporting up to 16 players, even more than the XBOX version.

The PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions support up to 4 players, with the Multitap peripheral for PlayStation 2, respectively.

Players can use the Grappling Hook in multiplayer mode.

Multiplayer Characters

• General Grievous
• Anakin Skywalker
• Count Dooku
• Clone Trooper
• Wookiee Warrior
• B1 Battle Droid
• Magnaguard
• Geonosian Drone
• Shaak Tii
• Plo Koon
• Obi Wan Kenobi
• Darth Vader

Multiplayer Weapons

• Pistol
• Rapid Firing Blaster
• Shotgun
• Sniper Rifle
• Devastator
• Electrostaff
• Syfo Dias' cyan bladed lightsaber (the lightsaber Grievous starts the campaign with)

The players start off with the pistol and lightsaber and have to find other weapons on the maps. The sniper rifle, Devastator and Electrostaff are not on all maps, though. Dual Wielding of any weapons is not available in multiplayer.

Multiplayer Maps

• Naboo city of Theed**
• Endor forest tree village**
• Kamino platforms+
• Coruscant city+
• Kashyyyk beachfront
• Utapau sinkhole colony*+
• Mustafar lava facility
• Death Star interior**
• Mandalore city*+

** = supports CTF

+ = supports KotH

*+ = supports both CTF and KotH

Multiplayer Gameplay Modes

Deathmatch

Deathmatch is simple. Whoever makes the most kills wins the multiplayer match. Deathmatch is the most basic multiplayer mode and can be played on all maps.

Team Deathmatch

Like Deathmatch, but teams can be established so that players can have other players on their side. Like standard deathmatch, it can be played on all maps. However, team deathmatch will not be available on PlayStation 2 or GameCube versions.

Capture the Flag

In capture the flag, two teams are established, and one must capture the other teams' flag and bring it to their base. Whichever team captured the most flags wins. Not all maps support Capture the Flag.

King of the Hill

In King of the Hill, it's every player for themselves as they try to stay on an established point for the longest time. Whoever does this wins. King of the Hill is not supported by all maps.