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    Extermination is the game Casper Van Dean always wanted

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    By on THENEXUS
    Extermination is the game Casper Van Dean always wanted

    First entering early access last May, Starship Troopers: Extermination has already garnered a strong fanbase well ahead of its planned 1.0 release later this year. Coming from developer Offworld, the co-op FPS puts teams of players in the thick of intense bug battles. Casper Van Dien, who played Johnny Rico in the original film series, reprises his role in the title, and made the journey to Gamescom alongside developers to present a new hands-on experience ahead of release.

    The final release of the 16-squad shooter will arrive this October, bringing with it the same over-the-top bug-killing action the IP is known for. Great progress has already been made since first entering Early Access, and developers have teased a lot of Starship Troopers Surprises planned for the future. Screen Rant Had the opportunity to play some of the game Special solo missions, which are led by RicoAnd chat with Casper Van Dien afterwards about his work on the title and what sets the game apart in a gaming landscape filled with shooters.

    Behind the scenes of Starship Troopers: Extermination

    Endless passion for the movie that shines in the game

    Destruction is not Starship Troopers' First drive in video games, but it is arguably one of the most ambitious, largely due to the fierce love of the movie the development team shares - a dedication that stuck out to Van Dieen since the beginning. "Offworld is a small company, but they are so passionate and You can tell they are true fans", said Van Deen, smiling as he reflected on the early stages of the game."They actually rented a movie theater and got t-shirts and everyone went and watched Starship Troopers before they started working on it.."

    Van Dean's involvement in the project was much more than simply showing up, recording a set script and then waiting for the final project - things were much more collaborative. The Offworld team encouraged improvisation, and Wind Up adds much more content to the game than originally intendedWith the actor estimated they added about "Four more pages than [they] had originally"To the script."I made more lines than in all the movies combined for this game aloneVan Dean said in aCollaboration that was really wonderful."

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    The actor also helped contribute outside the recording booth by sharing anecdotes and little details from his time with the franchise. "They already put in some things that I didn't believe they put in.- he reflected,But then they told me they were going to put some of the things in that I told them true Starship Troopers fans will know." Developers even managed to surprise the star with their level of detail, putting in deep-cut Easter eggs to surprise him, with the actor joking that, "They're always like, 'Wow, you're really a nerd.""

    Special Operations Group missions

    Training conducted by Johnny Rico


    Johnny Rico of Starship Troopers Extermination welcomes the player to the SOG.

    The hands on time I spent with Starship Troopers: Extermination Was led by Van Dean himself in the role of Johnny Rico, who runs the Special Operations Group missions in the game. These are special single player missions framed as training of the general, Which helps players learn useful battle skills and build experience. The actor also tried out the new mode at Gamescom and picked up some useful tips, saying it helped him learn how to actually throw a grenade so that "You don't drop it and let it just roll off and go into the lava."

    My preview consisted of the first few SOG missions, which took me underground to the bug-infested Valaka Caves. There are six different classes to choose from, all of which can be leveled individually: Guardian, Demolitionist, Sniper, Ranger, Engineer and Medic. Each comes with two unique skills, one that is a special move, and another that is more of a performance enhancer; For example, the Demolisher's first skill makes them more effective in using explosives, while the second is a powerful multi-enemy attack called Barrage.

    As someone who isn't the most skilled at shooters, I chose to play as the Guardian, whose defense-oriented Heavy Armor and Siege Mode skills were right up my alley. The first provides stronger protection against enemies, and the latter allows the player to place a shield wall in front of them that helps - at least somewhat - block bugs and provides better weapon aim stability. This almost immediately proved to be the correct choice, as the Valaka Caves are not for the faint of heart.

    The dark, tank caves are lit only by the flashlights of my character and three NPC companions, and moving too fast in the echo chambers triggered an ominous warning that the arachnids were alerted to our presence, heightening threat levels. The journey was fairly linear, but it was filled with some dangerous waves of bugs, Including a newly introduced species that can shoot plasma, making them much more dangerous than the average enemy. Since they were the first few missions, they didn't present too much difficulty, but they served as a great introduction to class mechanics and overall tactics.

    As Starship Troopers: Extermination sets itself apart

    Casper Van Dien on the importance of teamwork and the future of the game


    Starship Troopers Extermination Players point a gun at a huge pile of dead arachnids that is much bigger than them.

    Although it includes the solo mission mode, the heart of Destruction is teamwork. This became increasingly clear to Van Deen the more time he spent in the game, reflecting that, “What I'm learning is how much you have to work together with all these different people. You want to make sure you get a good team, because if people are out for themselves in the game, they're going to lose.” Although it may sound difficult to immediately form an effective team with 15 other players, The prevailing experience seems to be that it is much simpler than expected.

    This is largely due to the gameplay style the title encourages, drawing from the themes of the movie franchise. Just as the army adage goes, "You don't want anyone left behind" Van Dean said."I played a couple of times, and one time, I was buried under the bugs, and somebody came and blew them and got me out, and they were like, 'We're not leaving you behind, General..” Compared to some of the other most popular shooters on the market, this helps set the title apart, focusing entirely on fighting an outside threat as a unified front.


    Starship Trooper Extermination Tanker bug enemy, a giant arachnid, that shoots a blast of fire at a player holding a gun.

    The Play can even be a tool for learning the art of working together. Van Deen noted that while, of course, it is likely to be too violent for very young players and parents should always be involved with the media their children consume, "If you're going to let them see that, hell yeah they should play starship troopers so they can learn how to fight together, and teamwork, and camaraderie.” However, regardless of age, Destruction Is certainly a title made with love for fans of all ages to enjoy that distinguishes itself by its immense detail.

    "The difference is that it feels just like the movie", Van Deen remarked with pride over the progress the game had made, clearly pleased with a long-term desire of its coming to fruition: "I always wanted this. As soon as the movie came out, when we watched it at Sony before the premiere, I said, 'Oh my God, you guys have to make this video game.'" Although the launch of the final version in October is certainly a focus, developers have over five years of plans laid for Starship Troopers: ExterminationMeaning the bug-killing fun is just beginning.

    Source: Starship Troopers: Extermination / YouTube

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