Review by: Jonathan Houghton
Published: January 8, 2001

When Robert Heinlein wrote his epic science-fiction war novel back in the 1950′s, many people assumed that he was writing a libertarian political satire about a near fascist community where citizenship had to be earned though civil service. Several years ago, Paul Verhoeven brought his vision of Heinlein’s masterpiece to the silver screen. Depicting actions of the utmost brutality, the first thing passing through my mind when I watched the movie was that Verhoeven tried to send a message about war and its place in society: sometimes it’s necessary, but most often, it is merely a waste of human lives. Regardless of the values portrayed in the film, the adventures of Johnny Rico brought magically to life by computer generated imagery revived interest in the Heinlein classic. As a result, we have recently seen an animated television show based on Starship Troopers and more recently a PC game. Microprose and Blue Tongue Software have conspired with Hasbro Interactive to bring the universe of the vile bugs and heroic Terrans into a glamorous real-time strategy format.

For those of you not lucky enough to be familiar with the storyline of Starship Troopers, the setting takes place in the year 2250. The Terran Federation, which exists as an amalgamation of formerly autonomous nations, has sent colonists out in every direction in the hopes of expanding its sphere of influence. During the Fujiwara expedition, Terran scientists encountered an extremely powerful lifeform similar in many ways to human insects, with the slight exception that the smallest of them were several feet tall. The arachnids, as they later became known, were responsible for massive devastation on Terran colonies, as they would hurl spores towards other planets, which would burst open hatching thousands of warrior bugs to wipe out all existing life.

To combat the growing arachnid infestation, the Terran military organizes its Mobile Infantry, a collection of the best fighting forces from across the world. The Mobile Infantry is trained to drop in on the most hellish of battlefield situations and complete their mission objectives — or perish in the attempt. Players will take control of a 3rd Lieutenant, choosing both look and gender from a wide variety of profiles, to become the leader of a small strike team, normally consisting of 12 to 18 troopers. The default player profile is that of Terran hero Johnny Rico. You will lead your squadron into bug-infested territory to carry out various objectives ranging from destroying bug holes to escorting light cargo vehicles. Your first mission will take you to the supposed arachnid homeworld of Klendathu where the bugs seem to launch most of their planetary attacks. Needless to say, for people who have read the novel or seen the movie, attacking the bug homeworld is virtually useless and the Mobile Infantry is decimated. Through a combination of stealth and open assault, you will wage a slow war of attrition against the arachnid plague, switching constantly from defensive to offensive. Only through effective management of your troops and abilities will you survive the bug war to become one of the Mobile Infantry’s legends.

Some people are born with the spirit of leadership instilled into their souls, able with a single word to establish powerful cults of personality. Others are destined only to follow silently in shadows of the great, lending nothing but their bodies to nobler causes. In any case, it has been said that sheep without a shepherd are the food of wolves. Nowhere is this adage more applicable than to the infantry warfare in Starship Troopers. Your commanders are the backbone of your strike team, and without their guidance your team will destabilize into chaos, resulting in a quick mission loss. Being prepared and keeping your Lieutenant alive is absolutely essential to your success in the game.