Rogue Warrior: Black Razor
Encyclopedia
Rogue Warrior is a first person shooter video game. It was developed by Rebellion Developments
and published by Bethesda Softworks
. The game was released November 26, 2009 in Australia, November 27, 2009 in Europe and December 1, 2009 in North America on the Xbox 360
, PlayStation 3
, and Microsoft Windows
platforms.
In Rogue Warrior, the United States has sent in Richard Marcinko
, a veteran Navy SEAL, on a mission into North Korea to disrupt ballistic missile launchers. As players progress, Marcinko will encounter numerous enemies and allies as he is sent from locations such as Korea
, Russia
, and others to pursue terrorists with dangerous missile capabilities. The plot is not based on the autobiography by the game's protagonist
, Richard Marcinko. Marcinko is voiced by actor Mickey Rourke
.
The game was originally being developed by Zombie Studios
, who was in early development stages of the game. Soon after, Bethesda stated that they weren't satisfied with the direction Zombie Studios was taking the game. Bethesda quickly scrapped the project and brought in Rebellion Development to develop an entire new game from scratch. Rebellion, while retaining some major elements from Zombie's rendition, has taken a whole new approach to the game and its focus.
The game received staggeringly poor reviews from video game critics, citing it as one of the worst games of the 2009 year due to its unresponsive controls, multiple glitches, extreme and incredibly frequent foul language, rushed production, uninteresting gameplay, short length, very limited multiplayer, as well as broken and/or exploited combat techniques that are offered in the game. It is ranked as the second worst rated video game of all time and the worst on the Xbox 360
platform, according to GameRankings.
Rogue Warrior is primarily a first person shooter with tactical
elements. The player assumes control of Navy SEAL Richard "Demo Dick" Marcinko, also known as "Rogue Warrior". The primary goal for Marcinko begins as an infiltration mission to disrupt hostile missiles and evolves to prevent other potentially dangerous situations. To achieve this goal, Marcinko may use a wide array of weapons and explosives. Such weapons include AK-47
s, grenades, and combat knives. In addition to weapons, Marcinko may also utilize explosives barrels and gas tanks to eliminate enemies
The focus of gameplay is Marcinko's over-the-top methods and signature execution moves used in war situations. When the player is in close proximity of an enemy, they may press one of several buttons to trigger an instant kill via finishing moves, referred to as kill moves in the game. There are more than twenty-five finishing moves available to players. Such moves include throwing an enemy over a rail, slashing their throat, or stabbing them in the forehead. Upon initiating a finishing move, the in-game camera
shifts to a third person cinematic angle to show the finishing animation. A cover system akin to Gears of War
and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
will be incorporated. This allows the player to blindfire and pop in-and-out of cover, but some positions of cover may be destroyed. There is also a "robust" checkpoint system that tracks player progress.
, North Korea with two other SEALs on a classified mission to retrieve intelligence from a North Korean mole on ballistic missiles of an unfamiliar design that North Korea is supposedly in possession of, as well as to recon a factory that is allegedly developing the missiles. Shortly after touching ground, Marcinko's unit successfully takes out a North Korean Army
patrol, but one of the North Koreans suffers only wounds and manages to pull the pin of one of his grenades, killing Marcinko's team. Admiral Peyton, the commander of the operation, demands that Marcinko abort, but he refuses, saying he intends to finish the mission. After fighting through Unggi, Marcinko realizes the mole was killed. However, he finds the intel in the mole's apartment room on missile launchers that have been developed in Unggi.
Marcinko is then ordered by Peyton to disable the missile launchers by any means necessary. Marcinko enters the facility that is producing the missile launchers, but finds that only one is present. According to intelligence received from Peyton, the rest of the launchers are being moved out by sea. After destroying the missile, Marcinko heads to the Unggi harbor, and sees that they are actually being sent out of Unggi by train to the Soviet Union, less than 20 km from the city. Marcinko boards the train and destroys it as it crosses the border. Marcinko enters Soviet territory and gathers intelligence that the ballistic missiles were of Soviet origin, not North Korean. Marcinko also notices that the ballistic missiles were smuggled out of North Korea to a palace in the Soviet Union. Peyton warns that an attempt to go after the missiles will not only result in Marcinko's court-martial
but even war between the US and the Soviet Union. Marcinko dismisses these warnings and goes after the missiles.
Marcinko enters the palace where the missiles are located. He contacts Peyton, who threatens to have Marcinko court-martialed for disobeying orders. Marcinko suggests that he found proof that the USSR created a missile defense program aimed to deter any US nuclear launch on Soviet territory. This program was similar to the real-life US Star Wars
program aimed at deterring any Soviet missile attack on US territory. Marcinko launches a missile at the palace, destroys the missiles located in a bunker under the palace, and escapes the palace. Marcinko then goes to a dam to disrupt electricity to a Soviet submarine base . Marcinko then heads to the submarine base with the purpose of destroying a submarine carrying similar nuclear warheads. Marcinko escapes onto a patrol boat with Navy SEALs aboard that were sent by Peyton to help Marcinko. Marcinko hands over a computer chip to the commanding SEAL of the boat and tells him that it is evidence that justifies Marcinko's actions that is to be presented at his court-martial.
, Rogue Warrior: Black Razor was billed as a tactical first-person shooter
for release in 2007. Set in near-modern day North Korea
, the plot focused on Marcinko and his team's effort to neutralize the nation's North Korean nuclear launch capability
. The game was to be built using the Unreal Engine 3
and include drop-in four-player cooperative and 24-player competitive multiplayer, offering unpredictable maps based on a unique tiling system.
In 2009, the game resurfaced after much silence. Bethesda has publicly stated that they were not satisfied with the direction Zombie was taking the game. Bethesda scrapped the project and commissioned Rebellion Developments to develop the game. Starting fresh, Rebellion made numerous changes to the gameplay, plot, and features. The setting shifted to 1986 USSR and North Korea
; the game engine became proprietary; the cooperative play was struck along with the multiplayer tiling system; the overall focus turned to Marcinko's personality and kill moves; and the name was shortened to simply Rogue Warrior. Mickey Rourke
was also announced as the celebrity voice actor of Marcinko. On September 6, video game website GameSpot posted the game's first preview after the game had been reconstructed.
awarded the PC version 2.0 out of 10, saying "This dreadfully boring, expletive-filled, extremely short shooter is an absolute rip-off." The website Gamervision awarded the game 3.5 out of 10, saying "The very fact that there's an attempt to charge $60 is insulting. Save your money, spend it on anything else, and forget Rogue Warrior ever existed." IGN
rated the game an "Abysmal" 1.5 out of ten, stating that the gameplay is poorly done While GamePro awarded it 3 out of 10 and said "A generic, buggy and broken shooter with limited appeal, even to dedicated fans of Marcinko and the many books and novels that have documented his incredible life." GameZone's Natalie Romano gave the game a 2/10, stating it is "A very disappointing game from start to finish, Rogue Warrior is a game that brings nothing new to the genre nor does it make for a fun first-person shooter worth the money. Simply put, this isn’t just an awful shooter but it’s also a terrible game. Sorry but this is one hero we would like to leave behind." Andrew Reiner of Game Informer gave the game a 1.5/10, concluding that "with the gunplay being as bad as it is, and the story coming across as a six-year-old’s interpretation of Cold War events, the only fun comes from the possibility of stepping into the shoes of a blatantly homoerotic Rambo".
Machinima
's Rob Talbert awarded Rogue Warrior a 2/10, saying, "If you even think about spending $60 on this title, you should be backhanded. In this day and age of gaming we as gamers expect a little bit more, actually a lot of bit more out of our games. Rogue Warrior is a buggy mess, and with the amount of great games that are available for purchase right now, you can find a better way to blow $60."
Rebellion Developments
Rebellion is a British computer games company, based in Oxford, who are most famous for the first Aliens vs. Predator computer game. It has published comic books since 2000 and launched its own book imprint, Abaddon Books, in 2006.-History:...
and published by Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks
Bethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
. The game was released November 26, 2009 in Australia, November 27, 2009 in Europe and December 1, 2009 in North America on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
platforms.
In Rogue Warrior, the United States has sent in Richard Marcinko
Richard Marcinko
Richard "Dick" Marcinko , is a retired Commander in the United States Navy and a former Navy SEAL. He was the first Commanding Officer of SEAL Team Six and Red Cell...
, a veteran Navy SEAL, on a mission into North Korea to disrupt ballistic missile launchers. As players progress, Marcinko will encounter numerous enemies and allies as he is sent from locations such as Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, and others to pursue terrorists with dangerous missile capabilities. The plot is not based on the autobiography by the game's protagonist
Rogue Warrior (book)
Rogue Warrior , by Richard "Demo Dick" Marcinko, is an account of how he founded two United States Navy counter-terrorist units, SEAL Team SIX and Red Cell. Commanding Red Cell, he was directed to use them to test the Navy's anti-terrorist capabilities...
, Richard Marcinko. Marcinko is voiced by actor Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
.
The game was originally being developed by Zombie Studios
Zombie Studios
Zombie Studios is an American independent video game developer of console, PC, mobile and web-based games. It was formed in 1994 by Joanna Alexander and Mark Long, formerly of the Sarnoff Research Center. Alexander and Long founded Zombie after they completed the design of a virtual reality game...
, who was in early development stages of the game. Soon after, Bethesda stated that they weren't satisfied with the direction Zombie Studios was taking the game. Bethesda quickly scrapped the project and brought in Rebellion Development to develop an entire new game from scratch. Rebellion, while retaining some major elements from Zombie's rendition, has taken a whole new approach to the game and its focus.
The game received staggeringly poor reviews from video game critics, citing it as one of the worst games of the 2009 year due to its unresponsive controls, multiple glitches, extreme and incredibly frequent foul language, rushed production, uninteresting gameplay, short length, very limited multiplayer, as well as broken and/or exploited combat techniques that are offered in the game. It is ranked as the second worst rated video game of all time and the worst on the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
platform, according to GameRankings.
Gameplay
Tactical shooter
A tactical shooter is a subgenre of shooter game that includes both first-person shooters and third-person shooters. These games typically simulate realistic combat, thus making tactics and caution more important than quick reflexes in other action games...
elements. The player assumes control of Navy SEAL Richard "Demo Dick" Marcinko, also known as "Rogue Warrior". The primary goal for Marcinko begins as an infiltration mission to disrupt hostile missiles and evolves to prevent other potentially dangerous situations. To achieve this goal, Marcinko may use a wide array of weapons and explosives. Such weapons include AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
s, grenades, and combat knives. In addition to weapons, Marcinko may also utilize explosives barrels and gas tanks to eliminate enemies
The focus of gameplay is Marcinko's over-the-top methods and signature execution moves used in war situations. When the player is in close proximity of an enemy, they may press one of several buttons to trigger an instant kill via finishing moves, referred to as kill moves in the game. There are more than twenty-five finishing moves available to players. Such moves include throwing an enemy over a rail, slashing their throat, or stabbing them in the forehead. Upon initiating a finishing move, the in-game camera
Virtual camera system
A virtual camera system aims at controlling a camera or a set of cameras to display a view of a 3D virtual world. Camera systems are used in videogames where their purpose is to show the action at the best possible angle; more generally, they are used in 3D virtual worlds when a third person view...
shifts to a third person cinematic angle to show the finishing animation. A cover system akin to Gears of War
Gears of War
Gears of War is a military science fiction third-person shooter video game developed by Epic Games and published by Microsoft Game Studios...
and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Vegas is the fifth game in the Rainbow Six series of video games. It was released for the Xbox 360 on November 21, 2006 and Windows on December 12, 2006. The PlayStation Portable version was released on June 12, 2007, while the PlayStation 3 version was released on June...
will be incorporated. This allows the player to blindfire and pop in-and-out of cover, but some positions of cover may be destroyed. There is also a "robust" checkpoint system that tracks player progress.
Plot
The game begins with Richard Marcinko, a Navy SEAL, being sent into UnggiSonbong
Sonbong, formerly called Unggi , is a subdivision of the North Korean city of Rason. It is located at the northeastern extreme of North Korea, bordering Russia and China. It lies on Unggi Bay, an extension of the Sea of Japan . A uranium mine is allegedly located there, as is a 200 megawatt...
, North Korea with two other SEALs on a classified mission to retrieve intelligence from a North Korean mole on ballistic missiles of an unfamiliar design that North Korea is supposedly in possession of, as well as to recon a factory that is allegedly developing the missiles. Shortly after touching ground, Marcinko's unit successfully takes out a North Korean Army
Korean People's Army
The Korean People's Army , also known as the Inmin Gun, are the military forces of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Kim Jong-il is the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army and Chairman of the National Defence Commission...
patrol, but one of the North Koreans suffers only wounds and manages to pull the pin of one of his grenades, killing Marcinko's team. Admiral Peyton, the commander of the operation, demands that Marcinko abort, but he refuses, saying he intends to finish the mission. After fighting through Unggi, Marcinko realizes the mole was killed. However, he finds the intel in the mole's apartment room on missile launchers that have been developed in Unggi.
Marcinko is then ordered by Peyton to disable the missile launchers by any means necessary. Marcinko enters the facility that is producing the missile launchers, but finds that only one is present. According to intelligence received from Peyton, the rest of the launchers are being moved out by sea. After destroying the missile, Marcinko heads to the Unggi harbor, and sees that they are actually being sent out of Unggi by train to the Soviet Union, less than 20 km from the city. Marcinko boards the train and destroys it as it crosses the border. Marcinko enters Soviet territory and gathers intelligence that the ballistic missiles were of Soviet origin, not North Korean. Marcinko also notices that the ballistic missiles were smuggled out of North Korea to a palace in the Soviet Union. Peyton warns that an attempt to go after the missiles will not only result in Marcinko's court-martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
but even war between the US and the Soviet Union. Marcinko dismisses these warnings and goes after the missiles.
Marcinko enters the palace where the missiles are located. He contacts Peyton, who threatens to have Marcinko court-martialed for disobeying orders. Marcinko suggests that he found proof that the USSR created a missile defense program aimed to deter any US nuclear launch on Soviet territory. This program was similar to the real-life US Star Wars
Strategic Defense Initiative
The Strategic Defense Initiative was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983 to use ground and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic missiles. The initiative focused on strategic defense rather than the prior strategic...
program aimed at deterring any Soviet missile attack on US territory. Marcinko launches a missile at the palace, destroys the missiles located in a bunker under the palace, and escapes the palace. Marcinko then goes to a dam to disrupt electricity to a Soviet submarine base . Marcinko then heads to the submarine base with the purpose of destroying a submarine carrying similar nuclear warheads. Marcinko escapes onto a patrol boat with Navy SEALs aboard that were sent by Peyton to help Marcinko. Marcinko hands over a computer chip to the commanding SEAL of the boat and tells him that it is evidence that justifies Marcinko's actions that is to be presented at his court-martial.
Development
Announced in the Fall 2006 as a partnership between Bethesda Softworks and Zombie StudiosZombie Studios
Zombie Studios is an American independent video game developer of console, PC, mobile and web-based games. It was formed in 1994 by Joanna Alexander and Mark Long, formerly of the Sarnoff Research Center. Alexander and Long founded Zombie after they completed the design of a virtual reality game...
, Rogue Warrior: Black Razor was billed as a tactical first-person shooter
Tactical shooter
A tactical shooter is a subgenre of shooter game that includes both first-person shooters and third-person shooters. These games typically simulate realistic combat, thus making tactics and caution more important than quick reflexes in other action games...
for release in 2007. Set in near-modern day North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, the plot focused on Marcinko and his team's effort to neutralize the nation's North Korean nuclear launch capability
North Korea and weapons of mass destruction
North Korea has declared that it has nuclear weapons and is believed by many to have nuclear weapons. The CIA assesses that North Korea also has a substantial arsenal of chemical weapons...
. The game was to be built using the Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3
Unreal Engine 3 is a computer game engine developed by Epic Games. It is the third generation of Unreal Engine, designed for DirectX 9/10/11 personal computers , the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation Vita, the Wii U, Android and OpenGL-based operating systems such as iOS and Mac OS X...
and include drop-in four-player cooperative and 24-player competitive multiplayer, offering unpredictable maps based on a unique tiling system.
In 2009, the game resurfaced after much silence. Bethesda has publicly stated that they were not satisfied with the direction Zombie was taking the game. Bethesda scrapped the project and commissioned Rebellion Developments to develop the game. Starting fresh, Rebellion made numerous changes to the gameplay, plot, and features. The setting shifted to 1986 USSR and North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
; the game engine became proprietary; the cooperative play was struck along with the multiplayer tiling system; the overall focus turned to Marcinko's personality and kill moves; and the name was shortened to simply Rogue Warrior. Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
was also announced as the celebrity voice actor of Marcinko. On September 6, video game website GameSpot posted the game's first preview after the game had been reconstructed.
Reception
Rogue Warrior received universally poor reviews from critics. GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
awarded the PC version 2.0 out of 10, saying "This dreadfully boring, expletive-filled, extremely short shooter is an absolute rip-off." The website Gamervision awarded the game 3.5 out of 10, saying "The very fact that there's an attempt to charge $60 is insulting. Save your money, spend it on anything else, and forget Rogue Warrior ever existed." IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
rated the game an "Abysmal" 1.5 out of ten, stating that the gameplay is poorly done While GamePro awarded it 3 out of 10 and said "A generic, buggy and broken shooter with limited appeal, even to dedicated fans of Marcinko and the many books and novels that have documented his incredible life." GameZone's Natalie Romano gave the game a 2/10, stating it is "A very disappointing game from start to finish, Rogue Warrior is a game that brings nothing new to the genre nor does it make for a fun first-person shooter worth the money. Simply put, this isn’t just an awful shooter but it’s also a terrible game. Sorry but this is one hero we would like to leave behind." Andrew Reiner of Game Informer gave the game a 1.5/10, concluding that "with the gunplay being as bad as it is, and the story coming across as a six-year-old’s interpretation of Cold War events, the only fun comes from the possibility of stepping into the shoes of a blatantly homoerotic Rambo".
Machinima
Machinima.com
Machinima.com is a gaming and media streaming website, that aims to be a hub for machinima, the art of creating animated videos in real-time virtual 3-D environments. The site features machinima-related articles, and news. Machinima productions can be submitted for possible redistribution after...
's Rob Talbert awarded Rogue Warrior a 2/10, saying, "If you even think about spending $60 on this title, you should be backhanded. In this day and age of gaming we as gamers expect a little bit more, actually a lot of bit more out of our games. Rogue Warrior is a buggy mess, and with the amount of great games that are available for purchase right now, you can find a better way to blow $60."
See also
- Rogue Warrior (book)Rogue Warrior (book)Rogue Warrior , by Richard "Demo Dick" Marcinko, is an account of how he founded two United States Navy counter-terrorist units, SEAL Team SIX and Red Cell. Commanding Red Cell, he was directed to use them to test the Navy's anti-terrorist capabilities...
- Richard MarcinkoRichard MarcinkoRichard "Dick" Marcinko , is a retired Commander in the United States Navy and a former Navy SEAL. He was the first Commanding Officer of SEAL Team Six and Red Cell...
- Bethesda SoftworksBethesda SoftworksBethesda Softworks, LLC, is an American video game company. A subsidiary of ZeniMax Media, the company was originally based in Bethesda, Maryland and eventually moved to their current location in Rockville, Maryland...
- Rebellion DevelopmentsRebellion DevelopmentsRebellion is a British computer games company, based in Oxford, who are most famous for the first Aliens vs. Predator computer game. It has published comic books since 2000 and launched its own book imprint, Abaddon Books, in 2006.-History:...
- Zombie StudiosZombie StudiosZombie Studios is an American independent video game developer of console, PC, mobile and web-based games. It was formed in 1994 by Joanna Alexander and Mark Long, formerly of the Sarnoff Research Center. Alexander and Long founded Zombie after they completed the design of a virtual reality game...