Thursday Fight Night: Halo ODST vs Republic Commando Part 2
At the Battle of Geonosis, the Galactic Republic unveiled a clone army. Made and trained in secret for 10 years, the battle tested its troopers and artillery for the first time against the massive droid forces of the Separatists Alliance.
As the battle was in its first stages, Jedi Knights were given command of these forces. One of the forces that were mentioned was special commando units. What were these special commando units?
Clone Commandos!
Debuting their first appearance in Republic Commando (2005), clone commandos are an elite force of special ops troopers that break in behind enemy lines, conduct covert operations, sabotage enemy artillery, and assassinate or protect high priority targets.
Sound familiar?
Unlike Halo's ODSTs, Clone Commandos are made up of (you guessed it) clones! They've been trained since birth and modified with accelerated aging and behavioral enhancements to become the best and most obedient special forces soldiers in the galaxy. Through a combination of flash training and live fire exercises, the commandos were trained for one purpose: to fight and die for the Grand Army of the Republic!
Strengths:
Born and raised in the secluded planet of Kamino, Clone Commandos had the privilege of learning from a variety of instructors ranging from Mandalorian bounty hunters to assassins (all recommended by Jango Fett, the prime clone template). This gave them the ability to adopt an array of close quarters combat techniques and survival skills outside standard military training.
Where the ODST's usual kit comes with a silenced submachine gun and pistol with a couple of frag
grenades, Republic Commandos use the modular DC-17m. The commando's standard issue rifle can be managed into 3 different modes: Standard blaster rifle, Anti-Armor grenade launcher, and Sniper attachment. Additional oh-hand weapons include a blaster pistol and a couple of thermal detonators (equivalent to an UNSC frag grenade).
Katarn class armor allows clone commandos to absorb most types of energy projectiles that would blast through standard clone trooper armor. Helmets display the health of squadmates, night vision, and windshield wipers in case the visor gets dirty during combat. Other armaments include a fist activated vibro-blade for melee, thigh pouch for extra anti-armor rounds, and a slightly larger backpack for ammunition and grenades.
Weaknesses:
Clone commandos suffer from their behavioral modifications. Obeying orders without hesitation or questions can be a disadvantage for the commandos. At the first battle of Geonosis, almost half of the initial 1,000 commandos became casualties due to the Jedi's lack of knowledge to lead troops into battle. Where the commandos are meant to be utilized behind enemy lines, they do not make for good infantry or excel in the front lines.
Their armor might make the commandos almost invulnerable but they can be compromised by slug rounds (equivalent to shotgun buck shot rounds or assault rifle rounds), Verpine shatter guns (aka portable/ handheld rail guns), and explosives. They can tank most plasma and energy rounds, but eventually the armor will shatter. Compared to the ODST's Grey and Camouflage armor, The commandos' white plastoid armor makes them stand out like a sore thumb on different planets (Geonosis is Orange, Kashyyyk is forest green, and Tatooine is mostly sand).
While the impressive DC-17m gives commandos the weapons advantage over the ODST, they are not strong against enemy units. The UNSC's standard anti-material sniper rifle is more effective than the DC-17m's sniper attachment and the ODST's suppressed submachine gun/ pistol works best for covert operations whereas the commandos rely on their gauntlet blades to eliminate enemies quickly and quietly.
Overall:
I find both special forces group awesome and effective in their own way. ODST and Clone Commandos have awesome looking armor and weapons. Both had to deal with stronger and intimidating adversaries (ODSTs fought Hunters and Brute Chieftains, Clone Commandos fought Super Battle Droids and Droidekas) while trying to complete their mission without additional support.
But in all honesty, I prefer the Clone Commandos over the ODST. Trained from birth, the commandos try to be close to the Jedi-killer/ notorious bounty hunter, Jango Fett. They dealt with a diverse cast of enemies such as droids, reptile people with miniguns, bugs with heat ray guns, and electro-staff wielding acrobats. Over the years, the clone commandos gained in popularity through the Clone Wars CGI animated series and several tie-in comics and novels. The fact that game designers and writers gave these clones distinguishing personalities make them stand out more than the cast of the ODSTs in Halo 3: ODST (no offense Buck and Dutch).
I enjoyed both games and their designs, but when it comes to pitting these two forces together, I have to put my money on the clones!
As the battle was in its first stages, Jedi Knights were given command of these forces. One of the forces that were mentioned was special commando units. What were these special commando units?
Clone Commandos!
 |
| Famous Clone Commando Group: Delta Squad |
Sound familiar?
Unlike Halo's ODSTs, Clone Commandos are made up of (you guessed it) clones! They've been trained since birth and modified with accelerated aging and behavioral enhancements to become the best and most obedient special forces soldiers in the galaxy. Through a combination of flash training and live fire exercises, the commandos were trained for one purpose: to fight and die for the Grand Army of the Republic!
Strengths:
Born and raised in the secluded planet of Kamino, Clone Commandos had the privilege of learning from a variety of instructors ranging from Mandalorian bounty hunters to assassins (all recommended by Jango Fett, the prime clone template). This gave them the ability to adopt an array of close quarters combat techniques and survival skills outside standard military training.
 |
| DC-17m Blaster with attachments and pistol w/o Anti-Armor |
Where the ODST's usual kit comes with a silenced submachine gun and pistol with a couple of frag
grenades, Republic Commandos use the modular DC-17m. The commando's standard issue rifle can be managed into 3 different modes: Standard blaster rifle, Anti-Armor grenade launcher, and Sniper attachment. Additional oh-hand weapons include a blaster pistol and a couple of thermal detonators (equivalent to an UNSC frag grenade).
Katarn class armor allows clone commandos to absorb most types of energy projectiles that would blast through standard clone trooper armor. Helmets display the health of squadmates, night vision, and windshield wipers in case the visor gets dirty during combat. Other armaments include a fist activated vibro-blade for melee, thigh pouch for extra anti-armor rounds, and a slightly larger backpack for ammunition and grenades.
 |
| Windshield Wipers wipe out Droid Blood (just blue oil) |
Clone commandos suffer from their behavioral modifications. Obeying orders without hesitation or questions can be a disadvantage for the commandos. At the first battle of Geonosis, almost half of the initial 1,000 commandos became casualties due to the Jedi's lack of knowledge to lead troops into battle. Where the commandos are meant to be utilized behind enemy lines, they do not make for good infantry or excel in the front lines.
 |
| This armor will stand out almost everywhere tbh |
While the impressive DC-17m gives commandos the weapons advantage over the ODST, they are not strong against enemy units. The UNSC's standard anti-material sniper rifle is more effective than the DC-17m's sniper attachment and the ODST's suppressed submachine gun/ pistol works best for covert operations whereas the commandos rely on their gauntlet blades to eliminate enemies quickly and quietly.
 |
| "Sneak in quietly, they said. The enemy won't notice us, they said." |
Overall:
I find both special forces group awesome and effective in their own way. ODST and Clone Commandos have awesome looking armor and weapons. Both had to deal with stronger and intimidating adversaries (ODSTs fought Hunters and Brute Chieftains, Clone Commandos fought Super Battle Droids and Droidekas) while trying to complete their mission without additional support.
But in all honesty, I prefer the Clone Commandos over the ODST. Trained from birth, the commandos try to be close to the Jedi-killer/ notorious bounty hunter, Jango Fett. They dealt with a diverse cast of enemies such as droids, reptile people with miniguns, bugs with heat ray guns, and electro-staff wielding acrobats. Over the years, the clone commandos gained in popularity through the Clone Wars CGI animated series and several tie-in comics and novels. The fact that game designers and writers gave these clones distinguishing personalities make them stand out more than the cast of the ODSTs in Halo 3: ODST (no offense Buck and Dutch).
I enjoyed both games and their designs, but when it comes to pitting these two forces together, I have to put my money on the clones!
 |
| Sorry ODST. Clone Commandos take this one. Maybe next Thursday Fight Night. |
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