The basic setup of the galactic level gives the players a few starting planets and some starting units and a bit of cash. Determining just how to build up your forces and take over the galaxy is every bit as important (if not exactly thrilling) as squaring off against your enemy in a face-to-face battle. Empire at War manages to integrate and balance the two experiences very well. Where Galactic Battlegrounds merely asked the player to fight a series of battles, Empire at War lets the player take part in nearly every aspect of the Galactic Civil War, from managing production and strategically maneuvering forces around the galaxy all the way to leading bands of soldiers and spaceships into direct combat with the enemy. Hardcore strategy junkies who are looking for more than just a chance to relive their backyard battles won't stick with it nearly as long. The innovations and the authenticity of the Star Wars setting will likely encourage die-hard franchise fans to look past the weak points, at least for the short term. On that level, Empire at War offers up more than a few interesting innovations as well as a handful of disappointments. Star Wars: Empire at War still has to succeed as a strategy game. Sadly, the overall presentation and setting is only half the story. It's all right there in front of you and it's all undeniably authentic. Players will be able to take hold of nearly every cool toy featured in the original trilogy: stormtroopers shooting it out with rebel soldiers, Rebel frigates blasting away at Star Destroyers, bounty hunters tracking down smugglers, A-wings chasing TIE Fighters through asteroid fields, AT-ATs blasting away at shield generators, the Death Star blowing the crap out of planets. The result of their efforts, Star Wars: Empire at War, manages to convey all the coolness of the franchise. We were understandably squealing with delight when we heard the gang at Petroglyph hoped to set things right with the full on one-two punch of a galactic level strategy game and a cool tactical battle engine.
The only bright spot was Galactic Battlegrounds, a title that applied a thin Star Wars veneer to Ensemble's The Age of Kings. Rebellion was a steaming pile of Bantha poo and Force Commander was only slightly less nauseating than seeing George Lucas in one of those gold bikinis. There's no denying that the Star Wars setting has been used for some truly awful strategy games.
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