THE HUB

OMG!!!

FEATURED MEMBER

DoctorIrish

DoctorIrish

The Doctor is in.

QUICK POLL

Grand Theft Auto IV: does it live up to the hype?

ASK THE PROS

THE GAMEPROS

FREE NEWSLETTERS

Sign up now to receive weekly or daily updates on your favorite games, stories, and more!



PC | Strategy | Star Wars: Empire at War

Boxart for Star Wars: Empire at War
Star Wars: Empire at War 54 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.0
  • SOUND: 4.0
  • CONTROL: 4.0
  • FUN FACTOR 3.0
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.4
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 3.7

First Look: Star Wars: Empire at War

First Look by Sid Shuman | 04/01/2005 | 17:29:18 PM PST

In a galaxy far, far away, RTS players will soon have an opportunity to guide the Empire to complete and total domination.

Warhammer fans loved Dawn of War, a monstrously addictive RTS title that proved licensed strategy games can still kick ass. Star Wars fans are next on the hit list with Empire at War, an RTS title set in a galaxy far, far away.

Judging by early screenshots, the game's visual complexity looks amazing, and can scale effortlessly between small skirmishes and massive galactic assaults. The variety of missions is appropriate, especially considering that Empire at War will shed light on Vader's rise to power between Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Episode IV: A New Hope.

Like Dawn of War and WarCraft 3, Empire at War will feature some form of Hero unit, though details are scarce for now. According to Lucas Arts producer Brett Tosti, hero units will be able to specialize in skills like spying, smuggling, research, and battlefield leadership. Can players count on being able to command vast armies of Sith and Jedi? Time will tell.

Tosti also mentioned that Empire at War will feature a full roster of authentic vehicles from Episode IV: A New Hope (like Star Destroyers and Imperial Walkers), plus select vehicles from Episodes III, V and VI. Lucas Arts is also turning an eye towards battlefield tactics, and is designing all-new vehicles to fill in the weak points of each faction. Multiplayer's squarely in the crosshairs, too, with the developers planning eight-player online skirmishes and a more dedicated two-player Empire vs. Rebellion campaign.


Related Articles