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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

Hands-On: Star Wars: Empire at War

Hands-On by Sid Shuman | 01/09/2006 | 14:36:30 PM PST

Star Wars: Empire at War shows there's a new hope for RTS players.

It looks like there might be a new hope for strategy players. LucasArts' and Petroglyph's Star Wars: Empire at War is nearing completion. And judging by our hands-on playtime, it's going to send shockwaves through the Force.


We know what you're thinking. In these screens, the graphics look solid but not spectacular. But never fear--in action, Empire at War stuns the senses by showing off epic space battles that look like they were plucked straight out of the opening minutes of Episode III. You'll see swarms of TIE Fighters and X-Wings whiz past colossal Star Destroyers, while clouds of rockets and lasers gouge massive craters out of ill-fated space stations. Yep--this experience is definitely classic Star Wars. The booming soundtrack and spot-on movie dialogue ("Run, Luke, run!") are used to awesome effect.

But it's not all about the sounds and visuals. In ground-based combat, the control scheme will be instantly familiar to any WarCraft or Dawn of War veteran. You can group op squads and deploy them, or send a hero character (like Darth Vader, Boba Fett, or Obi-Wan) off to single-handedly crush the front-line defenses. Space battle is a bit different, and differs greatly depending on your allegiance. The Empire overwhelms opponents with technological supremacy and full-scale planetary assaults. But the Rebellion can launch sneaky raids, steal precious weapons technology, or call on iconic figures like Han Solo (in Millennium Falcon) to lend some firepower.


Despite a few tiny presentation glitches in the early playable build, it's clear that Empire at War is on the right track. The planet-by-planet campaign mode--which plays out like a giant chess match--looked to be an especially unique touch. What else can we say? Conquering a universe has never been this much fun.


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