Star Wars: Empire at War Preview

Call me crazy but things have been a bit quiet on the Star Wars front in the past year. After the release of Episode III the movie, Star Wars games were scant (aside from a few mediocre games like Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Battlefront 2). Not ones to let the dust just settle on the franchise, LucasArts speeds things up with their latest real-time strategy entitled, Star Wars: Empire at War, which is now bound for 2006. The game was originally planned to launch some time during fall 2005.

This outpost looks so peaceful and quiet.

ARGH! Our cruiser is in trouble!

In truth, Star Wars: Empire at War is not the first attempt to create a fully 3D real-time strategy based on the popular movie license. Ronin Entertainment first took a crack at it a while back, with their title Star Wars: Force Commander. At the time, most gamers were happily rolling up their sleeves in preparation for playing an actual RTS set in the Star Wars universe. The wide-spread optimism soon dwindled, thanks to the game's disappointing graphics and numerous gameplay flaws. The game franchise swiftly crumbled, leaving a majority of fans completely dismayed. What's more they were still deprived of a proper Star Wars strategy. Things picked up a bit with the release of Star Wars Battlegrounds, but even this title turned out to be nothing more than an AoE clone, neatly placed in Star Wars wrapping. At long last, LucasArts opted for a fresh start, initiating a promising new project.

Even though the gaming industry is jam-packed with high-quality strategy games, there's still plenty of room out there for a decent Star Wars RTS. LucasArts and Petroglyph are working together to bring this game to life. Petroglyph is a development team mostly recognized for its involvement in the Command and Conquer series. Some of their key people are ex-Westwood guys. Members of the Petroglyph team also contributed to several other well-known games, such as Blade Runner (the popular adventure from 1997), Sid Meier's Pirates, Earth & Beyond, The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth, and so on (That's a very good pedigree -Ed). For what it's worth, they seem to be the right team for this undertaking.

Star Wars: Empire at War follows a specific era of the Star Wars timeline. Fighting battles that took place between Episode III and Episode IV, gamers immerse themselves in a time when the Empire is rapidly growing in power. Now that the Jedi Council has been 'dissolved' (permanently), the Emperor and Darth Vader are free to wreak havoc across the galaxy. The first sparks of Rebellion soon ignited the flames of the Galactic Civil War. During this particular period, the Rebels were scattered and outnumbered, ducking and hiding from the relentless forces of the Empire. The main task of the Rebellion is to gather its strength before it's too late. Although it may look as though the Empire has a major advantage, the spirit and will of the Rebels make them tough opponents. The choice is simple enough. You can either join the ruthless Empire, or you can support the cause of the Rebels. Each side has its own strengths and weaknesses. One of the game's taglines is "Will you repeat Star Wars history, or will you change it forever?" It's kind of a cool notion to be able to head back and rewrite Star Wars history.

During the single-player story-driven campaign players will be fighting for various planets that are spread throughout the galaxy. However, that's just one segment of the game. Empire at War also features a skirmish multiplayer mode and a galactic conquest mode, which can be played both in single-player and multiplayer variants.

In the single-player campaign, taking control of the universe won't be an easy endeavor. You are required to put as many star systems under your control as possible. Every planet represents a new challenge and an opportunity to increase your influence in the galaxy. As you travel to distant worlds, you'll soon discover that each planet has unique characteristics - landscape, weather conditions, the type of population that occupies it, etc. It's up to the player to manage all these aspects before he gains control of a particular system. The game features a variety of worlds, just waiting to be conquered. Once again, we'll be returning to planets like Dantooine, Yavin 4, Alderaan. Tatooine, Dagobah, and so on. Some gamers are probably familiar with the concept of gradually conquering the universe (that's right, all you galactic tyrants step right up... don't be shy). Well anyhow, the first step in subduing a system is winning a space battle above the system you're trying to conquer. This is an obligatory part of every invasion and is the only way you can send in your troops to begin the ground assault. Hyperspace travel is essential, especially when you need to move your forces from planet to planet. A well-established hyperspace trajectory is the key to controlling a system. Subsequently, distant planets without hyperspace routes will be tough to maintain. Hm, the whole thing slightly reminds me of the old strategy Star Wars: Rebellion (does anybody remember that one besides me?). You rush out of hyperspace, defeat the orbiting defenses, win over the population and voila - the system is yours to dominate.

Bear in mind that controlling planets is the only way to collect resources. With each conquered system, your income increases. That means there won't be any resource gathering on planet surfaces, no mining or collecting lumber. The rules are simple: conquering brings you additional resources.

You can also be sure that the game offers a pretty huge slice of Star Wars lore, including familiar races, weapons, vehicles and planets. Still, one of the most important aspects of the game is relying on the abilities of heroes. If you're fighting alongside the Empire, characters like Vader and Palpatine will come in handy. The two predominant Sith units are both at the peek of their power and can be a real nuisance to the Rebels. Using lightsabers is the key to their success in battle, but they aren't called Sith for nothing. For instance, the Emperor uses deadly force lightning to vaporize units that stand in his way, while Vader, naturally, prefers other powers like force shockwave and force crush (these abilities are particularly effective against vehicles or multiple foot soldiers). Other heroes like Han Solo and Chewbacca, function as a single character, but have different abilities (Chewie can nab and operate enemy vehicles, while Han is proficient at planting explosives (Sounds like the Commando from the original C&C. 'I GOT A PRESENT FOR YA!' -Ed). Additional hero units were also promised, such as Captain Piett, Colonel Veers, C3PO, R2-D2, Kyle Katarn and a recognizable Mon Calamari officer named Ackbar who is just beginning his career. Further down the Star Wars timeline, Ackbar becomes a highly respected admiral within the Rebel Alliance, eventually leading the Rebel fleet to glory and ensuring the destruction of the second Death Star - i.e. Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi).

Heroes that fight by your side are powerful allies, and may occasionally turn the course of a battle. On the other hand, other units will also play an important part in combat. An assortment of vehicles, units and weapons will be available to help you win the day. The Empire, for example, has AT-ATs which apart from providing sufficient fire power, also have the ability to stomp enemy soldiers. Imperial stormtroopers represent the very backbone of the Empire's might. They are very efficient in battle, particularly when assembled in great numbers. To top it off, they can use objects in the environment to conceal their presence, which provides a huge advantage in combat. The Rebels also have certain advantages. During battles, plex soldiers can be most helpful and may ward off the Empire's powerful "walkers". Plex soldiers are basically an organized group of highly trained rebel soldiers wielding rocket-launchers.