Cheap Star Wars: Empire at War Collector's Edition (Software) (Windows XP, Windows 2000) Price

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Customer Reviews of Star Wars: Empire at War Collector's Edition

Building on Rebellion
'Star Wars: Empire at War' is the game most gamers and Star Wars fans were hoping for when they got 'Rebellion' many years ago. 'Rebellion' was a real time strategy in which you built fleets and conquered the galaxy planet by planet in an attempt to overthrow the Empire or subdue the Rebel Alliance depending on which side you chose. <
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>'Rebellion' was lacking in many areas. For one, there was ground based combat for the player to control. Sure, you could make armies of Storm Troopers and AT-ATs, but the outcome of the combat was decided by the computer and the player had no say in tactics or strategy. The player couldn't even watch the battle on the ground. <
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>Second, in 'Rebellion,' the player never got to control any of the heroes. That is slightly misleading. The player would send the heroes, such as Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader, on missions, but again, the player really didn't have any say in the success of those missions. <
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>Third, and perphaps most importantly, 'Rebellion' bogged down in the minutae. You had to manage resources, troop deployment, and production on a galactic scale. Those things aren't bad, but the user interface wasn't ideal and to prepare for a single large battle could take thirty minutes. <
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>'Empire at War' improves on all those elements. Want to crush Rebels with AT-ATs? No problem. Put togehter your army and land then on the nearest inhabited Alliance controlled world. You'll be stomping Rebels in no time. Watch out for speeders though, or your walkers will get tripped up. The point is, you control the land battle. <
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>Want to Han Solo into the battle above Yavin IV? You got it. You can control the heroes. Each hero has their own special abilities. The Millenium Falcon, controlled by Han Solo and Chewbacca, is fast, well armed, and has an ability to be made invulnerable for a short period of time. Darth Vader is extremely efficient in the skies and can crush vehicles and lay waste to soldiers on the ground. How the heroes are used is up to you. <
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>Resource management and production is more fitting to a Star Wars game in 'Empire at War.' Simply taking control of a planet provides the credits needed to run your armada. Need more? Okay, build a mining facility or send a smuggler to steal them from the enemy. <
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>There are several other improvements over 'Rebellion.' Instead of blindly sending your fleets across the galaxy, you can watch their progress along the space lanes. They may encounter unexpected resistance at Naboo on their way to Tatooine. The pace of combat is quicker than in 'Rebellion,' in which you could watch an A-Wing battle a Star Destroyer for 20 minutes. The various space and ground units are more iconic and recognizable from the movies or the extended universe. The worlds included in 'Empire at War' are far more recognizable from the movies as well. <
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>There are a few areas that could be improved. It'd be nice to have more say so over the deployment of facilities on a planet. You may have decided to build a barracks, shield generator, and ion cannon, but you can't decide how they are laid out. This prevents you from using strategy on the field to a degree. <
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>I was a little dismayed by some of the missing elements though. You can't build a Super Star Destroyer (SSD), as seen in 'The Empire Strikes Back.' The Death Star is available, but no SSDs. The B-Wing and TIE Interceptor are also missing from the game. I also would have liked an option to play or use the Old Republic or The Seperatists and their units. Then again, their inclusion wouldn't have been "The Empire" at war. I was also a little puzzled that some volcanic worlds from the extended universe were included, but there was no Mustafar from Episode 3. <
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>Once you get over the learing curve, the game is not difficult to master. Fleet building is not complicated, and planet conquering gets to the point where it is almost by the numbers or by the book. <
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>The game offers a campaign setting for both the Rebellion and the Empire. Both were good stories, although I felt the Rebellion's campaign was too short and too easy. The Empire's story seemed a bit longer, more creative, and more challenging. There was a good mix of cinematics and 'holo images' used to move the story along. <
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>Overall, I'd recommend this game to Star Wars fans. Die hard fans of real time strategies might appreciate it if they are fans of Star Wars, but other games will more likely suit their playing styles better. I think the game cries for an expansion with additional units that I mentioned add or an opportunity to play the Old Republic or Seperatists. One of the best parts of this game is the ability to change from the third person view to a cinematic view. It is best used when you have your fleet set up and ready to go, and you just want to sit back and enjoy the battle. <
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>Overall Grade: 4 stars.

Fun but its missing something
The concept and gameplay is great in my opinion, but they took too many short cuts on the sound and graphics. Multiplayer is annoying if you use a router or have a firewall because it disconnects a lot. Nice game but it could have been ALOT better.