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Star Wars: Empire at War - Hands On Preview

Chris Leyton

04/02/2006

From the ashes of Westwood Studios comes the debut of Petroglyph with what's shaping up to be a decent Star Wars RTS...

Having endured countless years of uninspired WW2 clones within the RTS genre (mentioning no names CDV), strategy fans have had a somewhat tough time during the continued absence of such heavyweight hits as Command & Conquer. Hope however may be on the horizon, not only has Total Annihilation's Chris Taylor returned to the scene with the forthcoming release of Supreme Commander, but more poignantly perhaps is the long-awaited arrival of Petroglyph, the spiritual home of Westwood Studios.

Embarking on the seemingly impossible task of creating a worthwhile RTS based around the Star Wars universe, with memories of the woeful Force Commander and the slightly better Galactic Battlegrounds still fresh in the mind, Empire at War takes place in the intriguing timeframe between Episode III and Episode IV, a time when much change is afoot in the Star Wars universe.

Petroglyph could have been forgiven for just aiming to create a decent RTS, however that doesn't appear to be the case as Empire at War could shape into the title that the genre needed to kick it into new directions. Aiming to replicate the large scale battles witnessed within the Star Wars universe, players attempt to take control of the galaxy from either the perspective of the Empire or the Rebellion. A storyline governs both campaigns chronicling such aspects as the Rebellion's desperate attempt to steal the plans behind the X-Wing, or the Empire's effort to track down an informant passing along vital plans to the Rebellion. The game makes heavy use of the extended universe and as such Star Wars fanatics can look forward to the likes of exploring the Hutt's native planet of Nal Hutta, fan favourite characters such as Mara Jade and much, much more...

Empire at War is different to many RTS titles by taking place on two different levels, which not only captures the essence of Star Wars but also brings a sense of context to the overall experience. The Galactic view presents an overview of the galaxy with the 43 different planets that must be conquered during the course of the game's Campaign and Global Conquest modes. It's here where most of the tactics behind the battles takes place, where economic decisions are made and where battles are potentially won or lost before they've even begun. It's also during this stage where most of the traditional "base building" and research options are carried out, recruiting new units to place in battle on the ground below or amassing fleets and building orbital stations.

At its heart Star Wars: Empire at War features a persistent structure governed by a daily cycle. At the end of each day credits and resources are tallied up depending on how many planets within the galaxy have been conquered, which can then be used to purchase additional units and upgrade technology. Each planet also grants various bonuses to the player, such as reduced construction costs on certain types of units or establishing trade routes which in turn grant more credits at the end of each day. Equally conflicts embrace this concept, loosing a battle doesn't necessarily mean starting over again; instead it's possible to make a strategic retreat, re-evaluate the circumstances and attack with another battle-plan.

There are often two steps to invading and conquering a planet; firstly any orbiting defences need to be taken care of in space combat and then the action can move to the surface, where the combat takes a closer resemblance to a typical RTS. Combat within space takes place on a 2.5D plane and as such the maps are populated with asteroid fields and nebula clouds to add some structure to the designs of the map. There's little doubt that during these stages Empire at War captures the tactics of being a Star Wars general, requiring the player to utilise such strategies as attracting the attention of a space stations defences with a fleet of small fighter units, whilst the harder firepower focuses on specific targets on the space station.

In an attempt to prevent "zerging" or the tank-rushes of old, the number of units that can be transported to the ground of a planet are governed by reinforcement points. Strategically located throughout the map, gaining control of these raises the population cap and allows you to draw in new recruits from fleets orbiting the planet. It's also possible to put larger units into orbit around a planet and draw on them for bombing runs on specific targets, whilst the dreaded Death Star is open for fans of the Dark Side. It's not only the Empire versus the Republic on the planet's surface however as indigenous races will also play a part, whilst weather effects can help or hinder the waging conflict in a number of ways.

The storyline of the campaign mode is designed to occasionally push the player in certain directions, however the structure behind the game seems to lend a suitably free feel to the experience, and as such the game looks likely to live up to its tagline of allowing players to repeat history or changing the outcome as Star wars fans know it.

The difference between both factions appears to be profound although perfectly balanced at the same time. With little ability to research and develop, the Rebellion must utilise "sneaky" methods to make use of the Tech-Tree, enlisting the help of Artoo and Threepio to steal the Empire's plans along with smuggler's to steal credits from Empire controlled planets. Conversely the Empire has the might of... well the Empire at its disposal and as such geared towards crushing their opponents through sheer power. That said the introduction of Heroes picked from Star Wars most memorable characters can be used to turn the tide of any battle, whether it's Darth Vader storming onto the battlefield with his Sith powers or Kyle Katarn making an appearance from the Dark Forces.

Despite the game having recently passed gold status there are one or two quibbles we hope Petroglyph have managed to iron out before the game's release. In an attempt to capture the cinematic style of Star Wars, Empire at War introduces a cinematic view to spice up the action. Unfortunately not only does the build TVG has received suffer from some seriously strange angles, but also highlights some of the inadequacies with the various units pathfinding routines - it's a little complaint on the grand scale of things, but one that draws away from the otherwise accomplished nature of the game.