PC

Company of Heroes

October 19, 2006

PC / Reviews / by Tony DuLac Make a comment! / Tweet it!

Those who say that ‘War is hell’ haven’t played [i]Company of Heroes[/i] (CoH), the recently released WW2 Real-Time Strategy game from [b]Relic Entertainment[/b], creators of [i]Homeworld[/i], [i]Impossible Creatures[/i], [i]The Outfit[/i] and [i]Dawn of War[/i]. It’s no great surprise that most RTS fans emitted a collective groan of indifference about a year ago when Relic announced that the setting of their next ‘big’ RTS game was going to be World War 2. ‘The Big One’ (WW2) has been the focus of more games than every other war combined and while Relic has certainly established no small amount of street cred for it’s amazing string of high-quality Real-Time Strategy games (Impossible Creatures notwithstanding), some worried that perhaps the creativity had finally run dry at Relic’s Vancouver game development studios. As it turns out we didn’t have much to worry about. Read on to find out why!

Starting with the obligatory 1944 D-Day mission, the single-player campaign in [i]Company of Heroes[/i] follows the exploits of Able Company as they fight every inch of their way into Hitler’s ‘[i]Fortress Europe[/i]’. While it’s all the rage these days to pooh-pooh exceptional graphics as unimportant to gameplay, in [i]CoH[/i] they provide a visceral thrill that is unequaled by any other game in this genre and integral to the total experience. Soldiers, vehicles, buildings, trees, and even telephone wires are blown to smithereens with some of the best and most realistic explosions ever seen in any game. The art direction is pure Band of Brothers with army green, steel grey, and mahogany-colored mud all lovingly depicted in the French countryside. Most games make it a point to give their players a color-coded unit cue for which troops are theirs and this colored banding is often over-the-top or too distracting but such isn’t the case with [i]CoH[/i]’s units. The color coding is so subtly handled that you barely notice it’s there which is, of course, the way it should be. It’s a testimony to just how amazing the overall graphics are in the game, that even the User Interface (UI) is aesthetically pleasing.

But the graphics aren’t the sole owners of center stage; [i]Company of Heroes[/i] sports an impressive integration of in-game physics to round out the presentation package. When you call in an off-map artillery strike to clear out a pesky nest of Nazis, the building that they’re bunkered in will explode in an extremely realistic fashion and (seemingly) never the same way twice. Vehicles sway wildly when hit hard by an enemy tank’s shell and in one instance, when I’d loaded a half-track full of soldiers that then promptly hit a mine, it flipped over, spilling my grunts onto the muddy road in disarray. I’ve also seen telephone wires cut in two and trees uprooted if caught in particularly heavy bombardment. It would be one thing for [i]CoH[/i] to have tacked on the physics as an extra aesthetically-pleasing element but in this game the physics affect gameplay in nifty ways as well. That wiped out building you destroyed with your arty strike can suddenly prove lifesaving for your infantry squad when an enemy division rolls into town. Your troops will dive for cover into the ruins, dynamically using the terrain to their advantage.

This leads to another fantastic aspect of [i]CoH[/i] – your unit’s AI and pathfinding. You’ve seen it all too often in a RTS game – you click your unit, carefully choosing a smart path that takes advantage of the terrain so they’ll arrive at their destination safely, only to find them either stuck on a rock or meandering aimlessly like near-sighted penguins. Those days are (mostly) gone with [i]CoH[/i]. Your squads not only take the smart route towards their goal, they do it in a way that takes maximum advantage of cover along the way. If they come under fire they’ll drop to a prone position and immediately crawl towards the best cover locally available while returning fire. It bears mentioning, however, that vehicle pathfinding is a bit less stellar. Specifically, tanks seem to have the most trouble getting to their destinations if more than one is selected. The issue seems to be that they both attempt to take the best path and occasionally end up bumping and jostling each other in a bizarre metal parody of the Three Stooges as they both roll towards their respective destinations. Thankfully, this is a fairly rare occurrence and the game provides you with the ability to give a facing command which helps to partially alleviate this issue.

Sound and music are both spot on and further add to the immersion factor in what is already a wildly immersive experience. Bullets whiz and flame-throwers crackle with manic glee as the stirring orchestral score ramps up the gravitas and provides an aural experience rivaling even big-screen epics like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ or ‘Pearl Harbor’. Famed PC game musician Jeremy Soule provides a perfectly suited soundtrack for this war-torn setting. Teeth-rattling explosions lend even the smallest mortar strike serious credibility and if you have a high-quality set of speakers and/or headphones you’re in for a real treat.

Relic seems to have made all the right gameplay design choices and these decisions push [i]CoH[/i] past the tired RTS genre and into a more exciting realm of possibility. Gone are the days of simply lassoing the largest group of units and throwing them into the fray, knowing that your superior numbers will win the day. In [i]Company of Heroes[/i], the concepts of cover, flanking, and combined arms genuinely make a huge difference. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Relic’s design decision regarding tanks vs. infantry. In a standard RTS you could leave your infantry squads to plink away at a tank with their rifles until it was eventually defeated but not so in [i]CoH[/i]. In the classic WW2 match-up between infantry and tank, the tank is impregnable to bullets; no amount of prolonged small-arms fire will ever take down any tank in the game. Instead, as a ground-pounder you’ll have to rely on either (historically inaccurate) Sticky Bombs, bazookas, or their German equivalents, the Panzerfausts, to wipe out your steel-encased foes – rest assured you’ll need more than one to get the job done.

During each battle your troops earn experience points which can be used to purchase unit upgrades or special events (such as artillery strikes or bombing runs) along one of three specific Command paths: Infantry, Armor, or Air. Each path is tailored to a particular style of gameplay though they’re all very useful regardless of your strategy. Dirt farming is nowhere to be found in [i]CoH[/i], instead (in a nod to Relic’s ‘Dawn of War’ series) you must capture a series of victory point locations that are divided into three categories: manpower (for soldiers), munitions (for weaponry upgrades or arty strikes), and fuel (for vehicles). If a captured victory point is not surrounded by your territories on a least one side, it will not yield its bounty to your totals. This is how Relic seamlessly represents the effects of being ‘out of supply’. Victory conditions come in two flavors during a match: by the utter Annihilation of your foes or success by Victory Point Acquisition (i.e. whoever can reach a set number of victory points will cause their opponent’s tickets to start counting down toward defeat, similar to the Battlefield series Conquest mode).

Also, as mentioned previously, the game allows you to set the facing of your units and this, combined with the use of cover, provides for even more strategic gameplay. Should I setup my ambush here along the hedgerows but with an exposed flank or do I attempt a less risky advance from the high ground into the village? Should I place this mortar team behind the cover of these building (answer: yes) or put them closer to the front under less cover so they’ll have a more effective range? Choices like these drastically change the way you’ll approach each battle and these choices make the game much more enjoyable. Even tanks offer more tactical opportunities as the game engine effectively simulates positional vehicle damage meaning that even the Germans’ ridiculously powerful King Tiger tank is susceptible to a bazooka up the tailpipe. In fact, tank vs. tank battles nearly become a mini-game unto themselves as players micromanage both the facing and movement of their tanks in a desperate effort to get that all-powerful rear armor shot.

Micromanagement itself accounts for the game’s sole weakness. In the heat of any particularly frenetic battle it can become almost ridiculously difficult to keep your war machine operating at peak efficiency. Though your units’ AI is stronger than that found in any other RTS they still need tough love from time to time and giving it to them while three different fronts have opened up on the map can prove frustrating for newcomers to handle. Thankfully Relic seems to have been aware of this difficulty and has kindly given players the ability to pause the game while still issuing orders. Using this feature can help alleviate most of the micromanagement headaches you’ll face or at least diminish the difficulty level of all but the most hectic conflicts. A tactical map giving you an overview of each scenario’s battlefield also provides some welcome relief for the strategically-challenged among us.

The length and quality of the single-player campaign in [i]CoH[/i] bears mentioning as Relic could have easily mailed in a standard by-the-books campaign but even here you can see the delineation between the industry’s finest RTS developers and the bush leagues. Missions are varied and range from all-out frontal assaults to cat and mouse style tank hunts. Particularly noteworthy are Missions 8 (St. Fromond) – you’re tasked with holding a town square for a set period of time while under a furious counter-assault, Mission 9 (Hill 192) – where you must capture a well-defended hill in under forty minutes, and finally Mission 14 – in which you must defeat a German tank ace driving the dreaded King Tiger tank. Though there is a small story (of sorts) tacked onto the whole campaign, it’s perfunctory at best. The scenarios themselves are the bread and butter here.

Multiplayer is adroitly handled by Relic’s newly created Relic Online game service. While there are some initial issues with invisible players in the game lobbies and a few other minor glitches, as a game-matching feature it’s quite serviceable. The only real concern right now involves a bug where your opponents can drop from the game which then in turn credits you with a loss. For those who are extremely devoted to their ranking on the Relic [i]CoH[/i] ladder, this is a very frustrating bug and one that Tranj (THQ’s Senior Creative Manager) has said is “a very high priority for us.” Relic has recently revealed that a patch is on the way (ETA: 2-3 weeks) to fix this drop bug and several other small issues.

Relic appears to have achieved the impossible with [i]Company of Heroes[/i] – they’ve created a RTS in the trite World War 2 setting that is simultaneously beautiful, visceral, exciting, and yet revolutionary to the genre. Newsflash to competing RTS designers: the bar has been set and it’s [b]WAY[/b] up there. It’s been a long time since the ‘S’ in RTS meant something – it does now.

Eets

August 12, 2006

PC / Reviews / by Joe Teed Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[i]Eets[/i] is a great casual puzzle game for pretty much anyone from casual gamer on up. It is somewhat like the classic Incredible Machine in its building aspects. It’s a fairly easy game to get into and has a community aspect that should keep the game going for a long time.

[i]Eets[/i] himself is a cute little white monster who wanders around and, well, eating things (which most often take the forms of marshmallows or “marshmallow buds”). The things he eats affect his mood. You do not directly control [i]Eets[/i], but you place objects and foodstuffs around the environment to guide him to the puzzle piece that is his goal.

Many of the objects are passive and merely need to be placed so that their effects take place at the right stage of the journey, but more than a few need to be clicked on at the right time to keep [i]Eets[/i] going. For example, some of the marshmallow buds in the game change his movement so he can make longer jumps, or certain items will explode when they fall in order to remove an obstruction. Other items need to be clicked at the right time to activate them, like whales that spit [i]Eets[/i] to higher levels, or guns that shoot chocolate chips to trigger other items. The items are slowly introduced so that you are not overwhelmed trying to learn to use all kinds of new things at once. The downside is that some of the more spectacular items and obstacles do not appear until late in the game, but it’s certainly fun and engaging from the get-go.

The challenge level of [i]Eets[/i] is slightly on the easy side, but many of the puzzles are tricky, and even an experienced puzzler will have to spend a little thinking and trial and error time trying to break through a few of them. Some of the later puzzle elements, like flipping gravity upside down and angry robots, really take a lot of careful planning to avoid or use properly. I’m almost certain that my solutions to their puzzles were not always the same as the official ones, but that’s half the fun of a puzzle game anyway (you even get rewards for using less pieces than required).

All of the puzzles are presented in a wonderful cartoon style. Everything has nice smooth animations even when idle, and everything is in bright pastel colors. Pretty much everything has a face and an expression, and even the simplest marshmallow bud has some personality. The focus here is on cute. So if you want to get your girlfriend to play computer games while you hit up the Playstation, this may be a good choice.

Once you finish the game, there are a few rewards you can earn for your trophy room. You get a few for solving puzzles with fewer items, one for beating the game, and a bunch for doing certain actions a lot. I wouldn’t say these really make you want to unlock them, but at least it’s something. The better way to extend the life of the game is with custom levels.

The level editor in [i]Eets[/i] is a piece of cake to use, although coming up with a challenging concept for a puzzle and getting it to work perfectly within the games physics can be a little tricky. With patience and tweaking, you should be able to pump out some excellent levels easily. The building tools and testing are all well integrated into the same package, and you can easily adjust the game environment, as well as provide hints and an official solution. I do wish the tool had a tutorial because when you first start laying out objects, they seem to have some confusing buttons, but like everything in this game. The buttons and items all have tooltips if you mouse over them, and there aren’t too many controls to learn. I recommend building simple levels and working your way up to your more complex ideas if you want to master the techniques involved.

The [i]Eets[/i] website is packed with forums and tools to share levels and replays. If you are really stuck on any of the trickier puzzles, this should help with your frustrations. It also extends the length of the game considerably, which is a good thing since the main flaw of the game is that it’s a bit short. The site is very nicely done and clearly receives regular attention from the game developers. It’s nice to see this much support for a $20 game when larger companies seem to care less about you despite your $60 purchases.

[i]Eets[/i] is short, but this really isn’t a big problem for something that is a $20 purchase. The entire experience is fun, and if you want more of it, there’s a really great community portion that Klei has put out there. The community aspect helps the game far outlive similar affairs. I’d say you should at least give the demo a try, since it is a timed version of the full game (with a fairly long timer on it).

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

May 29, 2006

PC / Reviews / by Chris Massey Make a comment! / Tweet it!

If there has been one game more anticipated than almost anything out there this year, it’s [i]The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion[/i]. Originally slated for a late 2005 release, many were disappointed when [i]Oblivion[/i] was held back from the Xbox 360’s launch, including PC users who suffered along with next-gen owners. The wait has been worth it, though. Stunning graphics, deep enriching storylines, and stellar game play make [i]Oblivion[/i] recommendable to nearly any play style. Not only will fans see a huge step up from its predecessor, [i]Morrowind[/i], but [i]Oblivion[/i] is an amazing experience open to almost anyone, fan or otherwise. [i]The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion[/i] is easily one of the best games of 2006, and may just be one of the best games in years.

[i]Oblivion[/i] continues [i]The Elder Scrolls[/i] story from [i]Morrowind[/i]. However, even if you haven’t played [i]Morrowind[/i] or any of [i]Oblivion[/i]’s other predecessors, the game is fairly accepting to new players (although some references will be lost). The story follows the player after being locked in prison and a sudden visit from Emperor Uriel Septim embroils you into a complex plot to destroy the empire of Tamriel, starting with the murder of the Emperor. Not long after, you are dumped out into the land of Cyrodill, intent on locating the heir to the throne. The story of [i]Oblivion[/i] is rich, detailed, and just as powerful as any movie you would see in theaters.

However, the truly beautiful thing about the game is the freedom given to do whatever you feel. Don’t feel like rescuing the heir to the throne? Then give one of the game’s numerous factions a try, like the Thieves Guild, which specializes in pickpocketing and pulling daring heists, or join the Dark Brotherhood to focus on your inner murderer. If those don’t appeal to you, then you can go about exploring over two-hundred dungeons strewn across the region. Even exploring the game’s impressive landscape can lose a player for hours. There is almost no limit to what you can do in [i]Oblivion[/i], and the fact that the game doesn’t confine you to one particular story lets you do it all at your own pace.

In addition to the non-linear play style, [i]Oblivion[/i] is also unique in that there are dozens of different ways to play the game. While the game is mainly an RPG at heart, you can choose to craft your character into a warrior and fight in Roman gladiator-style matches, or focus on stealth and make your living picking pockets. To many, [i]Oblivion[/i] may not feel like an RPG at all, and even those who are not particularly fond of traditional RPGs will probably find something to love. A lot of games try to pull off a number of different “sub-genres” within a certain genre, but whereas many of those games fail for not balancing out the game play between all the different modes, [i]Oblivion[/i] succeeds in incorporating action, stealth, exploration, and many other styles where others have been put to shame.

Certainly one of [i]Oblivion[/i]’s strongest points goes to the character creation system, which is just about as detailed as you can get. There are ten races to choose from, ranging from humans to humanoid leopards and lizards. What really sets [i]Oblivion[/i]’s character creator from other games’ is the amount of detail you can put into shaping and manipulating the face. There are so many options to choose from that, truthfully, some people may neglect the broad scope of it all and simply skip over any facial manipulation whatsoever. On the other hand, though, I’ve heard of people getting lost for hours developing the perfect character. Of course, one of the drawbacks of such a detailed creation system is that, since the game lacks online play, no one else will probably ever see your masterpiece (or abomination depending on your shaping abilities). Even so, how can you argue with such an advanced creation system?

Being an RPG, you’ve probably already guessed that your character levels and grows throughout the game. It’s in this area that [i]Oblivion[/i] shines once again. Where the character creator is ideal in deciding how and what abilities your character will have, it is in the field where you gain experience and advance in those abilities, shaping your character even further. Running constantly will raise the athletics category while battling with a sword or knife will raise your blade skill. Successfully picking locks will increase your security skills while using destruction and restoration magic is key to any starting mage raising their magic attributes. As these skills increase, they will also gain new ranks such as journeyman and master, giving your character even more benefits. Possibly one of the only complaints about the leveling system is that as you level, the world around you does so as well, although this may be essential to keep the game challenging in the long run.

Yet another bright spot on [i]Oblivion[/i]’s virtually spotless resume is the radiant A.I. possessed by the Non-Playable Characters (NPCs). As you pass by people, they turn to look at you, maybe even throwing in a “hello” or “get out of my way” while they’re at it. Conversations generally wear thin pretty quickly, but one of the amazing things about [i]Oblivion[/i] is that the NPCs react with one another, and you may even hear people talking about a heroic deeds of a certain individual (in other words, yourself). Every NPC has their own schedule, sleeping at night and walking around town during the daytime, making the scope of the game that much more impressive when considering how many thousand NPCs there many be strewn throughout the game. There are still some minor issues with the intelligence (since when are people happy to speak with you after waking them in the middle of the night?), but it is still one of the best examples of computer A.I. this side of video gaming.

Now let’s talk graphics, and you probably already know this game has got the goods. [i]Oblivion[/i] is a true artistic masterpiece both on the PC and Xbox 360, and everything is detailed to its fullest. The natural environment contains lush grass and great textures, while torches flicker with life in dim caves. The in-game clock allows you to see [i]Oblivion[/i]’s environment during all times of the day, and character models look fantastic, looking genuinely human with their shimmering eyes and lifelike facial movement. However, there are a few flaws to be had. While textures look terrific up close, the distant mountains and plains actually look pretty ugly; Crayola crayon ugly at times. Also, characters models may spasm out of control from time to time, which just looks plain awkward. These are generally unnoticeable, though, and really don’t hinder the game in the least.

You’ve no doubt heard the talk that this game is a beast on the PC. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that a great computer is going to be needed, and case in point: the system requirements are really quite hefty, and that’s not even getting into the recommended specifications. This is probably where the 360 version of [i]Oblivion[/i] wins out, as even the best PC systems may produce some issues and crashes. However, my computer contains an Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT video card, 1 Gigabyte of RAM, and a 2.0 Gigahertz AMD processor (all of which roughly meet the required system specs.) and the game runs pretty smoothly at medium settings. Most reports also say that a really spectacular computer will win out graphically against the 360, but still be ready for some bugs in the PC version. One thing the PC version does have a leg up on, though, is the modding community, which is already pumping out modifications that change some of the issues with the PC version (such as the complaint of a console-like interface), something the console version of [i]Oblivion[/i] just can’t do. Either way you go, however, [i]Oblivion[/i] is great on either system; just be sure you know what you’re getting into with the PC version.

When it all adds up, [i]Oblivion[/i] is a must-have game that will suit almost anyone’s tastes in gaming. The game is a thing to behold, whether it be on the PC or on the next-gen Xbox 360. There just isn’t a whole lot wrong with [i]Oblivion[/i], and everything you would think could go wrong is executed perfectly. The fluent presentation of different game play styles makes it accessible to all reaches of gaming, and the scope of the game will have you occupied for hours upon hours. [i]The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion[/i] lives up to every expectation the series has presented, and is simply one of the best titles to come out this year. I know it’s only May, but we could very well be looking at the next Game of the Year.

Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots

May 3, 2006

PC / Reviews / by Chris Massey Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[i]Rise of Nations[/i] was one of the best RTS games ever put out on the market, and earned the best game of 2003 from magazines and websites alike. So it’s only natural that the makers of the game would want to profit on an expansion pack. As many people have found out throughout the years though, expansions are merely simple add-ons that do little from placing in a few new maps, units, and possibly fixing any major bugs still in the original game. Amazingly enough though, Big Huge Games have outdone themselves with [i]Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots[/i], which is, in my opinion, one of the best and most comprehensive expansion packs ever made.

[i]Thrones and Patriots[/i] does what you’d expect an expansion pack to do, which is add in new units and other content. In most games, this would translate into a few new units or vehicles, which may even be cheap knockoffs of previous units in the original release. [i]Thrones and Patriots[/i] adds in its fair share of this kind of content, but each new addition is fresh and a nice addition to the original game itself. Of course, [i]Thrones and Patriots[/i] also adds in new game play features, and in the end, almost seems like a completely new game instead of an expansion.

The first thing [i]Thrones and Patriots[/i] does is add in new nations into the already current 18 nations. Additions include the Persians, the Native American Lakota tribes, and the superpowered Americans, as well as the Dutch, Indians, and Iroquois. Like the previous nations, the new nations all have their own special powers. Some of these powers are actually fresh ideas in the [i]Rise of Nations[/i] formula, like the Lakota who receive food for every citizen they have, and the Persians who can have two capitals at once. Of course, you still have the usual powers, such as economy boosts, cheaper unit upgrade, and the rest most [i]Rise of Nations[/i] players have come to know.

There are also a couple new units in the game, mainly unique units put into the new nations. The Americans have Marines at the barracks, while the Indians and Persians have War Elephants. The nations also have powers that apply to historical terms, such as government research being completely free for the Americans, due to their declaring independence in the 1700’s. There are also three new wonders to build, like the Hanging Gardens, the Forbidden City, and the Red Fort. Like the nations, the new wonders also have their host of unique powers not seen in the original RoN. Another new feature introduced in [i]Thrones and Patriots[/i] is the Senate, which lets you research two different paths of government; the Democratic path which consists of a Republic, Democratic, and Capitalist society, and the more frowned upon governments, like Despot, Monarch, and Socialist governments. Each form of government has different advantages, and even if you become a Capitalist government from a Monarchy, you can still keep the powers from your previous government.

Now for most people, this may seem like enough to warrant a purchase, as it is the common content you usually see in an expansion. But if that isn’t enough, [i]Thrones and Patriots[/i] goes even farther by adding in new Conquer the World campaigns that expand the Conquer the World feature from the original [i]Rise of Nations[/i]. You still have the original Conquer the World campaign that has you competing against every other nation for world dominance, with some tweaks to include the new nations introduced by Throne and Patriots of course. Throne and Patriots adds in four new campaigns, each with new goals. You have Alexander the Great’s campaign, and Napoleon’s campaign to defeat other monarch nations. Then you have The New World, which is one of the most interesting campaigns. Here, you have the European and American nations competing with one another and the Native Americans to control all of the newly discovered North America and South America. There is also the Cold War, which has you playing as the Americans or Soviets in an attempt to defeat the other and rule the free world. The most interesting thing about the Cold War is that you can choose any path, either going peaceful against the Soviet menace, or completely decimating the United States with nuclear missiles.

[i]Rise of Nations: Thrones and Patriots[/i] is one of the best and comprehensive expansions I have ever played. It goes far beyond what the usual expansion does by adding in enough content to make it almost like a completely new game. The deal is even sweeter thanks to the fact that [i]Thrones and Patriots[/i] costs the same amount as your average expansion pack. If you’re an avid player of the original [i]Rise of Nations[/i], then there is every reason for you to purchase [i]Thrones and Patriots[/i]. With its great updates and new features, it is possibly one of the most quality expansion packs ever made.

Star Wars: Empire at War

March 19, 2006

PC / Reviews / by Chris Massey Make a comment! / Tweet it!

[i]Star Wars[/i] has explored plenty of different game genres in the past. From the old [i]X-Wing[/i] simulators to the Battlefield-like atmosphere of the [i]Battlefront[/i] series, Lucas’ movies have been around the block. But one of the few genres [i]Star Wars[/i] hasn’t seen such success in is the real time strategy area. We’ve seen a few companies try to mold [i]Star Wars[/i] into an RTS, but they didn’t do too hot when they hit retail. Now we’ve got the latest attempt to enter the genre with [i]Star Wars: Empire at War[/i], which not only tries to break the traditional formula of an RTS but at the same time learns from the mistakes of previous games trying to translate [i]Star Wars[/i] into the strategy formula. Not everything hits the mark, but [i]Empire at War[/i] is the best way for strategy fans to get their [i]Star Wars[/i] fix.

Strategy fans will be relieved to know that Petroglyph Studios is behind [i]Empire at War[/i]. Petroglyph is a new company founded by several members of the former Westwood Studios, known for the seminal Command & Conquer series. It’s obvious that they haven’t lost their edge since leaving Westwood, and they have finally managed to translate the [i]Star Wars[/i] universe into a competent strategy game. Based on the period between [i]Star Wars: Episode III[/i] and [i]Episode IV[/i], [i]Empire at War[/i] allows the player to choose between playing as the fledgling Rebel Alliance or the ruthless Galactic Empire. The best way of summing up the story of the game is that you are given the chance to recreate [i]Star Wars[/i] history, retelling the events of [i]A New Hope[/i] or destroying the galaxy with the Emperor’s Death Star.

[i]Empire at War[/i] is a bit unconventional for a standard strategy game. Things work on a sort-of multi-layered strategy experience. On one side, you are given a view of the entire galaxy with the ability to take over every planet from Hoth to Coruscant. It is on each individual planet where the majority of your structures and armies are built, allocating funds from each of your controlled planets. Stacking up your planet’s space defenses are critical for staving off fleets of Imperial Star Destroyers, and building ground forces is key to capturing enemy-controlled planets. From the planetary view, a space or land battle may be initiated, leading into the second layer of strategy (which is the standard RTS view where you control your units). Depending on what units are included in your attacking or defending force from the planetary view, you battle the enemy with what you have brought along or stacked on your planet. This eliminates the all too familiar resource gathering aspects from the game, and allows you to bring powerful AT-ATs in right from the start of the battle, that is if you’ve made sure to bring them along on an invasion.

It’s in space that [i]Empire at War[/i] shines its brightest. The game includes every sort of spacecraft you could imagine from [i]Star Wars[/i], and each unit brings something different to the battlefield. Mon Calamari cruisers shoot it out with gigantic Star Destroyers while X-Wings and TIE fighters dogfight in-between the fray. While [i]Empire at War[/i] isn’t the most graphically appealing game, the battles in space look great and are easily the most visually appealing thing in this game. Combat in space also attempts to give the player some different tactics than those seen in the ground battles, such as targeting hard points to disable the engines of a cruiser and attacking the helpless carriers transporting AT-ATs en route to the planet. It’s refreshing to see how the developers tried to incorporate different forms of play into each gametype.

Unfortunately, whereas the battles in space are stellar, the ground battles are less than overwhelming. This isn’t to say the ground combat is terrible, but it is certainly doesn’t do too many things different from other strategy games. When compared to the planetary and space modes, fighting on the ground seems somewhat out of place in [i]Empire at War[/i]. Accompanying the mediocre ground combat are mediocre graphics. The textures on planets aren’t exactly that groundbreaking, and aside from different climates, one planet doesn’t look too different from the next. Whereas space battles have fairly good visuals, things look pretty ugly on the ground, including polygonal infantry units, some awkward animations, and other unappealing sights. Granted, these problems don’t show up as much when the camera is far off, but seeing as how the developers included an up-close cinematic camera, it seems strange that things would look so poor in this area.

Hero units deserve some mention. Han Solo, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and all the usual characters associated with [i]Star Wars[/i] make it into [i]Empire at War[/i], and each character brings different skills and advantages to the battlefield. Some like Admiral Piett and Admiral Ackbar come packaged with impressive capitol ships while others like Mon Mothma give bonuses to production needs. Almost any character put into a battle can turn the tide of battle with the special powers they are given. Even the smallest Corellian Cruiser piloted by Captain Antilles can use his weakening powers to lower the damage Star Destroyers deal. The hero units add a lot of variety to the game, and let’s face it, it wouldn’t be a [i]Star Wars[/i] game if the defining characters were absent.

Being a [i]Star Wars[/i] game, you would probably expect some great sound to come in the package, and you would be right. In fact, the developers have outdone themselves in terms of audio in [i]Empire at War[/i]. All the standard John Williams music is included, but aside from good music quality, the sound effects are also pretty stellar. Particularly in space, the sounds of explosions, turret fire, engines blazing and X-Wing pilots chiming in are all clean and crisp. However, the sound quality is also in full force in the other areas of the game, and while ground combat got a beating earlier, the sound is also excellent on land as well. The sound really makes it feel like you’re down in the middle of everything, and this will be one of those games you’ll want to pump up the volume with.

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