Review: STAR WARS™: Empire at War – Gold Pack

Introduction

Title: STAR WARS™: Empire at War – Gold Pack
Developer: Petroglyph Games
Publisher: LucasArts
Platform: PC
Overview: Released in 2006, Empire at War is a real-time strategy game set in the Star Wars universe. It lets players control either the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, or, through expansions, other factions in the Star Wars saga, engaging in epic space and ground battles. The Gold Pack includes the base game and its two expansions—Forces of Corruption, which adds the criminal Black Sun faction, and the original Empire at War expansion that offers additional units and campaigns.

Story and Narrative

Plot: While Empire at War is an RTS and doesn't focus on deep storytelling like an RPG, its setting and the overarching Star Wars narrative are integral to the experience. Players take control of either the Rebel Alliance's fight for freedom or the Galactic Empire's quest for galactic dominance. The story is told through the context of missions and objectives, with campaign modes for both the Empire and the Rebels, each leading up to key moments from the original trilogy. Forces of Corruption introduces the Black Sun criminal syndicate, giving players a new angle on the Star Wars universe through underworld politics and power struggles.

Character Moments: While you don’t play as iconic characters like Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader directly, there are plenty of familiar faces that appear as units or commanders. Heroes like Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Emperor Palpatine can command troops on the battlefield, and their personalities are reflected in how they perform during combat. Their presence helps immerse players into the Star Wars mythos.

Gameplay Mechanics

Combat System: Empire at War combines large-scale space battles with tactical ground warfare, creating a unique blend of RTS gameplay. On the ground, you control infantry, vehicles, and buildings, and must strategically manage resources while defeating the enemy forces. The space battles are equally thrilling, featuring capital ships, starfighters, and space stations engaging in massive dogfights or coordinated assaults. The game’s tactical depth comes from managing both space and ground battles simultaneously—winning in one can help secure the other, and vice versa.

Ground Battles: Ground combat is RTS 101, but the Star Wars twist comes through the faction-specific units, such as the Empire’s AT-AT walkers or the Rebel's speeder bikes. Units are customizable, and you can upgrade them or deploy special abilities depending on the hero or unit type. The game offers a satisfying balance of base-building, strategy, and resource management.

Space Battles: The real standout in Empire at War is the space combat. Players can command massive capital ships like the Star Destroyer or the Mon Calamari cruisers, along with starfighters and other space units. The battles feel true to Star Wars, with ships moving in 3D space, blasting at each other with lasers, and capital ships having powerful shields and weapons that require strategy to defeat.

Campaign and Skirmish Modes: In campaign mode, you control entire factions, building fleets, armies, and managing resources across planets in the galaxy. In the Gold Pack, you get the full experience with campaigns for both the Rebels and the Empire, each with unique missions and strategies. The Forces of Corruption expansion adds a third campaign with the Black Sun, which introduces new strategic elements, including bribing factions, recruiting mercenaries, and sabotaging enemies.

Multiplayer: While the game was initially praised for its multiplayer modes, the community is now limited due to the game’s age. However, Empire at War still offers local skirmish battles where you can play against AI or a friend in a head-to-head match, which is a great way to experience the game’s strategic depth if you can’t find an active multiplayer community.

Visuals and Audio

Graphics: Although Empire at War was released in 2006, the game holds up well for its time. The space battles are visually impressive, with detailed ships and explosions that capture the epic feel of Star Wars dogfights. The ground battles feature well-animated infantry and vehicles, but the terrain and environments are fairly basic, which reflects the game’s age. The most striking visuals come when controlling larger ships or zooming in on epic space battles.

Soundtrack/Voice Acting: As with any Star Wars game, the audio is top-notch. The soundtrack features iconic John Williams music, adding an extra layer of immersion. Sound effects like the hum of blasters, the roar of TIE fighters, and the booming of Star Destroyers in space are spot-on and contribute heavily to the game’s Star Wars atmosphere. Though the voice acting is a bit minimal for most units, the inclusion of memorable characters from the movies (in both sound and appearance) helps reinforce the feeling of participating in the Star Wars universe.

Overall Design

World-Building: The Gold Pack offers a great representation of the Star Wars galaxy, with a wide variety of planets and locations from the original trilogy. The Galactic map gives players a top-down view of the galaxy, where they can move between planets, conquer territories, and plan large-scale campaigns. The inclusion of Forces of Corruption expands the world-building by adding the criminal underworld and providing more variety to the factions.

UI/UX: The user interface is functional but shows its age, with menus and controls that can feel clunky by modern RTS standards. The game’s economy and resource management systems are easy to grasp, but navigating between space and ground battles can take some getting used to. However, the tutorial is solid and should ease new players into the game’s mechanics.

Performance and Technical Aspects

Performance: Empire at War runs smoothly on modern PCs, even though it was released nearly two decades ago. It’s a relatively light game in terms of system requirements, and players should expect few performance issues on contemporary hardware.

Platform Performance: On the PC, the game plays without major technical issues. However, being an older game, it does require some tinkering if you want to run it on modern systems (like compatibility mode on Windows). The Gold Pack itself doesn’t include any updates or mods, but the community has created plenty of fan-made patches and mods to improve the experience and add new content.

Replayability and Longevity

Endgame Content: The Gold Pack is packed with content, including the base game, two expansions, and multiple campaign modes. The game's skirmish mode provides hours of replayability, especially with the introduction of new factions and units in Forces of Corruption. The game can feel a bit repetitive in the long term, especially in the single-player campaigns, but fans of Star Wars and RTS enthusiasts will find plenty of fun in the tactical combat and managing armies and fleets.

Difficulty: The game offers multiple difficulty levels, allowing players to tweak the challenge to suit their tastes. The AI is capable, though not always brilliant in its tactics, making it a satisfying challenge for casual RTS fans and experienced players alike.

Final Thoughts and Rating

Pros:
Fun, fast-paced space and ground combat
Strong Star Wars atmosphere with iconic ships, characters, and planets
Strategic depth and faction variety with the expansions
Detailed battles, especially space combat, feel epic and immersive

Cons:
Ageing graphics and UI can feel clunky
Limited voice acting for ground units
Single-player campaigns can get repetitive over time

Review: STAR WARS™: Empire at War – Gold Pack Introduction Title: STAR WARS™: Empire at War – Gold Pack Developer: Petroglyph Games Publisher: LucasArts Platform: PC Overview: Released in 2006, Empire at War is a real-time strategy game set in the Star Wars universe. It lets players control either the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, or, through expansions, other factions in the Star Wars saga, engaging in epic space and ground battles. The Gold Pack includes the base game and its two expansions—Forces of Corruption, which adds the criminal Black Sun faction, and the original Empire at War expansion that offers additional units and campaigns. Story and Narrative Plot: While Empire at War is an RTS and doesn't focus on deep storytelling like an RPG, its setting and the overarching Star Wars narrative are integral to the experience. Players take control of either the Rebel Alliance's fight for freedom or the Galactic Empire's quest for galactic dominance. The story is told through the context of missions and objectives, with campaign modes for both the Empire and the Rebels, each leading up to key moments from the original trilogy. Forces of Corruption introduces the Black Sun criminal syndicate, giving players a new angle on the Star Wars universe through underworld politics and power struggles. Character Moments: While you don’t play as iconic characters like Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader directly, there are plenty of familiar faces that appear as units or commanders. Heroes like Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Han Solo, and Emperor Palpatine can command troops on the battlefield, and their personalities are reflected in how they perform during combat. Their presence helps immerse players into the Star Wars mythos. Gameplay Mechanics Combat System: Empire at War combines large-scale space battles with tactical ground warfare, creating a unique blend of RTS gameplay. On the ground, you control infantry, vehicles, and buildings, and must strategically manage resources while defeating the enemy forces. The space battles are equally thrilling, featuring capital ships, starfighters, and space stations engaging in massive dogfights or coordinated assaults. The game’s tactical depth comes from managing both space and ground battles simultaneously—winning in one can help secure the other, and vice versa. Ground Battles: Ground combat is RTS 101, but the Star Wars twist comes through the faction-specific units, such as the Empire’s AT-AT walkers or the Rebel's speeder bikes. Units are customizable, and you can upgrade them or deploy special abilities depending on the hero or unit type. The game offers a satisfying balance of base-building, strategy, and resource management. Space Battles: The real standout in Empire at War is the space combat. Players can command massive capital ships like the Star Destroyer or the Mon Calamari cruisers, along with starfighters and other space units. The battles feel true to Star Wars, with ships moving in 3D space, blasting at each other with lasers, and capital ships having powerful shields and weapons that require strategy to defeat. Campaign and Skirmish Modes: In campaign mode, you control entire factions, building fleets, armies, and managing resources across planets in the galaxy. In the Gold Pack, you get the full experience with campaigns for both the Rebels and the Empire, each with unique missions and strategies. The Forces of Corruption expansion adds a third campaign with the Black Sun, which introduces new strategic elements, including bribing factions, recruiting mercenaries, and sabotaging enemies. Multiplayer: While the game was initially praised for its multiplayer modes, the community is now limited due to the game’s age. However, Empire at War still offers local skirmish battles where you can play against AI or a friend in a head-to-head match, which is a great way to experience the game’s strategic depth if you can’t find an active multiplayer community. Visuals and Audio Graphics: Although Empire at War was released in 2006, the game holds up well for its time. The space battles are visually impressive, with detailed ships and explosions that capture the epic feel of Star Wars dogfights. The ground battles feature well-animated infantry and vehicles, but the terrain and environments are fairly basic, which reflects the game’s age. The most striking visuals come when controlling larger ships or zooming in on epic space battles. Soundtrack/Voice Acting: As with any Star Wars game, the audio is top-notch. The soundtrack features iconic John Williams music, adding an extra layer of immersion. Sound effects like the hum of blasters, the roar of TIE fighters, and the booming of Star Destroyers in space are spot-on and contribute heavily to the game’s Star Wars atmosphere. Though the voice acting is a bit minimal for most units, the inclusion of memorable characters from the movies (in both sound and appearance) helps reinforce the feeling of participating in the Star Wars universe. Overall Design World-Building: The Gold Pack offers a great representation of the Star Wars galaxy, with a wide variety of planets and locations from the original trilogy. The Galactic map gives players a top-down view of the galaxy, where they can move between planets, conquer territories, and plan large-scale campaigns. The inclusion of Forces of Corruption expands the world-building by adding the criminal underworld and providing more variety to the factions. UI/UX: The user interface is functional but shows its age, with menus and controls that can feel clunky by modern RTS standards. The game’s economy and resource management systems are easy to grasp, but navigating between space and ground battles can take some getting used to. However, the tutorial is solid and should ease new players into the game’s mechanics. Performance and Technical Aspects Performance: Empire at War runs smoothly on modern PCs, even though it was released nearly two decades ago. It’s a relatively light game in terms of system requirements, and players should expect few performance issues on contemporary hardware. Platform Performance: On the PC, the game plays without major technical issues. However, being an older game, it does require some tinkering if you want to run it on modern systems (like compatibility mode on Windows). The Gold Pack itself doesn’t include any updates or mods, but the community has created plenty of fan-made patches and mods to improve the experience and add new content. Replayability and Longevity Endgame Content: The Gold Pack is packed with content, including the base game, two expansions, and multiple campaign modes. The game's skirmish mode provides hours of replayability, especially with the introduction of new factions and units in Forces of Corruption. The game can feel a bit repetitive in the long term, especially in the single-player campaigns, but fans of Star Wars and RTS enthusiasts will find plenty of fun in the tactical combat and managing armies and fleets. Difficulty: The game offers multiple difficulty levels, allowing players to tweak the challenge to suit their tastes. The AI is capable, though not always brilliant in its tactics, making it a satisfying challenge for casual RTS fans and experienced players alike. Final Thoughts and Rating Pros: Fun, fast-paced space and ground combat Strong Star Wars atmosphere with iconic ships, characters, and planets Strategic depth and faction variety with the expansions Detailed battles, especially space combat, feel epic and immersive Cons: Ageing graphics and UI can feel clunky Limited voice acting for ground units Single-player campaigns can get repetitive over time