by Aspyr Media
Platform:
Mac OS X
(15)3 used & new from $54.95
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A long time ago, an awesome real-time strategy game set in Earth's past named Age of Empires II was unleashed on an unwitting public. Almost immediately, it took its place among the best games of its genre. Galactic Battlegrounds takes many of the elements that made Age of Empires II so good and gives them a complete Star Wars makeover. The gameplay is so similar, it's hard to recommend it to anyone with a copy of AOE II. However, if you haven't played AOE II, or you're a hard-core Star Wars fan, you might just find this game to be strong in the Force.
Battlegrounds offers you the chance to become a leader in deciding some of the most important battles of the Star Wars mythology. As in other real-time strategy games, you'll concern yourself with such things as keeping your troops fed, advancing technology, and trade. And, of course, keeping your base from getting completely wiped out is generally considered a plus.
Among the few enhancements Battlegrounds makes to the Age of Empires II engine is the bigger technology tree (more stuff to invent and play with) and air and anti-air units (TIE fighters, X-wings, etc.). Most of the favorite races, machinery, and characters of the films are also well represented. Wookiees, Jedi, the Trade Federation, Darth Vader, Luke, and the rest of the gang (including Jar Jar) are all there for you to command in the campaign mode. Those looking to wage war in the battles seen in the films might be somewhat disappointed, as many of the missions, while no less important, take place parallel (and usually very close to) those shown in movies.
Thankfully, a few of the better-known skirmishes have been incorporated in the game--just don't expect to significantly alter Star Wars history. For example, when controlling Imperial forces in the Battle of Hoth (the snow battle from The Empire Strikes Back), you lead your troops in an effort to annihilate Rebel scum before they can flee the planet. Can you change the outcome of the battle seen in the films? Aside from losing your commander and immediately losing the game, no. But the stories behind the skirmishes depicted throughout Battlegrounds do fit well into the Star Wars myth and are usually fun. There are also quite a few standalone missions, a random map generator, and tools for creating your own battles. It's enough to keep hard-core Star Wars fans ignoring their earthly responsibilities for a good long time.
Battlegrounds is, at its core, a modification of Age of Empires II and it plays about as well as can be expected. Fortunately, despite its somewhat outdated graphics, Battlegrounds' famous characters and locales add just enough Star Wars flavor to help make it a solid game in its own right.
Pros:
- Puts you in command of AT-ATs, stormtroopers, and Jedi
- Familiar Star Wars locales, characters, and music
- Uses the familiar (and very good) Age of Empires II interface
- Interesting main campaign that spans the films and goes beyond Return of the Jedi
- Outdated graphics lack definition and are rather flat
- AT-ATs too small, TIEs and X-wings hover instead of fly
The destiny of a galaxy hangs in the balance, and you're in command. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds lets you lead Star Wars armies to victory in intense real-time strategy clashes. Enter the fray as the Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, Trade Federation, Wookiees, and other civilizations or organizations in campaigns that will determine the final outcome of the Galactic Civil War.
Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds is an epic real-time strategy set against a backdrop of the entire Star Wars saga. The conflicts involve six key civilizations: Galactic Empire, Rebel Alliance, Wookiees, Gungans, Royal Naboo, and the Trade Federation. Execute your campaign over land, sea, and air with more than 300 different units and structures in single-player campaigns, skirmishes, and multiplayer battles.
Combat arenas extend from interstellar asteroids and aerial encounters to submerged cities and ground battles. Deploy vast legions of units into battle--up to 200 per side--with groups that include bounty hunters, Jedi Knights, stormtroopers, X-Wings, AT-ATs, snowspeeders, AT-STs, Wookiee Kas tanks, and droids. Manage your resources and integrate the power of upgradable technology into your strategy, such as Wookiee ingenuity, advanced Gungan biotechnology, and Jedi stamina. Each technology level brings new wonders and new forces. Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds features accessible gameplay built upon the familiar RTS engine adapted from Ensemble's popular Age of Empires series. Use the scenario editor to create custom single- or multiplayer battlegrounds with virtually any Star Wars units and settings.
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