Emperor: Battle for Dune

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Experience firsthand the full 3D universe of Dune. Play solo, head to head, cooperatively with a friend, aggressively against the computer or take on up to 7 others in all-out mayhem.
• Battle for Dune as one of 3 unique cultures: the noble Atreides, the evil Harkonnen or the secretive Ordos
• Align with any of 5 powerful subgroups including the stealth-minded Fremen and merciless Sarduakar to access new technologies and units.
• Explore 5 different landscapes including lush prairies, industrial wastelands, frozen tundras and the harsh desert of Dune. From the Dust Scout to the Devastator war machine, each unit plays a role.
• Challenge yourself in over 150 single-player missions where you must conquer, defend or retreat from 33 individual territories on the innovative campaign map.

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000056KDY
• Item Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: June 13, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (88 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,467 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #50 in Video Games > PC Games > Strategy > Real-Time
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Emperor returns gamers to Dune, land of sand, home of the spice and the first real-time strategy title. This all-new game presents the Dune universe in full 3-D. As in the classic Dune 2, players can command three unique political houses: noble Attreides, evil Harkonnen, and insidious Ordos. Five powerful subgroups add to the volatile political climate. There are four game worlds to battle on, and players can choose large-scale strategic advances or ground-level tactics. Gamers can wage war online both head-to-head and cooperatively.

Product Description

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressive, September 19, 2001

By 

Yu-jin Chia "Yu-Jin Chia" (Cupertino, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emperor: Battle for Dune (CD-ROM)

All right, I've heard all the complaints I ever want to about how Westwood never does anything new with its C&C franchise. But hey, it works, doesn't it? Time and again, experiments have shown that changing a tried-and-true formula usually ends in disaster. Just look at Force Commander if you don't believe me. Additionally, with Emperor, they really have done something new.

Obvious things first- the graphics. You'll immediately notice this, unless you are blind. They are more than impressive, but utterly astonishing in detail and workmanship. You can zoom, pan, and rotate to see the different vehicle models, all done in gorgeous 3-D. Aside from the structures and units, combat looks fantastic. I was almost tempted to blast my own base after missions, just to see the fireworks.

The single player campaigns are far more interesting, since you can ally yourself with any of five different sub-houses, each offering tempting units. You can also attack and defend at will, and when you defend, your old bases will be reactivated. It's an interesting touch, and one that makes the campaigns much more fun than any previous Dune or C&C-type game. You'll also get various secondary objectives, some of which can be pretty fun to carry out.

The balance is excellent. Each house has its strengths and weaknesses, as do the sub-houses. I don't think the debate will ever end as to which combination works best, since it's really just a matter of favorites.

Of course, no game is without it's problems, and Emperor is no exception. I found that defending in the campaigns is laughably easy if you just attack your intruder right away. You'll also probably know the map, so you can exploit its advantages to better destroy them.

Path-finding can be a pain at times. Although it does work, it seems they tried to make units have realistic 'space' to take up, which means they don't bump into each other. This is cool to a certain extent, and that limit is when you can't move something from point A to point B.

The acting is a bit forced. I'm not one to complain too much about cinematics and actors, since they're only there to augment the game, but at times it was really quite bad. The Atreides mentat in particular struck me as an evil person, which just doesn't fit the House.

The plot is weird. I can't really explain it otherwise, other than to recommend you read the books (they're great, anyway). I know the folks at Westwood are leaning more towards the movie version of Dune, not the novel. However, the way they have taken the story seems an amalgamation of elements from God Emperor of Dune, the movie, and... well... something. For example, they never really explained how the Atreides recovered from being handily slaughtered by the Harkonnen and Sardaukar. This will probably be of concern only to a Dune purist, though, and should not deter you from playing the game.

All in all, Emperor was a pretty riveting experience. If you were disappointed by Dune 2000 (basically just a remake of Dune 2), then you will want to check this one out. It surely won't disappoint.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Return To The Dune Universe, June 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Emperor: Battle for Dune (CD-ROM)

Dune 2 was the first RTS game (something which many people seem to forget these days), and, in my opinion, wasn't ever beaten. The newer games that came along did indeed boast superior graphics, but the gameplay was abismal and strategy taking the back seat with mass producing tanks being the way to win against a stupid AI.

Dune 2000 was a disapointment, with it basically being Red Alert on Arrakis. Nothing had been improved.

Now, with Dune Emperor, things have taken a turn for the better. There are actually improvements beyond graphics for the first time in the Westwood RTS series.

The strategy here is far greater than ever before, and the different Houses far different from one another. The strategy does not end on the battlefield, with important decisions being made between missions, that do drastically alter the gameplay.

Alongside all this, you have the different factions from the novels being represented, such as the Bene Tleilax and the Spacing Guild, whom can become allies if you play your cards right.

And, continuing this expansion, you not only war on Dune, but also on the homeworlds of the three houses !

Plus, especially on Arrakis, you have more than just the enemy to contend with. With storms and sandworms, there's more than enough. But, then there's also Shai Hulud lurking in the deep deserts, capable of swallowing whole squadrons of troops or vehicles ! (Scale is finally right here !).

The interface itself is drastically improved, and you can even zoom in on the map, zoom out, spin around ... Imagine that watching a battle !

All in all, this is a fantastic game, and the step forward in RTS gaming we've all been waiting a decade for. And what better setting than the greatest science fiction epic of all time - the Dune Saga.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Effort, June 21, 2001

By 

James Riley (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emperor: Battle for Dune (CD-ROM)

Westwood did a good job with this one. It helps to be familiar with the Herbert Books, as there are many referenses to characters, places, and creatures. The three houses you are able to choose from are unique enough to make playing each one enjoyable and different. The graphics are unmatched. They are so high-end that even though my 16MB memory card should be good enough, I need to upgrade. My only faults with the game are with some of the gameplay itself. I think the Blizzard games (Warcraft and Starcraft) do a better job with upgrades. Units in Dune are as strong as they will ever get once you create them. I like having several ways to improve units. The gameplay in Red Alert II offered far more ways to vary your forces. Its almost as if Westwood sunk most of its effort into plot and not enough on the interface. The story line is rich however, it will imerse you in Herbert's world for hours. Overall, worth the money and time spent playing.