Customer Reviews

Star Wars: Empire at War

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was surprised at how well this Mac version of the PC game performed (Intel only). Very engaging with good space and land battles (really two different games). One of the strongest points is the free-form campaign game, which gives the game some pretty serious re-playability over time.

Considering how few "strategy" type games there are for the Mac still (comparatively), this is a good addition to your library if you like the RTS genre.

Tech Note: I am running a MacBook with 2GB RAM, and it seems to run smoothly in the low-mid graphic range.

Seems that most of the negative reviews of this game don't see the game for what it is, which is kind of an animated board game. You control troops and vehicles on the planet surface, building and preparing and working out a strategy for capturing enemy bases and building up reserves of both defenses and credits (which does strike me as funny; I thought basically the Empire just took what it wanted, eh?). The strategy is similar for the space battles, except instead of ground troops and their vehicles you're dealing with capital ships and fighters, and enemy stations and outposts. (Speaking of, if you like the space strategy but would like a bit more, I'd recommend Homeworld 2 (Mac))

So if you're looking for a FPS or flight-sim type action game, move along. This game isn't for you. But if you like board games -- especially something like the STAR WARS version of RISK -- this will be enjoyable fun for you (and your kids).

Great game overall. I played Star Wars Rebellion (the game which this apparently was based off of) back in the '90s, and really enjoyed it. When I saw the trailer for Empire at War, it was like an updated version of Rebellion. Empire at War is great because you control everything from the large-scale economic/industrial growth (like creating factories and economic centers on different planets) to commanding the movement of different fleet all the way down to commanding individual ships/units in the midst of battle. If only they could add in a FPS element (like Star Wars Battlefront) into the battles, then in this game, you would control everything.

The one downside to this game is that the campaigns are rather limited. After playing once through a campaign, it really didn't seem worth it to try again on a harder difficulty. And the non-campaign maps are only good for playing so many times.

Still, I'd give it an 9/10. The graphics are great, the gameplay is great, it just needs more development in the campaign storyline.

Apparently this game is a huge hit.
I gave this game to my husband as a gift and we have had only rare sightings of him since.

DeathStar, star destroyers, fighting in space , fight on land; what more could you want. YOU are the Supreme Commander to take over the Universe.

Take charge as the Rebellion or Empire! Use your talent to crush the enemy. Command your fleet and battle your way through levels concerning you and your allies: as hon solo, Luke skywalker and or the emperor, and also yours and truley Darthvader. Command any of these charaters plusthe rest of the fleet that they fight alongside with. Ocourse the graphics may be a bit chessey, but I promise you this; if you wanted your own empire or to build your strength, you and this game were made for each other. Starwars Empire at War, this game has your Name written all over it!

By the way, don't forget to destroy the planet of Alderaan by using the deathstar, cause you can do that as well. That's what's awsome about this game, using the deathstars greatest weapon the destroy planets for the sake of it.

You must get this game, or the Emipre will get You.
Joking in a way, funny way that's is;)

This is a fun game and allows you to command both land and space forces. It's more of a strategy game where you direct units. I enjoyed the ability to play battles at the head of Star Wars fleets. The game includes most of the main ships from the movies (although the TIE Interceptor and B-Wing are conspicuous absences), as well as new vehicles. As fun as it is though, the concept gets old pretty quickly. There are only a limited number of combat spaces, and aside from the background scenery there are few differences between them. Moreover, the game limits the number of forces you can build, so at most you can only fight with 2-3 large capital ships at a time. Perhaps the biggest problem is that it's fairly easy to build a huge fleet and conquer at will. Despite that, it's a great opportunity to command Star Wars fleets. I got mine as part of a pack of games, and I don't know if I'd buy it alone, but I'm glad I did eventually get it.

This is by far the funnest RTS I have ever played, but it is far too easy. If you're looking for a hardcore challenge, this probably isn't the game for you.

Game has worked great, seemed to crash once, hasn't since and it's been a lot of fun.

The game itself if pretty great. However, don't even think of playing it on a new computer or on a machine running 10.7. Aspyr does not support this game in the disc version and does not have patches or updates available. If you want an update, buy it from the app store (their words, not mine).

This was my first mac game and it came through in flying colors. It is WAY faster than on the pc. game is a bit lacking compared to its pc-only expansion, but its campaigns are well thought out and full of options. Definitely would recommend this to anyone with a leopard or better mac osx.