Star Wars: Force Commander

by LucasArts

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002SV6G
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: March 21, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (73 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #27,626 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #80 in Video Games > PC Games > Strategy > Real-Time
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Star Wars: Force Commander, which casts you as one of the Empire's sinister agents, takes the Star Wars universe into the real-time strategy (RTS) genre. The gameplay follows standard RTS control conventions, so anyone familiar with StarCraft, Command & Conquer, and the like will be able to enforce the Emperor's will in no time.

Force Commander differs from traditional RTS games by eliminating resource gathering. Instead, players receive command points for accomplishing mission objectives, controlling key buildings, or blowing up enemy units. Command points are used to requisition troops and buildings from an orbiting Star Destroyer.

Star Wars fans will find much to love in the plot. Force Commander begins with your small training platoon being ordered to investigate a certain escape pod that has crashed on Tatooine. Caught up in events that will forever change the galaxy, your career takes you to such far away worlds as Tatooine, Yavin, Hoth, Endor--even Coruscant. With each successful mission comes an increase in rank and larger forces of Storm Troopers, speeder bikes, TIE Fighters, and AT-ATs. Being able to take part in the Echo Base assault on Hoth (and other key conflicts from the movies) is a Star Wars fan's dream come true, and we'll be forever grateful to LucasArts for giving us the opportunity to hunt down Ewoks on Endor. --Mike Fehlauer

Pros:

• Play as the Imperials or the Rebels, in single player and online
• Fully 3-D units and terrain
• Units gain experience, and surviving units can be used in subsequent missions
• Perfectly authentic sound effects
• Storyline puts you in the pivotal battles of Star Wars

Cons:

• Hefty system requirements
• Occasional texture breaks on the 3-D terrain
• Units not from the movies look out of place
• Ugly interface

Product Description

Take command in intense land-based campaignes in an epic story set during the original Star Wars trilogy. Experience full 3D encironments, vehicles and troops for a truly immersive Star Wars experience. Deploy over 100 Star Wars military units, including AT-ATs and snowspeeders

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Command Points, March 20, 2000

By 

Thomas Anderson "Metal Head" (Harrisburg, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Star Wars: Force Commander (CD-ROM)

The downside as mentioned in the previous view is what makes this RTS different from the rest. This game uses a system of "Command Points" instead of the usual resource gathering of every other RTS game out there.

The Command Point (CP) system works like prestige points. Destroy enemy units, gain CPs. Occupy enemy structures, gain CPs. Achieve mission goals, gain CPs. This was done in order to force the player to use combined arms instead of the cliched "Tank Rush" tactic used in alot of RTS's like Command & Conquer and clones.

The units in Force Commander work like a "Rock, Paper, Scissors" way. You would NOT want to storm your opponent with 50 AT-ATs because they suck against infantry, namely the Rebel Infiltrators which can take-over an enemy vehicle just like Chewbacca took over the AT-ST in "Jedi". So of course, to counter Rebel infantry, you want to use fast moving AT-PTs.

You lose CPs for not using what you've got, so basically it's like if you just sit around and not do anything, you would lose prestige points with your superiors. Achieve your goals and thus gain CPs.

GAME MECHANICS -Screen resolutions up to 1024 x 768 x 32 -3D Accelerated -3D floating camera--zoom out to a bird's-eye-view, or get right down on the ground with your troops. -Classic John Williams soundtrack REMIXED with modern music, ie Heavy Rock.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Played it... Love it!, March 22, 2000

By 

Josh Wilshire (Cary, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Star Wars: Force Commander (CD-ROM)

After playing this game for a few hours I think it is safe for me to say this game is awesome, I am truly impressed. The free floating camera range of movement and the ability to zoom or adjust to any spot is impressive. The rendered graphics, are no slouch either. Even the battlefields are done with meticulous detail. From the snowy mountains of Hoth to sand blowing across the Tatooine desert, it's all here!

All this would be pointless without great gameplay. Lucky for us LucasArts has covered all the bases there too. It plays similar to Age of Empires II or Starcraft, but with more available interaction. You can claim an enemy base as your own by raiding it, you can send a stormtrooper to hop aboard a dewback and wreak havoc, you can even take over Imperial walkers with rebel infiltrators and turn them against the Empire. The command point system isn't that bad either, basically it amounts to the more you please your superiors, the more inclined they will be to send reinforcements you request. It also helps keep the game more realistic.

To top all this off, the campaigns take you through missions and events from the original trilogy and even some in-betweeners. You'll also recognize familiar faces like R2, Chewie, Han, and Lord Vader himself as you progress. Bottom line, kudos to the folks at LucasArts for giving Star Wars fans and strategy fans alike a game worthy of applause!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars FoCom is a solid game, but has a few underlying difficulties, March 28, 2000

By 

Craig Kafura (Salem, Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Wars: Force Commander (CD-ROM)

Force Comander is all that I expected: good graphics, awesome cutscenes, new units...and a step learning curve. This is embodied in the BHCI, which gives you command over your troops. You have to learn how to use the camera associated with the BHCI, and this is not an easy thing. I have found myself staring at sand, trying to figue out how to move the camera, while a single Tusken Raider destroys my AT-PT and sandtroopers.

This is overshadowed once you learn how to use the camera, because the moving viewpoints are truly awesome. You can watch as your stormtroopers destroy a small Rebel outpost, or view your AT-PT slaughter rebel troopers. Overall, FoCom is a solid game that should provide many hours of enjoyable gameplay. I reccomend FoCom to Star Wars fans and anyone who likes strategy games.