Customer Reviews

Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

Those of you that had the displeasure of playing LucasArts' first attempt at Star Wars real time strategy might be disinclined to take the bait a second time. You would be missing out, however, as Galactic Battlegrounds goes a good way towards making up for its abominable predecessor. While GB is definitely not an attempt to create a unique RTS system, at least it works, which is far better than can be said about FC.

Galactic Battlegrounds uses the AOE 2 engine, and it plays a lot like Age of Kings. If you're experienced with the medieval-era strategy game, you probably won't even need to play the tutorial or read the manual. Now, before you run off and dismiss this game as Age of Kings with Star Wars sprites, you should know that the Star Wars sprites are really quite cool. Also, the game actually does play quite a bit differently, owing to the fact that almost all the units are ranged and there are air units. If you discount the last fact (as I did at least once) you risk the nasty surprise of having your opponent flatten your base with bombers.

Another one of the best things about Battlegrounds is that it runs very smoothly over even a mediocre internet connection, much like AOE 2 does. It also enjoys rock-solid stability and a few useful improvements over the old game engine. For example, when you build a harvesting center, the workers you used to make it will automatically start harvesting when they're done building. Also, the 'idle villager' button flashes when there is one, so you don't have to keep clicking on it to find out.

Of course, nothing is perfect, and although Battlegrounds sure seems perfect in the light of its predecessor, it could have been better. The graphics are only so-so. I really think LucasArts could have done a better job with the blaster shots and explosions. They are all non-antialiased colored lines and white flashes- the sort of thing you'd expect a 3 year old with crayons to draw. This wouldn't be so bad if you weren't always staring at them. I should also note here, however, that the graphics (aside from scaling) are arguably better than Force Commander's. This says a lot when you consider the fact that that game was 3-D. On another aesthetic note, but hardly the least important one, the original John Williams soundtrack is retained in this game. If there is any immediate indicator that LucasArts has learned from FC and worked to amend its deficiencies, this is it. Also, I'm sure many will agree that there could hardly be a be a better tune for playing against your best friend or kid brother than 'Duel of the Fates.'

Another probable defficiency is that the game plays too much like Age of Kings. This goes down all the way to the scenarios, which aside from different heroes, run in a VERY similar fashion to the AOE 2 single player missions. The only real difference in the campaign is that each mission line has a 'bonus mission' that plays out a hypothetical alternate battle. Some of them are quite fun- say, the big slaughter of Gungans, including everyone's favorite, Jar-Jar Binks. If you've ever sadistically wondered how Darth Maul stacks up against him, here's your chance to find out. You can also (if you're good) win the battle of Hoth and generally make hay out of the canonical storyline. This is never a boring thing for a Star Wars fan to do.

The established game engine certainly carries more advantages than disadvantages when you add them all up. It was definitely a good idea for LucasArts to license it. In fact, it's such a good idea that you'll inevitably wonder why they didn't do this in the first place, instead of going through all the trouble of making their own 3-D engine (no simple task) only to have it eat the floorboards on store shelves. For those who played Force Commander and wish they hadn't, I encourage you to give Galactic Battlegrounds a try. Especially if you haven't played Age of Empires before, it'll go a good way's towards fulfilling an aching need for some good Star Wars strategy gaming.

Way better than I could have imagined. Yes, I am a rts fan, and a Star Wars addict, so when I heard about this game I was thrilled. Still it blew me away.
1) The graphics are way better than standard RTS. The AT-ATs and AT-STs are perfect. I have heard people complain they look mechanical when they walk. Have those people seen the movies???
2) The music is great. Hearing Vader's theme while you are crushing wookies....can't be beat.
3) The heroes are a joy. Vader, Solo, Skywalker....can't be better. The only problem is Maul is somehow rated as Vader's only equal. Vader would kill the puny TPM clone.
4) Finally, the technologies. Jedi invisibility. Shields. Subs. What more could any SW fan ask for?

This is a solid RTS game. However it simply copies too much from AGE OF EMPIRES. I Like AOE but there are times when your playing the game and you will be thinking, 'Man they didn't change anything'. Contrary to popular belief the graphics are good. The different races they have are intersting, especially for a STAR WARS fan. However, there is one serious problem that also affected AOE. The problem is the races don't vary enough for long term playabilty. Sure they tweek the races here and there so that one may gather a certain resource faster or one has better pilots, but there is no real difference in the various troops from race to race. LISTEN UP RTS MANUFACTURERS ALL RTS GAMES SHOULD TAKE A CUE FROM STARCRAFT and take on the challenge of making the races truely distinct at every level but at the same time keeping them balanced. That is the only way to make a classic RTS game. This is solid game but it is no classic

I bought this game and it is incredible. I have fully enjoyed it so far. If you are familiar with AOEII, then this game will be easy for you. It is exciting to learn all the new technologies and units but more fun to see the civilizations come alive on the screen. The only down-side is that there are only currently 6 civs to play or fight against so your options are limited but I expect this to be increased with expansion packs in the future (I hope!!). However, the number of options for units, maps, and techs will keep your interest. Play style is identical to AOEII, graphics and sound are fine, and overall this game combines one of the best genres of games with one of the best sci-fi/fantasy worlds of all time. If you are a RTS gamer or a fan of Star Wars then this game is for you. If you enjoy both, then what are you waiting for!

Make no mistake - this game IS 90% Age of Empires II: Age of Kings. The designers tweaked the engine in a few ways, borrowing a few plays from Star Craft's playbook, like power cores, floating units, and shield generators. It's actually kind of sad at times reading the explanations the designers cooked up to keep from changing the AOK gameplay. (Ex: Instead of cutting timber to build structures, your workers "collect carbon" from trees...to build structures). That said, more of a good thing isn't necessarily bad. If you loved AOK and want more, you will be right at home here. Furthermore, if you're a Star Wars Fanatic like me, you will love this game and the opportunity match characters and vessels in ways that the movies and books just can't do. (Personally, I will never get tired of sending Boba Fett, Bossk, and a division of AT-AT's to assassinate Jar Jar Binks).

However, if you are just a passing Star Wars fan, stick with Age of Empires.

Unlike the above reviewer I have thoroughly reviewed everything I can find about GB. It in fact DOES NOT require a "special" video card. It is in fact designed to run on relatively low end computers. Garry Gaber (Developer) has stated that the development team wants the game to be very accessible. The game borrows the game engine from Age of Kings, which was a big success. You can see the multitude of screenshots at www.lucasarts.com/products/battlegrounds. As you can tell the above reviewer obviously had NO idea what he was talking about. Please ignore him. I give the game a 5 star rating. It is going to be excellant! Thank you for your time. : )

I was dubious when I first heard about Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds because I have Age of Empires II, and it wasn't my favorite game (to be polite). I found the campaigns to be dull and derivative, the computer AI to always be too easy or too hard, and all of the civilizations bled together.

Admittedly, to some extent, SWGB suffers from these same problems. The single player missions are rather derivative, and more to the point, they don't have a whole lot of the movie's scenes. Again, the AI can be too hard or easy. However, the races are all quite distinct. Sure, the majority of units share a commonality among all races, but they look entirely different, enough so as to convince me these really are different factions. In fact, it makes it easy to play any race and know what you're doing, but the battles still have to clear sides fighting.

This game is much more fun multiplayer, where there're several fun ways to play. The computer AI still seems pretty inconsistent, but it's definitely on par with other strategy games.

If I haven't yet convinced you, let me put it this way: How would you rate re-enacting the battle (and escape) on Hoth from Episode 5? If you're like me, 5 stars!

I am amazed at how people say this is 'AOE:Star Wars'. Yes, SWGB is built on the AOE engine, but the additional features added significantly alter the 'physics' of gameplay from AOE. This is done by the addition of power cores, sheild generators, submarine and aerial warfare. Certainly there are many parallels, but to say it's the same old same old is not accurate. Additionaly, SWGB uses the updates found in the AOEII expansion pack, so you do not spend your time managing all resources- you can queue farms, workers begin working after building their structure, etc. Certainly there are differences, but that's just more handy for those of us who actually have a life and use video games as a diversion- it's a pleasure not to memorize new keyboard mappings, cost structures, etc.

This game is certainly worth the money, but your significant other may not thank you for it (if they dig on spending time with you :) )!

This game is fantastic. In many ways this game is similar to Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings, but it also introduces many fun new features. You can bulid and use air units (X-wing, Tie fighter, Droid fighters to name but a few,) but each civilization has its own unique look! Unlike Age of Kings, where almost every unit looked the same except for the unique units.
As a responce to David Copeland:
1)The game only takes for ever if you don't know what you are doing (it only takes a little while to learn anyway.)
2) The sound is only bad if you have a bad sound system on your computer.
3)Missions are only boring if you do not have any attention span
4)There is no such thing as "to many units" every one is usefull and interesting
5)There are not to many rescources, there are the same amount as there is in Age of Kings. In fact some of the structures such as the Fortress takes 100 less rescources than the Castle in Age of kings.
6)The graphics are NOT sub-par, they are even better than in Age of Kings.

The one point I will partially agree on is that each race is essentially the same, except that the seemingly random upgrades or researchable technologies are subtracted from the tech tree of each race. But each civilization does have a unique unit that is totally different from any other race.

IN CONCLUSION: This game is fantastic, especially if you are a Star Wars fan (Who isn't???.) Don't listen to the reviews that critiscize this game.

Many people are saying that this game is like Age of Empires. So what? AOE is a great game. Now that it has the Star Wars Universe on there it makes it that much more fun. Finally, you can take control of AT-AT's, X-wings, Scouts, bounty hunters, jedi, sith, and hundreds of more units. The capaigns are also great with a very fun story line. You can even make up your own battle like Hoth. I can't wait for an expantion that will have more Civs. like Black Sun and Sand People. If you liked Starcraft or AOE and your a SW fan then you'll love this game.