Star Wars Empire At War: Gold Pack - Initial Thoughts

About the Game (From the Steam Store Page)

Command or corrupt an entire galaxy in the definitive Star Wars strategy collection. It is a time of galactic civil war. Will you take up the reins of the Rebellion, assume control of the Empire, or rule the Star Wars Underworld?

Star Wars Empire at War:
From the lives of soldiers to the deaths of planets, you are the supreme galactic commander. It is a time of galactic civil war. Take up the reins of the Rebellion or assume control for the Empire. Whichever you choose, it will be up to YOU to steer your side to ultimate victory. Command everything from individual troops to starships and even the mighty Death Star as you execute campaigns on the ground, in space and across the galaxy. Forget tedious resource gathering – just jump straight into the heart of the action. You can even change Star Wars history! Every decision affects your next battle and every battle helps shape the fate of the galaxy.

Previous Playtime

0 hours

What Was I Thinking When I Bought This

It was part of that giant Star Wars bundle I bought a couple of years back. However it wasn't entirely incidental. I'd seen this game being played before, and I thought it looked kind of cool, so it was a factor (albeit a minor one) in my deciding to get the bundle at all.

Expectations and Prior Experience

I'll admit, I'm not thrilled that the store page describes resource gathering as "tedious." Building a base economy is one of the main things I enjoy about RTS games (as contrasting with the things I don't enjoy about them - their "real time" and "strategy" aspects). On the other hand, if I really do get to control a Death Star, that might be pretty cool.

I won't bore you with yet another recounting of my ambivalence towards the RTS genre, but needless to say, it's a factor. If the game turns out to be easy, I'll probably like it. If it turns out to be difficult, I probably won't. What I want most of all is to feel like I'm playing with miniature Star Wars figurines in make-believe wars. That's what interests me about the game. The cool screenshots of AT-ATs and Star Destroyers, as things I can manipulate and command. I'm willing to pay the price of having to deal with military tactics in order to play with these things . . . provided the price isn't too high.