Gameplay
Gameplay
The idea of Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds (SW:GB) is simple, it’s a traditional RTS game where you either play in a series of campaigns, or choose a random map to combat computer opponents (or online with multiplayer).
The campaign mode is the usual rubbish you get with a standard run-off-the-mill RTS to be quite honest. The plus side though is you get to choose from the six unique and playable civilizations; the Empire (Cool), the Rebels, the Royal Naboo (from EP1), the Trade Federation (EP 1 and 2), Gungans (EP1), and Wookies. The bad side is that campaigns in RTS are hardly EVER well handled, and this one is no exception.
The ones thrown in are no better than the ones found in AOE’s day, and they were boring as hell in those days! You see, it just feels like a random map game, with a few bolted on objectives and special characters/heroes who add a little spice to the same old boring dish.
Towns are well designed in the Campaign mode, and a lot of time has been spent on the look of these levels at the very least (compared to say Empire Earth), but there is no more extra effort made to make them ‘feel’ like believable settings, therefore adding to the fun. No civilians, troops that stand and watch their town get wasted, them only attacking you when you are in range, races displaying ghastly and unrealistic ‘Team Colours’. At the end of the day it all adds to the evidence that these levels could have easily been created by anyone with enough time on their hands just using the level editor.
The random level generator is arguably the best way to play ST:GB. You pit yourself against a certain number of opponents, over a map terrain choice of your liking, from Desert to Tundra, to Asteroids in space.
Come on, where are the elephants then?
Now, after my already hefty and obvious disapproval I must state that SW: GB ‘can’ be good fun. The random game generator can provide a few hours entertainment when you have nothing else to play, or just feel in the mood to take on 5 computer opponents at a game of strategy. Those who loved AOE2, like my self, will enjoy the game more just because of the fact that this game resembles it so closely. In fact, every unit/building from Age Of Empires has an equivalent Star Wars counterpart! Funny, I don't remember many sea-baring vessels in the Star Wars universe...
However, three years is a long time in the games industry, and RTS games have moved on a little since then. AOE2 had some huge flaws back then and now all this time later SW:GB exhibits EXACTLY the same troubles! I just couldn’t believe it when I installed and ran the game for the first time.
Let me show you a quote from the official site that sums up Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds:
"Accessible gameplay built upon the familiar RTS engine adapted from Ensemble's popular Age of Empires™ series "
‘Built upon the familiar RTS engine'? If Age of Empires 2 was a building, one which was built very well for the time (yet certainly wasn’t with the times now) then Star Wars Galactic Battlegrounds would be the same old building with a new paintjob and a little extra plumbing, and then fobbed off to the world as being 'new' and 'unique'. It simply doesn’t work, and it doesn’t take someone who has only a passing interest in architecture (or gaming in this case) to realise how outdated it really is.
The thing is that I was expecting a final polished version of AOE2, with Star Wars units, for this game. But is neither better, or worse than that product was 3 years ago. I thought I wouldn’t have minded seeing as AOE2 was one of my favourite strategy games ever, but times have sadly moved on. That certain buzz that I got all those years ago has gone and been replaced with better and more exciting looking products. While this would have been a classic example of the RTS genre back then, now it appears outdated and inferior.
Multipurpose Droids
Multiplayer is where it scores good points, bringing the score higher (it needs it). I’ve only played a short time (less than an hour), but what I played was far more enjoyable. The computer A.I is just the same that it was in AOE2, so veterans on that game will soon suss out the best way of beating opponents in single player. Playing against real humans is far more entertaining.
If I am bringing bad points against SW:GB for things other RTS games have done wrong then equally it should be able to score points also for other things we take for granted in these games, so it does gain some brownie points in this factor.
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