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Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds

Review By:	Dave �Sliceboy� Hubbard
Date:	26/11/2001
Released:	11/11/2001
Publisher:	Lucasarts
Developer:	Lucasarts
Platform:	PC
Rating:

I wanted to love this game. I really did. Age of Empires II is one of my favorite PC games of all time, and I am a self-confessed Star Wars junkie. First the details�

�Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds� uses the AOE II game engine and imports the Star Wars universe. Six civilizations are available: Rebel, Trade Federation, Naboo, Gungan, Wookie and Imperial. Every option available in Age of Empires II is available in �Galactic Battlegrounds� � armor, mounted troops, siege weapons, farming upgrades, weapon upgrades, etc. 4 different resources need to be collected to produce all troops, buildings, heavy (siege) machinery, and defensive structures. If you have ever played a RTS game, or AOE II specifically, Galactic

Screenshots

Battlegrounds will be easy to pick up. Now on the hard part: What went wrong? The concept sounds great, and the AOE II game engine is the gold standard for RTS games. Who wouldn�t want to command a force of Rebel troops against the vaunted Imperial stormtroopers?

I was honestly puzzled as to why I was not enjoying this game more. Then it struck me: Galactic Battlegrounds is the most unoriginal game I have ever played. Sure, plenty of games have used the Quake II and III engines, but an RTS needs to have more originality to sustain interest. I understood when I bought this game that it was using the AOE II engine, but I incorrectly assumed that at least a few new features would be added. There is surprisingly no thrill in storming the gates of an Imperial camp with Rebel forces - I just could not shake the feeling that it was supposed to be the english longbow men vs. the Teutonic knights. As a matter of fact after playing �Galactic Battlegrounds� for a few hours, Aactually broke out my AOE II disk and enjoyed myself 100% more.

Bottom line: �Galactic Battlegrounds� has some entertaining moments in commanding troops from the "Star Wars" universe, but utter unoriginality is the resounding theme of this game.

Sliceboy's Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Planets

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