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Parents' Guide to

Star Wars: Empire at War

By Jeremy Gieske, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 12+

Good but imperfect Star Wars RTS.

Game Windows 2006
Star Wars: Empire at War Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this game.

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age 12+

Based on 2 parent reviews

Mi3
Mi3 Adult
February 5, 2011
age 11+
Omfgigorawr
Omfgigorawr Adult
June 6, 2010
age 13+

Star wars: Empire at war is a looong but worthwhile game.

Star wars: empire at war is a much different game than usual, as it's a RTS(real time strategy) this time around. It requires a good amount of planning and strategy for battles. The violence is low, as in no blood or gore. Language is well, there is no bad language from what i know. The game itself can be very long, especially if you do galactic conquest. I had a galactic conquest game last a week before i was able to win. The space battles are intense and you can turn on a cinematic mode which jumps randomly following ships and giving it a movie like feel. The land battles however are for the most part ridiculously hard. The good part is, you can have the battle auto resolve, which fights the battle instantly and depending on some other variables let's you win or lose, but using the auto resolve will cause more casualties for your forces than if you fought it yourself. At first the game will be really complicated, but it teaches you all the things you need to know in a good way. I'd recommend the game for anyone who likes strategy type games and who like a long game also.
See all 2 parent reviews

What’s It About?

In STAR WARS: EMPIRES AT WAR, players take command of either the galactic Empire or rebel forces and attempt to gain control of the entire galaxy. Set roughly around the time of Star Wars: Episode IV, the rebellion is just starting to form and is looking for a way to steal the plans of a rumored super-weapon (the Death Star). Meanwhile, the Empire hopes to continue to expand its grip on the galaxy.

Since the space and land battles are handled separately, players need to build both space and ground forces, including a wide variety of vehicles and spaceships. It can get complicated managing the vast array of forces at hand; however, to make things simpler, players don't need to be concerned with the gathering of resources, which is a major break from most real-time strategy games.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (13 ):

Unfortunately, the battle sequences are fairly linear. Players may be frustrated by the land maps, which typically only have a few approaches to enemy forces and offer limited areas to bring in reinforcements. In the campaign mode, this often leads to a situation in which the side that starts with the biggest army wins, reducing strategic options during battle. Battles in space tend to be more satisfying, replicating the laser-fire, explosions, and excitement of the movies.

Clear differences exist between the Empire and the rebellion, with the Empire being markedly more sinister. For example, during the tutorial, one character of the Empire says, "We will bomb the rebels, and when they come out with their hands up, we will bomb them again." While the Empire is able to take over any planet it desires, the rebellion is limited to freeing planets from Empire or space pirate control. To make up for that limitation, the rebellion is able to steal weapon designs from the Empire using spies.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this game fits in with the movies, books, and other games about Star Wars. Do you like how the game allows you to, in essence, change the storyline of the fourth movie, or do you feel it makes it less appealing? Does playing out the action in a game give you more freedom to imagine your own stories? How?

Game Details

  • Platform: Windows
  • Available online?: Available online
  • Publisher: LucasArts
  • Release date: February 16, 2006
  • Genre: Real-Time Strategy (RTS)
  • ESRB rating: T for Fantasy Violence
  • Last updated: November 4, 2015

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