Force Commander

Developer: LucasArts
Publisher: LucasArts

 

System Requirements Pentium 200 Mhz, 64 MB RAM

Recommended Pentium II 350MHz, 128+ MB RAM,

Ratings
Code Issues Graphics: 7 – Probably a result of its long development time.  But still, not that bad. Audio: 9.5 – LucasArts always delivers here. Interface: 7 – While it could have been easier, I quickly got used to it.	Play Issues Solo Gameplay: 8.5 – I enjoyed the command point system, and playing with Star Wars units is simply a blast! Replayabality: 7.0 – I’ve been playing skirmish mode quite a bit—but if this is going to last LucasArts needs to give players more skirmish maps. Multiplayer: 6 – Laggy gameplay equals frustration.  Needs another patch. Learning Curve: 6 – Camera system and the new approach to RTS gameplay requires some getting used to.
Other/Notes Documentation: 10 – Nice colorful manual and an excellent reference card.  The Tarkin Doctrine in the manual is just too cool. Pros: Lets you take control of your favorite Star Wars ground battles.  Music and sound is superb.  Command point system is challenging. Cons:  Does not live up to its full potential.  Players who are not big Star Wars fans may not be able to look past its quirks and thus become frustrated. Reviewer’s Note: If you can get past its problems and enjoy it for the Star Wars atmosphere it provides, you can easily add a point to the overall score. Overall: 7.4

The world of Star Wars is quickly catching up to the scope of its longtime rival Star Trek.  New movies, comics, and novels are being released that expand the galaxy through unimagined twists and turns.  On one hand we have the release of Greg Bear’s Rogue Planet, which has Obi-Wan and Anakin on a rescue mission to the mysterious planet Zenoma Sekot—with our old “friend” Wilhuff Tarkin making an appearance.  On the other hand we have a new series that has familiar faces battling an extra-galactic invasion force that results in the controversial loss of Chewbacca.  Of course, none of this is considered official, but I think it would be unwise of Lucas to mix things up too much in future projects.  For long-time Star Wars fans such as myself, these extensions are it.  LucasArts also recognizes the standing of these newly invented characters and places— for instance, Star Wars Rebellion used numerous characters and planets from Timothy Zhan’s and Kevin J. Anderson’s novels.  But Star Wars: Force Commander takes us back to the roots by weaving a story line through the events of the original trilogy.  This reviewer is no slouch when it comes to research, and believe me I have read all the reviews and read all of the complaints in online forums devoted to this game. 

First I will address the graphics debate because this seems to be the focus of many reviews, so I would just like to get it out of the way.  Yes, they are a bit outdated.  No, they are not terrible.  If you are concerned with the graphical side of things, the best thing you can do is have a good system.  Lower resolutions look very blurry and dull.  If you’re system is up to running the game at 1024 X 768, however, the game can be quite beautiful.  While the levels are often sparse, the textures are wonderful.  For instance, the Hoth level sports the best looking mountains I have seen in a game.  Lighting is also a high point, with multiple hues bringing many of the planets alive, and explosions casting a fiery glow on the surrounding terrain.  Clipping is the major culprit though.  Units will often walk right through buildings, and while a unit has only gotten stuck once in my time playing, you will sometimes see seams in the terrain that just scream laziness on the part of the graphics team.  Sound-wise the game is outstanding.  I mean, how could it not be?  All of the sound effects are straight out of the movie.  Some of the music is pure John Williams, but some tracks are techno remixes of familiar tunes—most notably the Imperial March.  Many say they hate it, many say they found it odd at first but grew to love it.  I have yet to see anyone in the online forums admit to loving it right off the bat.  It seems you must live with it for awhile and then turn the volume either up or down.  

In terms of story the game is quite good.  It involves two brothers who rise through the ranks of the Galactic Empire, only to be involved in some of the most crucial events of the original trilogy.  You’ll control the battle of Hoth, search for two droids on the desert planet Tatooine, and even scorch some Ewoks as the Imperials make room for a shield generator.  Of course, missions are not limited to playing as freewheeling Imperialists.  You’ll also take on the Empire as the Rebel Alliance when one brother defects because of a crisis of conscience.  Overall, the story does a great job of both giving the player incentive to play on and including many familiar faces—Darth Vader, General Veers, and R2-D2 to name a few.  But of course, story has always been the strong point of LucasArts games, be it strategy, action, or adventure.  Also, up until Rebellion, which many panned but others are still enjoying, gameplay was never an issue.  It seems Force Commander has opened up a gigantic can of Jawas, however, because this is one of the most controversial games ever released.  Reviews range from great to absolutely awful, but I have to say that most Star Wars fans I’ve talked to love the game.  Perhaps it is their ability to see past the problems and see what the game is meant for…controlling Star Wars units and seeing them make things go boom.  Silly as it may sound, the game earns high marks in my books for doing just that.  Call me biased, call me simple-minded, but its fun.  Now, on to the technical stuff.

There are three ways to play Force Commander—Campaign, skirmish, and multiplayer.  The campaign consists of about 25 missions, all of them well done.  Of course, there are beautiful cut scenes stuck in the middle of some, but the 3D briefing screen that informs you of your goals is just plain ugly.  The graphics engine may be good for creating units, but it turns out blocky humans.  Skirmish mode is where you can play against up to three computer opponents on about 8 multiplayer maps.  Why you can only play on these select maps when there are many more in multiplayer mode is beyond my comprehension and is, in my opinion, the biggest mess up.  To play all of them you’ll have to go multiplayer on the Zone, which can be laggy.  There is a patch already available that addresses some of this, though.  In terms of skirmish gameplay, I found the artificial intelligence to be good.  Unlike many, I never seemed to have a problem getting my units to go anywhere, it was just that in the process they might get slowed down by other units and do a strange little jig while trying to readjust.  But in terms of challenge, I found the AI to be very good.  I have read complaints in online forums saying that the skirmish AI is a pushover.  I did not find this to be the case.  In fact, I tried many of the strategies these AI-beaters recommended, and every time the AI adjusted to destroy me.  For instance, one recommendation stated that the key is to build an early air defense and then go out and hunt the enemy down.  I did this and guess what?  The AI sent 6 anti-air platforms into my base and shot them all down.  Never before had the AI sent that combination of units, so I suspect that it was adapting to the situation.  I guess different players’ skill levels will always determine their opinion of the AI.  Well, call me a terrible player, but I find it to be challenging.

The decision to go 3D was, in my opinion, a mistake.  The game would be so much more enjoyable if it stuck to the traditional overhead mode.  You can zoom the camera out enough to play in this manner, but it makes me wonder how much camera-development time could have went into ironing out the games wrinkles.  Also, it could have been less of a system hog.  But the decision was made and players are stuck with it.  While the camera is reminiscent of Bungie’s Myth II, it is a little more tricky to get the hang of.  But like Myth, once you get it down, it is rarely obtrusive and can actually be helpful.  There are a plethora of hot keys for rotating, panning, and zooming your camera every which way, but you can also use the mouse, which uses various combinations of mouse buttons to include a surprising amount of flexibility.  Furthermore, the first three missions are devoted to showing you the ropes.  Also, all of the standard RTS shortcuts are here—grouping, patrol routes, stances (which work better than any other RTS) etc.—and all gameplay information is available in a bar at the bottom of the screen.  It is a bit big, and the map information requires you to leave it up, but I did not find it to be too obtrusive.

So what is it about the game that earns my recommendation?  As weird as it may sound, it’s the way the entire experience combines to provide fans with a true Star Wars experience.  Never mind the graphics and camera system and all of the other little nagging issues.  It is simply thrilling to be in control of AT-ATs as they fire their chin cannons at oncoming rebel troopers, while Airspeeders dogfight with TIE Fighters overhead.  Then, one of the speeders manages to trip an AT-AT with a tow cable and it comes crashing down, all the while John William’s music is playing in the background.  The first time this happened to my AT-AT I wasn’t even frustrated—It was so exciting that I was jubilant!  Believe me—this stuff never gets old.

And there are Toys-a-plenty to play with.  All of the most famous Imperial units show up—TIE Fighters and Bombers, Speeder Bikes, AT-STs, Stormtroopers—while many new ones add some strategic muscle, such as AT-AAs (All Terrain-Anti Aircraft) and Mobile Artillery.  The Rebels have more ground troops, as well as a Hover Transport, Heavy Attack Tank, Hovertank that serves as both an anti-infantry and anti-air platform, and repair and medical droids.  Their units lack the firepower of the Imperials, but the Rebels have the added bonus of shields.  This makes Airspeeders and Y-Wings particularly deadly if you don’t have the proper defenses.  Also, the Rebels have the benefit of a technology center to research basic upgrades for shields, rate of fire, and speed.  I know many will disagree, but overall I found the two sides to be well balanced.  They both have weaknesses to exploit and strengths to take advantage of.  Adding to your construction options is a variety of buildings.  The command center is the heart of your base, and is necessary in order to call down your transport ships and drop off new units and structures.  Each side has anti-air, ant-infantry, and anti-vehicle turrets, as well as a landing platform for air units.  But the trick is that while the Rebel turrets and the like are a bit more expensive, they do not require any prerequisite structures like the Imps do.  For instance, if you want an Imperial turret, you have to build a turret control extension to your base.  It allows the Rebels to build a quicker defense—the position they are most frequently in is defensive.  The Imperials have a hospital and repair bay, while the Rebels can build a shield generator—like on Hoth.  All buildings can be garrisoned by troops, and battles are calculated automatically if an enemy enters them.  

But of course, if you want to win you must eventually attack.  New units and structures are secured not by harvesting resources like in most RTS games, but by earning command points.  Every time you kill an enemy unit you receive a set number of points.  Also, many campaign maps, and all skirmish and multiplayer ones, have command bunkers.  Troops must secure them in order for you to reap their benefits—a steady stream of command points.  Personally, I liked this system.  You do not see our modern-day armies travelling to foreign countries during a war and harvesting desert weeds to literally “make” human soldiers.  Many reviews complain that this system is unbalanced because once you are losing, you will really never be able to win.  I hate to say that I found this to be the case in many of my games, but I believe the bunkers, which are oddly left out of some of these complaints, afford you some chance to recover.  It is all about using your units right.  Myth II never received this criticism, yet all of the missions require you to gain the upper hand quickly.  If you lost key units in that game, you were sure to lose.  Force Commander is the same thing—you must spend your command points wisely and continuously adapt to meet the enemy’s forces. 

I will not be giving the game an Editor’s Choice award simply on the basis that this is not a game for everyone.  Yes, I know you could say that about all games, but much of Force Commander’s appeal depends on the player’s love of Star Wars.  This is not a game like X-Wing Alliance or Jedi Knight in the sense that it will not appeal to all based on its merits as a game.  Don’t get me wrong, I found Force Commander to be quite fun, but what will keep me coming back is my love of the subject matter.  In the end, however, I was pleased with what the game turned out to be.  It does not live up to the dream of the ultimate Star Wars strategy game, but provides a fun ride through that galaxy far, far away.

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Reviewed by Anthony Micari