In an incredibly obvious Diablo 3-like announcement, Bioware and LucasArts confirm that they are indeed working on a Star Wars MMORPG set in the age of The Old Repubilc that has probably been in development since Knights of the Old Republic.

Is it just me, or is there something inherently wrong with two massively multiplayer games from two different developers about the exact same subject, trying to appeal to the exact same audience, at the exact same time?

Wait, don’t answer that question.

But this isn’t the same as a fantasy setting being done hundreds of times with roughly equivalent results. This is the most recognizable setting in science fiction. This is Star Wars. With lightsabers for everyone.

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I still hold fast to my belief that Star Wars Galaxies was the best MMORPG I’ve ever played. Looking back through past writings, it read like an emotional rollercoaster where my fondness for the game fluctuated drastically over a short period. Through five months of playing, I was exposed to an incredible variety of roleplaying experiences, high-level monster hunts, and taking part in producing average-level goods for the game world’s economy. I was quick to dismiss the Jump to Lightspeed expansion as the first nail in the game’s coffin, because the mechanics of the land and space-based portions of the game felt so disparate. I didn’t want a twitch shooter, I wanted an extension of my adventures planetside. Though in hindsight the “X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter” model is probably the only way it could have been done in such a small timeframe. Three expansions later Star Wars Galaxies has changed dramatically, to the point that players started leaving in droves.

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Real time strategy often conjures up thoughts of base building, resource gathering and general clickery around an arbitrary map while accelerating through a technology tree. The Total War series added a much needed dimension to the experience – a macro view that provided ample support to the ground battles that would ensue in a campaign. While Rise of Nations slanted towards resource-gathering on a larger scale as well with their “Conquer the World” mode, it didn’t offer the grand strategy that future titles like Rome: Total War would so skillfully display. Little did I know that a Star Wars license would be next in line to offer something that could almost be considered innovation.

Waging a war on disparate fronts seemed like a lofty design decision for Empire at War- I didn’t think it could be done. In a universe where we have been given six movies’ worth of evidence that wars take place planetside as well as in the vastness of space, for once a game provides a battlefield that is similarly all-encompassing.

Star Wars: Empire at War presents a battle map at the beginning of the game consisting of planets. Above each planet are orbit “slots”, where ships carrying troops or space cruisers can lie in wait before attacking the planet below. Trade routes and flight paths are easily navigated by using an intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Garrisons can be constructed on planets that have been assimilated into the Empire or liberated by the Rebellion. Smugglers can infiltrate enemy planets and siphon credits to your cause. And I haven’t even talked about the actual fighting yet.

If the space around a planet is occupied, a battle for control of this area will take place once you’ve moved your fleet into position. The battles are kind of like Homeworld, but…they’re missing something. They felt flat and almost as if it was simply a land map with no real point of reference to give the impression of space. The purity of space combat was gone, but in its place I was nevertheless immediately entranced by re-enactments of the battles I had seen so many times in the films. The visuals serve their purpose, and seeing TIE fighters and X-Wings darting around like insects next to the gargantuan capital gunships gives the proper sense of scale.

Ground battles aren’t particularly ground-breaking; the conventions of standard RTS dominate the experience. Though your troops can take cover to improve defence as in Dawn of War, and the addition of reinforcement points on the map allow you to drop in troops at these locations as long as you have them in orbit around the planet. Then there are the bomber squadrons that can be used to eliminate enemy structures. But once again these must be already waiting to be launched. In games past, calling in an airstrike was simply a button click away – but Empire at War clearly requires the preparation for massive-scale assaults. It ties both battlefronts together.

There is always a place for skirmishes and tank rush battles – they are fun in their own right. But I see the approach of Empire at War as the future for strategy games that possess enough scale to warrant the use of meta-strategy, since it only makes sense in a setting where the battle for supremacy is so far-reaching. Indeed, Empire at War feels like a game of galactic proportions. While each field of battle is merely sufficient on its own, as a whole they provide the scope that was needed to truly convey the menacing Imperial assaults of the films, as well as the calculated tactical strikes of the Rebellion. I fully expect to be playing a game mode that offers the entire Galaxy for the taking, one planet at a time.

despite the metal and wires

Short answer: I loved it. This movie was woven from the same fabric of the Star Wars I remembered. It tied everything together, and left nothing to criticize except minutiae that can only be dreamt up by fanboys such as myself. Which is largely going to be the content of this review, if I can even call it that. The usual warning against spoilers applies, but I’m sure the only people reading this are the ones who have seen it anyway.

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There used to be a time where I would practically leap onto the shelves of any store that carried a full wave of Star Wars action figures. Back when I was a serious collector (which if you’re really curious, was up until about 5 years ago) there were certain figures out of each wave that were almost impossible to get, because they would usually end up in the hands of store employees opening the boxes and keeping them for themeselves. If you got to a store with a freshly unpacked display of figures, you’d almost always get first pick of the entire collection available at that time. Otherwise you’re forced to pay a ridiculous markup at comic stores, where they were more than likely supplied by said store room unpackers. Such a vicious cycle.

Yesterday I happened to be in a department store’s toy section out of pure coincidence (I swear), and I saw their enitre Episode III product line spread out like a Star Wars collector’s banquet. I was unmoved, however, because after a few select glances at the figures displayed, my suspicion that Star Wars action figures have reached a nadir was confirmed.

Ever since the first wave of Episode II figures the actor likenesses were taking a serious downturn. Obi Wan and Anakin looked nothing like their on-screen counterparts. Like figures starting as far back as the Episode I series, they also suffered from bad paint jobs. In the first wave of Episode III figures, Obi-Wan was sporting a Grizzly Adams beard complete with an odd looking splash of grey. What is this, Hasbro? Your version of shading? Or is it meant to age Obi-Wan? It looks like crap. Anakin looks like an emaciated goth that just wandered out of a Misfits concert. Moreover, despite obviously wearing some maternity tunic, Padme looks about 40 years old and nothing like Natalie Portman. These are core characters that have been made all but unrecognizable.

I could forgive the occasional accessorizing that didn’t exactly mesh with Star Wars canon. Aside from Luke Skywalker looking extra buff and coming equipped with some kind of grappling hook, it was still Luke Skywalker. He had a lightsaber. The Episode III version of Yoda comes with a giant bowcaster or something that shoots a rocket. I’m sure this has something to do with the film, but Yoda of all people should not be packing a piece of weaponry that’s twice his size. And look at his head! It deeply saddens me.

Even the Original Trilogy series that was started last year has been taking a dive. Mark Hamill is by no means an attractive man (at least that’s what my wife tells me), and yet they manage to turn Luke Skywalker into some kind of Dagobah swamp troll – ugly even by Yoda’s standards. Are they even using reference photos anymore?

All this is telling me that Hasbro is getting lazy, and Lucasfilm by extension for letting this crap through as official merchandise. Who gives a shit if the action figures look like the actors – let’s get them on the god damned shelves, right? I used to justify to myself that I was getting these figures for a complete collection, but not anymore. Call it growing up or simply the feelings of a jaded Star Wars fan – it doesn’t matter. It’s movie merchandising at its worst.

you’ve been lying to me