GameSpot editors' review
-
CNET editors' rating:
stars
Mediocre
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 04/08/1998
- Updated on: 05/05/2000
- Released on: 02/28/1998
Star Wars Rebellion dies the death of a thousand clicks. The promise of a strategy game set in the Star Wars universe had gamers positively quivering with anticipation. Images of Master of Orion with Imperial Walkers, or maybe Red Alert with Stormtroopers, danced through the minds of Star Wars fans and gamers alike. What LucasArts and the developers at CoolHand have given us instead is Spaceward Ho! with an infinitely more confusing interface.
Buried somewhere inside Rebellion (titled Star Wars Supremacy in the UK) is an interesting, albeit familiar, game. There is a tactical space combat mode, some resource management, diplomacy, planetary bombardment, and other common space conquest elements. Unlike games like Spaceward Ho! or Master of Orion, Rebellion runs in semi-real time (it can be paused and speeded up), which simply adds longer periods of waiting for actions to be performed. Darth Vader, Luke, Han, those annoying droids, and the rest of the crew are all on hand to add some character to the proceedings, and the overall visual and aural style is fine. But along the way, things break down, and conquering the galaxy becomes an exercise in tedium.
The premise and approach are boilerplate. There is a vast galaxy of variable sizes (you choose from small, medium, or large), which is composed of sectors that contain numerous planets. The Empire and the Alliance are struggling for control of these planets in order to further the victory requirements: to occupy the headquarters and capture two important enemy functionaries (such as Darth Vadar or Luke Skywalker). The only gameplay option aside from galaxy size is to exclude character capture from the victory requirements, otherwise the goals of every game are the same. Each game is randomized, but that just affects the disposition of resources and planets. The actual pace and format of each game remain consistent.
To fulfill these goals, you build mines and refineries on planets, create fleets, train military units, and set about bringing new planets under your sway by either force or diplomacy. By sending diplomats to neutral planets, you have a chance to bring them to your side without force. If you have enough firepower, you can just go into orbit and bomb them into submission, then send down troops to garrison. This is all abstract: Hit a button and the planet is yours (or not). Realizing that this was boring, the designers grafted a tactical combat interface onto the strategic game. The solution was misguided, to say the least.
Space battles can either be decided instantly or fought in a 3D view with a certain degree of tactical control. Capital ships and fighters can be given maneuver and attack orders, including formation (left and right hooks, the anvil, etc), stand-off attacks, and other commands that only minimally affect the outcome. No matter what orders you give to units in this mode, the battle always seems to be won by the side with more and/or better units. All the moving cameras and 3D ships can't disguise the emptiness of this mode. And, while you can rotate and zoom the view, I could find no command to simply scroll it. There is no substance or nuance to tactical warfare, making it a cumbersome appendage to a game that can little stand such baggage.
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