.com With its breathtaking 3-D environments, Force Commander draws players into a real-time strategy that is wrapped in a story line intersecting with some of the greatest moments in the Star Wars epic. The game begins just prior to the Empire's search for the droids in Star Wars: A New Hope and ends after Return of the Jedi. Along the way, players experience firsthand the decisive Battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back, plus several new locations and conflicts created exclusively for the game. The intense, real-time nature of the game, coupled with a classic Star Wars story, offers fans and gamers the chance to truly live the adventure. Unique to Force Commander is the opportunity to be a commanding officer of the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. From the Manufacturer This Star Wars real-time strategy game unfolds through a series of mission-based chapters and allows players to direct their forces from one of two campaign perspectives--as a leader in the Rebel Alliance or as a Galactic Empire commander. Each chapter takes place on a different world and contains an average of three missions. The missions span the Star Wars trilogy, beginning just prior to the destruction of the planet Alderaan from Star Wars: A New Hope and climaxing after the dramatic ending of Return of the Jedi. Mission objectives in Force Commander include establishing a base of operations, capturing strategic buildings and units, and the complete destruction of enemy forces. The game can be played in single-player or head-to-head mode using the Internet or local area network. P.when('A').execute(function(A) { A.on('a:expander:toggle_description:toggle:collapse', function(data) { window.scroll(0, data.expander.$expander[0].offsetTop-100); }); }); Review Star Wars: Force Commander is a traditional real-time strategy game that has fully three-dimensional graphics and a few original gameplay ideas. Most importantly, Force Commander intends to let you re-create the ground battle sequences from the classic Star Wars films by letting you take control of Imperial walkers, Rebel defenses, and more. Yet because of its dated graphics, ineffective controls, and flawed gameplay, Force Commander falls short of its ambitious intent; and because it's been so long in development, and so highly anticipated, it finally comes across as a disappointment. Force Commander's 3D engine would have been considered state-of-the-art two years ago. The game can render a rather large quantity of animated units without slowing down, although the graphics won't ever move very smoothly even on high-end computers. Force Commander's 3D units range widely in visual quality; zoom in up close and you'll see that the towering four-legged Imperial AT-AT walker looks and moves with marked similarity to its counterparts in the famous Battle of Hoth sequence in The Empire Strikes Back. The flying units in Force Commander, which include Imperial TIE fighters and bombers, as well as Rebel snowspeeders and Y-wings, also look more or less exactly as they did in the Star Wars films. Unfortunately, most of the other structures and units are simple shapes that are lacking in detail, and the hilly terrain graphics are similarly unimpressive. And the game's flat, washed-out textures do little to bring the units or the topography to life. Moreover, all of the units change direction by rotating in place, which looks all right for the Rebels' treaded and hovering vehicles but not good at all for the Imperial walkers, which seem to slide in place. Probably the most visually unappealing element of Force Commander's presentation is its onscreen interface. It's a plain rectangle that consumes about a third of the game screen, and though you can toggle it on or off (which takes an undue amount of time), the game is unplayable without having the interface bar's ugly displays readily available. The interface looks unfinished, and its various functions that let you build structures or change unit behavior are nondescript and counterintuitive. The slipshod interface graphics look surprisingly poor, but other than the sheer amount of space they take up onscreen, at least they don't really interfere with the gameplay once you memorize all the functions. Unfortunately, Force Commander's 3D camera controls are a huge detriment to the game. The view defaults to a slightly raised perspective that shows your units up ahead in the distance. It's a nice angle to look at an AT-AT, but it's entirely nonfunctional for gameplay purposes. So instead, you're expected to pan, rotate, tilt, and zoom the camera until you find an angle that works. You can manipulate the camera with the mouse, or you can use the predefined keyboard keys to do so, but either way it'll take you a long time to figure out how to get the camera to move the way you want. Ultimately, you'll just end up zooming the angle as far back as possible and raising it high above your forces, such that the game's perspective mimics most every other real-time strategy game. You'll need to do so to see as much of the screen as possible, but in consequence, most units will shrink to a minuscule size. You'll have a hard time seeing them shooting at one another because the shots are so small, and the units themselves will be obscured by wire-frame selection boxes. In the end, you'll have to compromise between being able to control the game effectively and being able to see your 3D units clearly, which reflects Force Commander's compromised design: Aside from the occasional circumstances when terrain affects your units' line of sight, the game's 3D engine is a liability rather than a feature. Force Commander also features a soundtrack that's at least as misguided as its 3D graphics. There's a good intent behind the game's techno remixes of the classic Star Wars themes. The composers recognized that Star Wars fans have likely heard John Williams' score one too many times by now, so they tried to work with the familiar Star Wars musical cues to create an original soundtrack. Unfortunately, most will find the results to be either silly or offensive: The drum loops and heavy-metal guitar chords just don't sit well with the classical strings and brass of the familiar soundtrack. Luckily, not all the music in the game got the techno treatment - but chances are you'll shut it off anyway, just to be safe. Force Commander otherwise sounds like most any other Star Wars game. The voice acting is generally quite good, though the unit acknowledgments are repetitive as in most real-time strategy games. Some of the sound effects in Force Commander are actually very well done, such as the distinctive whine of multiple TIE fighters in flight. --Greg Kasavin --Copyright ©2000 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot See more
D**M
Panda'd...
(C.E.O./Sci: female gender male/SS)...Received better than described - no scratches whatsoever...Didn't realize unable to install on 64bit system - luckily they mention this in Q&A...Downloaded it today ready to install haven't installed or played it yet - haven't had the pleasure playing any 32bit-64bit PC games before...Tink I was charged for shipping when it said free shipping...panda'd...
M**0
Works depending on what kind of computer you have
The game is fun and all but getting to play is the hardest thing.If you have a new computer, it is basically trial and error.
S**E
Great Game Often Gets a Bad Rap
Of all the early Star Wars games sporting improved graphics (compared to polygonal gems such as X-Wing Alliance) Force Commander ranks among the most fun to play. Like its modern twin (Galactic Battlegrounds) Force Commander requires the player to think strategically and be able to keep track of many battlefield units during multiple real-time conflicts over variable terrain. This game is for the more intellectual Star Wars fan so it isn't full of flashy lightsaber fights, alien shoot-outs, or fast-paced fly-bys in Incom T-65 X-wings; you'll actually have to use your noodle to enjoy it! And for these reasons the game often gets poor reviews, with "unengaging gameplay," "dated graphics," and "poor AI" among the common remarks. But nothing could be further from the truth. If you go into the game knowing what it is, you'll find Force Commander enjoyable and engaging with a high replay.In short, Force Commander is Lucasarts' version of extreme battle-chess: it is an interactive 3rd person set of real-time 3D strategic missions that span the original Star Wars Trilogy. You can play in either Campaign mode, Skirmish mode, or Scenario mode and depending on the mode (and your progress), you play either as an Imperial or Rebel commanding officer Brenn Tantor, a hero with a dark past. Using a unique tactical screen that Lucasarts calls the 'Battlefield Holographic Control Interface' (BHCI), you control up to 60 seperate battle units, including Imperial ATSTs, ATATs, Mobile Artillery Units, and TIE Bombers, as well as Rebel Hover Tanks, Mobile Proton Torpedo Launchers that lay mines, Mobile Missle Launchers, and Rebel Troops with grenades. There are tons of other units available. You requisition additional units with your command tenure using a system of "command points" which work as currency. You earn tenure/points by controlling the battlefield, destroying or capturing enemy units, keeping your units alive, and preventing the capture/overrun of your planetary base. The max command point total is 5000.On worlds including Tatooine, Serapin, Abridon, Endor, and Coruscant, you control your central base, ground, and air forces via the BHCI from your Star Destroyer or Rebel Command ship, orbiting the planet. Half-way through the campaign, or at any time in a skirmish, you have the option to leave your command ship and go to the planets' surfaces in a Tracked Mobile Base (TRMB). What you see on the screen for most of the game is intended to be a "holographic 3D representation of the battlefield" and not the actual battlefield, thus the battlefield units are *supposed* to look like 3D models.Frequent cutscenes with a few dramatic twists provide excellent backstory and keep the player engaged throughout the campaign mode. You start the campaign as Lt. Brenn Tantor of the Empire, commanding a team of sand-troopers on a search for an all-to-familiar escape pod on Tatooine and (without spoiling the details) end up with the Rebellion by the end of the Campaign, storming the Imperial Palaces of Coruscant following the destruction of the Death Star II which you directly have a hand in. The Scenario Mode gives you a chance to go back and replay cutscenes or missions that you've already completed in the campaign.In Skirmish Mode, you choose from a wide variety of worlds and environmental conditions in which to battle, you choose your side, and you start out with at most 2000 command points. The skirmish is over when you succesfully control the enemy's base and command bunkers and then mop up all additional enemy units on the battlefield. A skirmish is basically an annihilation exercise.In all modes, the game is designed to limit available units & command points to force you to use strategy to win and not brute force. Each world/terrain presents specific tactical advantages & disadvantages which you must balance in your strategy, and each side (Empire/Alliance) has advantages over the other for different battlefield units. For example, Imperial units are inexpensive but have no shields, so most opening Imperial moves must be won by numbers. On the other hand, while Rebel units are a bit more expensive, they have shields which regenerate and so they last longer in head-to-head combat. Prior to each mission in the campaign, you load your battle units in the command ship's landing bay where you have the option to store and save critical units for later missions.There are some disadvantages to this game: the AI has only one setting, making the harder campaign missions almost impossible to win on the first try. The BHCI, which you can toggle on/off, takes up a full 1/3 of the screen. If you fully use the tactical advantages of the BHCI this is not a problem, but if you rely solely on the view of the battlefield then you'll choke in a fight. Also, manipulating the camera takes some practice but if you combine camera manipulation with the weapon-grouping feature (shift + 1-9), you will actually have a tactical advantage over the AI. In addition, there are several shortcut keys which make quick work of frequently used features.Going into any Force Commander battle requires strategy and if you combine the features of the BHCI with the tactical advantages of the particular battlefield terrain, this game is lots of fun. P.S. In a skirmish, the Empire always uses the same set of battle units for its opening move. Good luck and enjoy!
A**L
Great Game for its time
This was one of the finest Star Wars game storylines I've ever seen. It rivaled that of Jedi Knight I: Dark Forces II. The graphics are fairly decent for being from 1998. The gameplay is great. It is really an awesome RTS. The Campaigns are really challenging and very fun. Although it isn't that fun to play more than once, there are some very challenging missions that will make your head spin. Also, the story, the rise and fall of Brenn Tantor and then his redemption. Then he even lives to see the fruits of his labored redemption. The story is great and it is vaguely reminiscent of Darth Vader's storyline.
E**T
A good idea, a bad execution
I can't help but laugh a little bit. LucasArts, once known for the very best in computer games, has within the past few years begun to decline in product quality and originality. Once upon a time they made actual non-Star Wars games too, ones that were really outstanding (Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Sam and Max hit the Road, and The Dig come to mind), but as of late seem to be focusing almost entirely on the Star Wars motif itself. There's nothing wrong with that...since the release of SW Episodes 1 and 2, there's a much higher demand for Star Wars related games, and they're simply trying to fill in the demand. But so many of the games are just terrible! And Force Commander is a good one to pick out of the bunch to illustrate this fact. The idea behind it I'm sure is that the guys at LucasArts saw how popular StarCraft was, and knew that Warcraft III was coming. So why not beat the boys at Blizzard to the punch? Thus became FoCom. The plot is actually quite good....LucasArts never skimped on many games as far as that goes, and a great deal of effort went into the storytelling side of this game. You start out working for the Imperials, following the path of a certain Astromech droid who happens to have Death Star plans in it's memory banks. The graphics really aren't that bad either. The details on some of the units you have is quite good depending on what unit you're looking at. The problems with the game almost outweigh the good things though. The camera control can be likened to strapping a camcorder to Tarzan's head and having him swing over the battlefield on a vine. And you can never seem to focus just right on the units. But let's head straight to the single biggest gripe anyone who's played this game has. The music!...or should I say Muzak?From the moment that extremely unique combination of classic John Williams gets blended with 2nd rate elevator music disco, you feel like screaming. The scary thing is that it grows on you as you play, and after 4-5 hours of it you'll start beebopping your head to certain tracks of the stuff. The game isn't overly difficult to play, but there's some imbalance to it. An earlier post said you can win solely with infantry...and he's right. You need only build those to win. But make sure to mass them before you do attack, as your transport shuttles will only deliver 6 of the guys at a time. AT-AT's are still fun to run around in though, I won't lie, although they do have a tendency to get quagmired easily. These are all overlookable problems in themselves, namely because of the price. You'll not find a better deal ..., and if you stick with it you'll find the game is fun, just a little hard to get into at first. Oh, just remember to turn off the music ;)
W**N
Good game, hard to play
This game has great graphics/sound/music/story line, just hard to play.I reccomend it to any star wars gamer though!!:)
Trustpilot
3 days ago
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