Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption Review - PC

8.5

Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 8
Audio: 9
Multiplayer: 8
Innovation: 8

Introduction

So said some old coot at the beginning of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The Saga is an old fashion tale of good versus evil, heroes vs villains. It only briefly touched on the underbelly of the universe through the awesomeness of the Fett family and various cameos that only served the purpose of providing another action figure. Star Wars: Empire At War burst onto our PCs earlier this year - (read the Sliced Gaming review here) finally creating a strategy game worthy of the mighty Star Wars tale, but that once again thrust us into the familiar role of either the Empire or Rebellion. LucasArts have now released an expansion pack, Forces of Corruption that will satisfy those of us who are "simple men, just trying to make our way in the Universe".

Gameplay

Forces of Corruption is set just after the events of Episode IV and sees you take charge of the Zann Consortium led by an up and coming criminal crime lord, Tyber Zann. A former associate of Jabba the Hutt, Tyber is all about making plenty of coin for himself and, without any allegiances and a wee bit of a chip on his shoulder, isn't afraid of treading on toes either. In fact, Tyber doesn't tread of toes, he stomps on feet - he's that much of a hardass.

Your basic goal in Corruption remains the same - trying to take control of planets and wiping out your enemies or anyone that gets in your way. You can do this through sheer force or you can send out your Consortium Defiler units to corrupt a planet. Corruption is the big addition to the game and plays a major part in progressing as Zann. By introducing corruption to a planet you open up endless possibilities to make money and create havoc.

There are numerous forms of corruption at your disposal. You can bribe your way past a planet undetected to infiltrate deep into an enemy area. You can loot any incoming or outgoing cargo ships. You can buy advanced weaponry on the black market - which is a good thing as initially the Zann Consortium's arsenal is a biscuit above the Ewoks. You can also use intimidation, kidnapping, slavery or infiltrate and sabotage the local military. It's a great concept and Star Wars fans will get a kick out of using Tie-Fighters and X-Wings against the Empire and Rebellion respectively. By far the funniest and most bizarre new unit is the Ewok handler who straps a bomb to the chest of an Ewok and sends it on an absurd suicide mission.

Story-wise the campaign is as absorbing as you'd expect when dealing with the morally ambiguous. Tyber is a bit of a Star Wars Lara Croft with a special interest in many of the Emperors possessions. Cut free of any real (continued next page)