Writing for Apple’s Games site, Brad Cook has done a preview of Aspyr Media’s forthcoming Star Wars-licensed real time strategy game in a new preview called Conquer planets with Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds.
Licensed from LucasArts, this Mac game conversion is based on the same underpinnings that run the popular real-time strategy game Age of Empires II. Instead of competing for land and resources as an ancient human civilization, though, you’re thrust into the mythology made famous by George Lucas’ epic Star Wars films. Aspyr Media announced last week that Star Wars: Galactic Battleground had gone final candidate, denoting the last development milestone before a game goes gold master and ships to duplication.
You adopt the role of one of several different factions in the Star Wars universe: Wookies, the Rebel Alliance, the Galactic Empire, Trade Federation, Gungans, or Royal Naboo. Each faction has strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited, and the game includes various campaigns that task you with specific goals and missions.
“Before you leave for that galaxy far, far away, you can also preset the number of opponents, the size of the game map, all groups’ beginning technology level, and more. The other players can be controlled by the computer (with five levels of difficulty to choose from) or by your friends, whom you can battle over the Internet with the Mac-only service GameRanger,” wrote Cook.
For more details, check out Apple’s Web site, and look for Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds on the shelves of a Mac game reseller near you soon.