This game was first announced in 1997. Then Lucasarts said they would delay the release so they could trnasform the 2-D (two-dimensional) engine in a 3-D engine. Sounded very cool since there was no 3-D Strategy Star Wars game out there yet.

I waited and waited and waited for this damn game to be released, and if anybody knows anything about twitchy gamers, it’s that we are not patient AT ALL!!!. And then 3 years after I heard about the game, the year 2000 rolls along and I see the game is finally released. Of course I rush to buy it because that’s how I roll.

Wow…that’s about the only word to describe this title…well…that and crap, horrible, ugly, and unbalanced. I am a huge Star Wars dork and my cheecks tighhten everytime I see a potential Lucasarts game come out. Alas I should have known like so many other Start Wars games, this one was destined to suck.

The reason for the 3 year delay, to install a 3-D engine, is actually what causes this games undoing. Sure, the 3D terrain does offer some strategic value, but you wouldn’t know it from the computer AI as units will continue to fire into the ground continuously if an opposing unit is below them without ever moving to an acceptable firing spot. They won’t even move to the edge of a ledge and use the terrain to their advantage…and this is just the beginning of what’s wrong with LucasArt’s foray into the 3D RTS realm. The control is also horrendous. Thick blue lines outline your battalions making it extremly distracting and impossible to distinguish between your armies.

Shall I go on with the disappointment that is Force Commander? Yes, I shall. Whoever thought it was a good idea to whip up a techno remix of the Imperial March should be relegated to working in the LucasArts mail room. Obviously someone thought John Williams didn’t quite get it right the first time around, so they added a heavy beat and some “wacky” laser sounds to the once ominous fugue. Now I almost expect the Stormtroopers to bust out the ecstasy, stick pacifiers in their mouths, and start shooting their lasers in the air to watch the pretty colors dancing in the atmosphere. Thankfully the music is pretty low key when you’re actually playing a mission, but the sound mix in Force Commander is all out of whack, with the sound effects overpowering some very important voiceovers that are critical to the game. And you can’t adjust the mix in the game even if you wanted to. Sheesh!

The graphics are also brimming with the three B’s…blocky, blurry, and blotchy. I really could go on and on about how this game was disappointing and what it did wrong but I’ve already taken up a lot of space so I’ll just leave it at this. And you all thought Jar Jar made Star Wars bad…just play this obscentity.