Star Wars Commander
Disney Interactive
IOS, Android
The fall has come again and that means it’s gamer season, so
I thought I’d do a short review of the latest mobile platform Star Wars
game from Disney Interactive: Star Wars Commander.
In this Free To Play game you choose to play the Rebel
Alliance, or the Evil Galactic Empire in what amounts to a Command and
Conquer style RTS (real time strategy) game where you build bases, command
troops and vehicular assets to attack and defend through missions and special
campaigns. Sounds great right? In fact, this is the game I’ve been waiting
for since I played the first Command and Conquer game on the PC back in
1995! Imagine my thrill as I loaded the
game on to my iPad and heard the music, sound effects, and voices (sort of,
they’re sound alikes, but whatever) of my favourite vehicles and characters
from the Original Trilogy rendered with a lovingly stylish and original way.
Then I played the game.
To say Star Wars Commander is a disappointment would
be a colossal understatement. This game
is a result of what I believe is the epitome of what is wrong with the video
game industry these days: The Freemium Model.
For the one person in the universe still unfamiliar with the term I will
explain. One downloads the game for
free, then in order to actually progress in any kind of meaningful and
satisfying way within the game, you have to shell out Real World Cash
for virtual in game premium currency to buy upgrades for your troops, vehicles,
base, and the like. If I had a choice,
I would rather have paid $5 or $10 bucks up front for a game like this just to
not be constantly harangued to plunk down cash to move forward. The problem is that developers like Disney
Interactive don’t seem to understand that gamers don’t mind spending good money
on games that give us a good experience.
The overwhelming majority of us don’t mind paying $60 for a console game
that, even if the first few levels contain some grinding, we still get the
satisfaction of achievements, or trophies, and a fun, entertaining gaming
experience. Shitty freemium games like Star
Wars Commander mercilessly steal your precious time, the battery power from
your devices and offer nothing in return; no satisfaction, no entertainment,
and no fun.
Pros
The sights and sounds of the Star Wars universe in a Command
and Conquer style RTS.
Stylish, and original look for classic star wars characters
and vehicles.
Cons
Star Wars Commander requires that you be hooked up to
the internet in order to play.
In order to save your progress, you must register through
Facebook.
You do not have to choice to accept or deny who plays with
you and as a result are constantly having your base destroyed and looted by
random, higher-level players.
Freemium. If you
want to win, you have to pay.
You have zero control over troops when attacking, or how
your turrets target when defending.
Once you start a battle, the AI just randomly does what it wants.
IN the end Star Wars Commander, and freemium games like
it, are nothing more than a colossal waste of time and battery power. It’s a shame really because the Star Wars
characters, and universe as a whole, deserve a far better game than this.
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