This is one of the few games that focuses nigh-solely on the 'Wars' part of the STAR WARS title. In so many others, you're a Jedi, a Sith, a force user or just some rag-tag drifter caught up in something big. And a whole lot of Light Sabres and Force Powers, and 'things you do not understand.' In this, the things you don't understand are that way because they're on a Need-to-know basis, and as a soldier, even if an elite one, you're not one of the ones who need to know until your superiors deem it pertinent. You have no force powers, or light sabres, or anything mystical like that; the first time you actually see a Light Sabre is lying next to a dead Clone, prompting a short monologue from your character that explains exactly what this game is: "An elegant weapon, from a more civilised age, huh... well guess what; times have changed." You don't seek to find answers to elusive questions about the Force of the Galaxy. You seek your objectives, with every intention of achieving them without fail. You command your subordinates to help you achieve those objectives, and the only questions you ask are the ones you need answered to help you achieve those objectives... you don't ask why, in the grand scheme of things. That's not your job. Your job is to cause chaos and get things done, and this game handles that beautifully; you and your men are soldiers in an overarching war, and though you're important, you're not at the centre of the galaxy. But you can damn well leave your mark in it as you take the fight to the enemy. Highly recommend this game if you want a Star Wars game that doesn't focus on the mystical aspects of the universe, and more on the Wars that ravaged it, and the Soldiers, who had no force sensitivity to speak of, that helped bring about the greatest changes in the Galaxy.
I will preface this by saying I've not played this version, but I have played the original freeware version, and I can say this; even with cheats, this add-on is HARD. Even if you have unlimited resources, ammo and health, and perfect RADAR, there are some missions where this may not matter if you aren't careful, so this is certainly not an add-on for the uninitiated; enemies that can outnumber you 2 or even 3 to one - who can appear out of perfect stealth, by the way - can utterly overwhelm you if you're not careful, and mistakes are brutally punished. The escort missions are hell; you have to escort something to safety, but that doesn't exist, and the power of the enemies coming at you is more than enough to reduce you and your wingmen to biometal bits strewn across the surface of whatever godforsaken planet you find yourself on. Even on missions where you have bases to build and factories to replenish losses, the frequency of attacks coupled with the intensity of each wave, means it can be difficult to recover from one before the next crashes against your beleaguered defences. Basically, the challenge of this add-on is often artificial in nature, and the advantages granted to the enemy are often unfair in proportion. I would not recommend this game to someone who hasn't at the very least completed the Red Menace campaign from the base game with flying colours and improved greatly upon it, as the Red Odyssey's two campaigns will push your ability to the limit.
