I bought this game without knowing the most important thing about it: It's just a straight copy of Age of Empires 2 with a Star Wars skin. Sorry, did I say JUST a copy of AOE2? JUST the single best RTS game ever made? But with wookies and Jedi? Shut up and take my money!
The single biggest problem with this game is its pause screen. Like every game, it gives you a list of options, including "continue/unpause" and "quit." Most of my other games put "continue/unpause" at the bottom of the list. This game puts "quit" at the bottom. So I have frequently clicked "quit" when I meant to continue. This wouldn't be a problem if, like most games, they gave a "are you sure you want to quit?" warning. But no. Click that bottom button and your game is over immediately. I've accidentally ended about a dozen games that way. Otherwise, I think the game itself is fine. I saw several reviews complaining that it is too easy. That's not quite right. There are plenty of way to make the game hard, even impossibly hard, if that's what you want. But it is true that the game is fairly simple, in the sense that it doesn't take much work to understand the mechanics, and most games follow a similar strategy. I will also say that this is the first RTS game I've ever played that truly broke me of my habit of "turtling." I am the most defensive player in the world, but this game basically forces you to adopt an aggressively offensive strategy every time. So the games are fast-paced and short lived. And there's something to be said for that.
This is a fun game to play, but the writing really sets it apart. Very smart, silly, and witty. No matter how many play-throughs you do, you simply must read the narrator's spittoon arguments in full, every time. Of course you will always do the opposite of what he says, but he paints such a vivid picture... I take my fake pope hat off to the writers. Also, some of the puzzles and codes are legit tough, which I appreciate. It took me a good bit of effort to get through all the ornate graves at the military cemetery. Oh, and the Shaggy Dog Cave! You should really try your best to figure out the puzzle of the plaques before you get to the last one...so worth it! The downsides are that (a) it's a little too easy (even if you get the hart hat), and (b) it's a little too short. Not too short to be worth it...it's got many hours of good material...but it definitely leaves you wanting more. So, as the orphan said to the man who gave them the lock-picking book: "please sir, may I have some more?"
