In Empire at War, players command the Rebel Alliance, the Empire, or - thanks to the included Forces of Corruption expansion - the criminal underworld. Feel like you could take on the whole Empire yourself? Get ready. Given the green light to work on a Star Wars project, Petroglyph took its decade-plus of experience with real-time strategy (RTS) games and put it to the test, crafting an real-time strategy game with three separate fronts: infantry skirmishes, space warfare, and galactic conflict. The Las Vegas developer had been founded in 2003 by veterans of the defunct Westwood Studios, maker of such titles as Dune II, Blade Runner (’97), and the award-winning Command & Conquer series.

Originally launched in 2006, Empire at War was the first-ever game from Petroglyph. Plus, thanks to Steam’s huge mod community, additional content can be easily downloaded via the Steam workshop. And right now, a ton of classics are available at a discount in Steam’s Summer Sale - including Star Wars: Empire at War, in a newly optimized edition featuring online multiplayer support. Another batch of beloved titles, including Knights of the Old Republic II and Republic Commando, were added to Xbox’s stellar backward compatibility program in April. It’s a great time for Star Wars fans who play games. In Replaying the Classics, revisits Star Wars games of yesteryear, examining why we loved them then and why they stand the test of time.

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