Star Wars: Rebellion
Description official descriptions
Take command of the Rebels or the Empire in this strategy game from Lucasarts based around the Star Wars universe. Instead of a command and Conquer style game this is based on taking over planets with Diplomacy and also force. Slowly building up your empire and trying to beat your opposing force. There is no actual real-time fighting; it is all done with commands.
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Reviews
Critics
Average score: 65% (based on 19 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.2 out of 5 (based on 42 ratings with 13 reviews)
Avoid like the plague. Uglier than Jabba.
The Good
Well, the lambda shuttle flying through the intro was neat.
The Bad
Everything else. The controls were crappy. That stupid droid that's supposed to guide you around is annoying. You never know what's going on. Half of the time when you want to do stuff you can't with no explanation why. (Yeah, I know, look in the manual and stuff, but the REALLY good strategy games, even complex ones like Alpha Centauri, have a tutorial and helpful comments IN-GAME. I don't want to consult my manual every few minutes). Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, and others are demoted to "just another unit". Need I go on? Graphics are sub-par, ESPECIALLY considering this is a Star Wars game, ESPECIALLY considering this was 1998, ESPECIALLY considering this was LucasArts. I really was excited when getting this and tried really hard to like it but just couldn't.
The Bottom Line
If you're drawn to this game like a moth to the lightbulb ("Oh, wow, a real-time strategy war game in the Star Wars universe, how awesome!") like I was, trust me: suppress that urge. Nothing good can come of it.
I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in a computer game. This really craps on the awesome legacy of both the Star Wars name and LucasArts.
Windows · by Gothicgene (66) · 2001
Wow people really hate this game!
The Good
First of all Rebellion was one of the first real time strategy games on the market. Between the concept of the game and the new type of game (rts) Rebellion had the potential to be one of the greatest of all time.
Personally Rebellion was enjoyable and fun. I admit the interface is horrible but after giving it a chance, I got used to it. I think a lot of people who didn't like Rebellion's interface never really gave it a chance. I think many people had this image of C&C Star Wars style, well that's not what it was. Rebellion can be fun and enjoyable but only as long as you cant have too many expectations up front.
I loved building up the empire into the aramada that It should be. I loved it when at the end the Alliance battlecruser is destroyed and the droids run for cover. This is a game I play often and still enjoy today. I liked the tech tree and enjoyed building super ships.
The Bad
Ship combat well.... it sucked. Also what other reviewers said about a card game is true. Players like Luke and Darth are no more than a strato card that can raise planet morale a pinch. The way the game deploys characters is horrible. Also Intelligence was hard and almost useless. It would have been better if they had just done some sort of abstract funding model and said your intellegence depended on how much you spent. (I.E. the more you spent on intellegence gathering, the better you knew the location and strength of your enemy)
Also lets face it... How can a game call itself Star Wars when the empire starts out even with the Alliance in ships and planets? <br><br>**The Bottom Line**<br>The game has its flaws. If you were a die hard Star Wars fan I would probably not recommend it to you. However if it doesn't bother you to stray a little from the Star Wars universe, then this can be a good game for you.
Trust me, the interface can be mastered, its just a little hard to understand at first.
Windows · by William Shawn McDonie (1131) · 2000
The Good
Combat and diplomacy in the Star Wars Universe was an interesting concept and, basically, I did like the way they dealt with interplanetary relations. Combat on ground and in space was fun, but not fully realized.
The Bad
Rebellion was a trading card game disguised as a computer game. Poor AI, weak graphics, and no distinctive characters hurt this promising game. Even Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker are reduced to a stack of numbers. So much of the game happens off screen too. If you send a squad of stormtroopers to blow-up a shield, or tell Commandos to capture an Imperial officer, all you receive is a success/failure window. This game has a terrible interface as well. Every action requires opening a new window! Just try to coordinate a fleet attack in one end of the galaxy and a diplomatic mission on the other. Finally, poor graphics hamper the most interesting part of this game- fleet combat. At last there is a Star Wars game that allows you to send a swarm of A-Wings against a Star Destroyer and it looks like it was rendered on a C-64!
The Bottom Line
LucasArts has constructed a technological terror! Beware a strategy game that combines Dilbertian micromanagment with a Kafkaesque interface!
Windows · by Terrence Bosky (5397) · 2006
Trivia
'Star Wars: Rebellion' earned Gamespot.com's nod for 'Most Disappointing Game of the Year' in 1998.
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Lucas Arts: Rebellion
Official site.
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Matthew Bailey.
Additional contributors: Trixter, Entorphane, Apogee IV, chirinea.
Game added March 26, 2000. Last modified January 18, 2024.