Star Wars: Empire at War - Forces of Corruption review

While the Star Wars films focused on the exploits of the Skywalker family and galactic events, there was always some interesting criminal activity going on in the background. It's about time those thugs got some time in the spotlight.

The story of Forces of Corruption follows galactic crime lord Tyber Zaan as he busts out of an imperial prison with help from his stealthy henchman Uri Fenn, using the Rebels' destruction of the first Death Star to cover his escape. He immediately sets out to rebuild the Zaan Consortium, battling Imperials, Rebels, and rival criminal organizations.

Unlike the Rebels and Imperials, Zaan's influence isn't spread entirely with military might - you can also use operatives called Defilers to corrupt worlds for a steady stream of stolen credits and technology. It's a neat concept, especially when there are special missions involving kidnapping or piracy, but as soon as you get a chance to build up a decent fleet, it's easier to simply conquer everything.

Many of the units on the new Zaan Consortium side are recognizable from the ultra-geeky Expanded Universe, including Star Viper fighters, Skipray Blastboat bombers, Interceptor IV frigates and more. On the ground there is a wide selection of mercenaries, Clone Wars-era droidekas, mounted Rancors, and heavy tanks at your disposal.