July 21 2005

The war for the Star Wars galaxy has begun. Well, more accurately, it will begin next year when gamers finally get a chance to play Star Wars: Empire at War. LucasArts sent us word today that the title is scheduled for release on February 7, 2006. To help ease the pain of waiting, the crew over at LucasArts have also sent us a brand new two-minute trailer.

The new video is a modified, more exciting version of the trailer we saw at E3 last May. Though it doesn't show off any of the galactic strategy elements, it shows off nearly everything else about the game. You'll get to see a wide variety of units and terrain types as well as getting your fill or planetary and Everything to be just the right size, from the individual stormtroopers to the massive Star Destroyers.

You'll see AT-ATs tromp across desert dunes, Rebel soldiers trudge across the snowy hills and Y-Wings speed over grassy plains. Especially nice are the cinematic touches. Watch for airspeeders tying up AT-ATs, a Rancor devouring some poor soul and the catastrophic collapse of a shield generator.

After the action on the planet has been decided, the Rebels counterattack by launching into space. Here the action gets really hectic. The whole battle has the same sense of scale as the opening space battle in Revenge of the Sith and the visuals here make the game look just as good as the battles in the original trilogy. See dozens of fighters flying around corvettes and massive capital ships really brings the sense of action and excitement right to the front.

You can check out our previous coverage to find out more about the game but, for now, check out the awesome footage of the game in action and the new screens in our media section.