Just not quite it. The game is a mix of genres without delivering anyting new. Ambitious but shallow and disappointing.
- RTS like Grond Control II but offers little variety,
- Space Battles like Nexus but doesn't provide the satisfying complexity
- 4x aspects like Galactic Civilizations without the aspect of exploring and little planet management.
All in all, it's just not it. Star Wars Empire at War provides a superficial experience which stops just where it's getting interesting, the battles are rather repetitive, strategy and tactics seem of little importance. In ground combat the AI is terrible, sending one unit after the other towards your fortified positions, in one game I managed to eliminate the enemy without actually sending in my main force just using the local population. In space combat don't expect epic combats, you can bring in just so many forces, the others wait somewhere in deep space and can be called in when one of your ships goes down.
The graphics are great, as expected, sound was very nice too, and it is kind of cool to send Darth Vader in the field as a killing machine - he force-kills 10-15 infantry enemies easily.
All in all... I bought the game this afternoon and after finishing this review it goes straight to ebay.