Emperor: Battle for Dune

"For the Duke!"

I happen to be a Dune fanatic. I've played every game in the series, I'm read the books, and let me tell you, this is the best in the series. What makes it special is that unlike the other Dune's, all three Houses (Ordos, Atredies, and Harkonnen) have unique units. Rather than every House having Siege Tanks, Launchers, Quads, and one special, now they'll ALL unique. A really great surprise was the addition of the Sub Houses The Fremen, Ixian, Spacing Guild, Tleilaxu, and Sarduakar. Each Sub-House has two unique units. You earn they're trust by helping them attack their enemies, defending against other Sub Houses, or protecting them from raids. Unfortunately, you can't please everyone, so you can't have all those units.

Graphics: 7/10
When I first popped the game in, I was expecting something similar to Dune 2000, but it was alot different. The view is to an angle and the graphics are MUCH better than before. The buildings and units kind of pop up from the ground, making them look alot more real. And the Sandworms look awesome. Just how you would picture them from the book. And way better than the ones from Dune 2000. The big bonus was all the mission briefings by actors. Most notably, was Michael Dorn from Star Trek, who plays the Duke. The acting is really good, and their costumes are alot better than from Dune 2000.

Sound 7/10
From the sound of a gun being fired at a tank, to the sound of a giant worm guzzling your harvester, it's all very clear. Your units give a nice clear ''Yes Sir'' when you tell them to go someone, and you can hear there screams of agony when they get run over by a tank. It's no classical concert, but it's not bad =)

Controls: 6/10
Standard point and click, nothing new. There are hot keys for giving units specific commands, but I rarely found the need to use them.

General Fun: 9/10
Westwood finally got it right. It's a billion times better than Dune 2000. There are more missions, more paths to take, and playing each of the houses will take plenty of time to complete. And playing Skirmishes will last you for a while. As for online play, Westwood doesn't seem to have the best online service, so I usually stick to Single Player. Maybe play with a buddy via IP.

Buy?
If you love Dune, the whole concept of Dune, than get this. It's no book, but it's the best version to date. Oh, and remember, always serve the Duke!

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/23/02, Updated 09/23/02