Rating: 
Summary: This is a good, but not great, single player game.
Review: Emperor is a passable RTS with pretty good graphics but unoriginal and somewhat tired gameplay. I can only comment on the single player aspect, but if you're looking for something new you won't find it here. Yes the game is in "3D" but plays almost exactly like it's 2D predecessors. The missions become quite repetitive, where you build up a defensive force then just mine enough spice to create a large group of "tank" units combined with a large group of "light tank" units and storm the enemy base. Repeat ad nauseum. Often times you'll have 2-3 missions in a row on the same map. It may just be that I'm looking for more than the RTS genre can supply, but this is an average game in my book.
Rating: 
Summary: Wow! Perhaps the next level in RTS.
Review: I have to say, I was really hopeful that this game would be good. I was slightly disappointed in Tiberian Sun (still an excellent game, but it had too much to follow), but that wouldn't even compare if the sequel to the first true real-time strategy game (as we know the term), Dune II, wasn't up to par. Luckily, I was not disappointed.The game balance is impeccable. The three sides are vastly different, not only in their units, but the way you use them and even the music that is played. Plus, you can form alliances with two of five subhouses, which allow you to customize your army further with four additional units and two additional buildings. As in any good strategy game, all of the units are useful, and you need to combine all of them to play most effectively. The game interface is certainly the "next level" for RTS games. It plays just as easily as any 2D strategy game, but with the added benefits of the 3D engine, such as the improved graphics and the ability to rotate and zoom the camera. Westwood, however, was able to accomplish the amazing feat of creating a game that was still perfectly playable in 3D, something no one has yet come close to doing. There were some long shots, but for the most part, 3D strategy games were far too difficult to control effectively when compared to 2D games. There are over 100 single-player missions, and with single- and multi-player campaigns plus skirmishes and normal multiplayer battles online and on a LAN, you'll be playing for a while! Overall, I would give it six stars, and immediately rank it in the best three games I've ever played -- and I've played a LOT. It's beautiful, it's fun, it's balanced, it's VERY replayable, and it's just a really, really good game. Westwood shows that they still have what they had when they invented the genre.
Rating:
Summary: Quality
Review: Ah, this is the life. Emperor: Battle for Dune is a great, fun game that is everything Dune 2000 should have been. It is Westwood's first foray into 3D, and they've done a great job of putting together a fast and pretty 3D engine. The units may not have very many polys, but they are well animated and have tons of little details, like the Atreides sniper's laser and the elite Sardukar slitting the throats of his opponents. The game is also true to the Dune novels. As in the books, shields and lasers don't mix: hit a shielded unit with a lasgun and you are treated to a very nice graphical effect that unfortunatley results in the explosive deaths of both units. The fremen are back with their sandworm-riding antics, in addition to the four other subhouses that add variety to your army. Each of the three main sides are totally different, too. This makes for a refreshingly diverse game. All in all, this is the epitome of the Westwood RTS game. Hopefully next time around they'll innovate a little, but this will keep everyone occupied until then.
Rating:
Summary: Emperor: Battle for Dune
Review: Yet another great game from Westwood Studios. Awsome 3D graphics with great support for many graphics cards. Simple camera contols, unlike other 3D RTS games. Great live action mission breifings, Intelligent AI, and Free online gaming. I recommend a scroll mouse, makes zooming easier.
Rating:
Summary: Dune II gets a serious overhaul !
Review: This game has all the flavor of the original Dune II, but the graphics are a lot nicer. As in the original Dune II you can pick from one of the three houses for the campaign; Atredies, Ordos, or Harkonnen's. This time, though, you can pick up unique troops depending on what subhouses you ally with as you go through the campaign. They've also added (I don't remember if the original had this) multiplayer capabilities. For this game it does feel like they took the original game added a lot more depth (including many cinematic clips) and alot better graphics!! If you liked the original you'll love this remake. FYI: They also made the worms a whole lot bigger :).
Rating:
Summary: You gotta get this
Review: Perhaps it's the fact that it takes place in the dune universe, or maybe it's because it is in 3D, or perhaps it's simply that it's made by Westwood, but this is the coolest strategy game I've ever played. Starcraft, Command and Conquer, and Red Alert are all awesome games that have been unsurpassed-until now. I find this to be the first 3D RTS I've played and actually liked. Games like Earth 2150 and Homeworld were unintuitive, complicated, and horrifically boring. Emperor is the first 3D RTS to actually incorporate all good elements of gameplay: superb graphics, great replay value, great multiplayer, pretty good AI, and the most comprehensive and sophisticated single player campaign mode I've ever played. You get to choose alliances, invade or defend territories, call in reinforcements or fall back, and it's all incredibly simple to operate. Hmmmm, I don't seem to recall anything like that in Starcraft, much less any other strategy game! Trust me, it's cool. The units in this game are all very balanced and unique, and the gameplay is easy enough for any idiot to learn in under a minute, yet depending on the player it can also be a strategic warzone for the tactical genius. However, let me remind you that the 3D interface seems complicated and confusing at first, yet you can learn it very easily for the camera operation is also quite easy. The only bad sides to this game exist in minor flaws, such as the fact that in a skirmish game you cannot change the color of the AI player, but a good thing in skirmish is that you can change the general playing strategy of the enemy AI, so you could make them defensive, offensive, or all around competent. I can't say enough about this game. If you liked Starcraft, any of the C&C games, and hated Earth 2150, I suggest you try this.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful Update
Review: Okay before we get started, if you are looking for something new..look somewhere else. All window dressing aside this game is pretty much the same as Dune 2000. There are some new units, which are given to you at random points in the game. And the more advanced units like the Ornithopters are given to you early on. The game looks beautiful, the 3d effects are marvelous. On slower processors though, the game tends to start "chugging" when you begin to put alot of troops into play. Something I never noticed on the prequel. On the plus side this game starts as a sequel to Dune 2000, giving a reason for the update. If you enjoyed 2000 and are looking for more play in the same vein. Dont hesitate to pick it up. If you are looking for something new...pass this one by.
Rating:
Summary: Fans Will Love It
Review: Any fan of the Dune series will love this game, and realize that it was well worth the wait. The graphics are exceptional, with the intro screen being might impressive. The playability on this game has increased imensly which means that you are going to be addicted to this game for a very long time. You get to fight over 4 different worlds, whether you go for ground level tactics, or large scale stratergies you know that the outcome will have an affect on the game. I think this one in the series is going to atract more fans as more people now have Pc's and they are now able to experience this game in its full glory
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Return To The Dune Universe
Review: Dune 2 was the first RTS game (something which many people seem to forget these days), and, in my opinion, wasn't ever beaten. The newer games that came along did indeed boast superior graphics, but the gameplay was abismal and strategy taking the back seat with mass producing tanks being the way to win against a stupid AI. Dune 2000 was a disapointment, with it basically being Red Alert on Arrakis. Nothing had been improved. Now, with Dune Emperor, things have taken a turn for the better. There are actually improvements beyond graphics for the first time in the Westwood RTS series. The strategy here is far greater than ever before, and the different Houses far different from one another. The strategy does not end on the battlefield, with important decisions being made between missions, that do drastically alter the gameplay. Alongside all this, you have the different factions from the novels being represented, such as the Bene Tleilax and the Spacing Guild, whom can become allies if you play your cards right. And, continuing this expansion, you not only war on Dune, but also on the homeworlds of the three houses ! Plus, especially on Arrakis, you have more than just the enemy to contend with. With storms and sandworms, there's more than enough. But, then there's also Shai Hulud lurking in the deep deserts, capable of swallowing whole squadrons of troops or vehicles ! (Scale is finally right here !). The interface itself is drastically improved, and you can even zoom in on the map, zoom out, spin around ... Imagine that watching a battle ! All in all, this is a fantastic game, and the step forward in RTS gaming we've all been waiting a decade for. And what better setting than the greatest science fiction epic of all time - the Dune Saga.
Rating:
Summary: Westwood is back on top
Review: The game that made RTS is back. After the dissappointing remake Dune 2000, Westwood strikes back with the 3D RTS. The amazing blend of the old RTS style that has made Westwood so great with the new 3D engine has created a world that makes Force Commander look like a child's toy. Oh, how far we have come since Dune 2 was released in 1992. If you like RTS games, this one must be at the top of your list. It is like nothing I have seen before and more. It is an epic game of 4 cds and an outstanding plot. RTS is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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