LucasArts today announced that Star Wars: Empire at War, the RTS game developed by Petroglyph Games is now available in stores, priced 49.95USD (thanks Blues). We've checked LucasArts' online store and even the Collector's Edition is available for 59.95USD. Set a few years before the events of Episode IV A New Hope, the game features beautifully rendered land and space battles set on memorable planets such as Hoth, Tatooine and Dagobah as well as never-before-seen environments taken directly from the Star Wars films and expanded universe novels. In the game, players can choose to join either the Rebel Alliance or the Galactic Empire, building and setting up tactical forces that can be unleashed on the enemy in real-time 3D. As players build, manage and progress their space and ground-based units, troops and vehicles, memorable Star Wars hero characters will begin playing a role in key situations. In addition to the single player campaign mode, the game includes a two-player Empire vs. Rebellion mode and up to eight player online skirmish mode. Don't forget to grab the demo and the patch for the full game.