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Command & Conquer 3:Tiberium Wars DVD Review (continued)
More User Submitted Command & Conquer 3:Tiberium Wars DVD Reviews
Date: 2007-06-07
This Game Rocks!
All Command and Conquer game junkies, know that these games are highly addictive. It is true that some significant changes have been made to the controls on this game compared to the previous versions, but I would argue that once you learn them fully, you will like them even more.
The graphics are excellent.
The best part about this game compared to previous, is the improvement on the multiplayer game play. Previous versions would hang or crash frequently, but this one is smooth. Even playing online is like playing a single player campaign.
If you read this, invite me to your online game. Yeah, I really like it that much!
Date: 2007-05-22
Some new polish on some old gameplay (fun nonetheless)
I am new to the Command and Conquer series, so I bought C&C3 with no particular expectations. I thought that the demo--which I recommend you play before buying--was merely decent, but decided to give the game a shot. If you are into real-time strategy (RTS) games, this one is worth a try. It is fairly easy to pick up and play, has lengthy campaigns, and it looks great. However, this is, at best, second-tier gaming in my book. When compared to the likes of Dawn of War or Battle for Middle Earth 2, C&C3 doesn't fair well. However, it does have its moments and can provide some good entertainment.
Gameplay: This game has a late 1990s feel to it. It's an RTS game where back-and-forth resource collecting, tank rushing, and unit spamming still rule the day. But to its credit, these throwback features are put together fairly well. The game does allow for some strategic decision-making, despite itself. For example, you can tech fast to big tanks and the super-weapon and hope that the enemy does not show up in the meantime. Or, you can depend on air power to take out strategic targets and take a chance on the enemy not having good air defenses. Or, you can raid the enemy base with an expensive commando early on. Or, you can take a chance and construct turrets all over the place and play a defensive game, at least for a while. Sometimes, tank spam will win the day, but not always. A mixed force is usually best if you don't know what your enemy is up to.
The campaigns are somewhat interesting overall. Each of the three races (GDI, NOD, and Skrin) have their own story lines, which will allow you to become familiar with each side. There are a good 35 missions in all which should keep you preoccupied for a while. The missions are uneven in quality and difficulty. Some are fairly easy and straightforward and can be completed in 10 minutes. A few will require repeated, frustrating efforts and are based on questionable design decisions. The stories are tied together by cutscenes that are generally decent, especially for NOD.
The AI holds its own pretty well in skirmishes. It switches up its strategies, flanks your base, and fights aggressively. You can set the AI to behave in various ways based on your gameplay style and skill level. Unfortunately, the game ships with only about 20 skirmish maps, with the typical over-abundance of 2-player maps. However, a map editor has been released by the developer, and a few decent player-made maps have appeared. I assume that the inevitable expansion pack will include more maps, missions, and units.
C&C3 flaws are largely tolerable and relate primarily to it being a re-make of an older game. Its familiarity as a traditional RTS is both its greatest strength and weakness. The resource model is straight out of classic RTS games like the Age of Empires series, Warcraft games, and other C&C games. Some will find this enjoyable. However, it leads to the ugly base sprawl and pathfinding problems that are the bane of such games, as well as games that degenerate into who can destroy the other player's harvesters and refineries the fastest. Very few of the newer gameplay mechanics that are found in recent RTS games are found here, such as hero units, RPG-style leveling (well, units do gain experience, but you hardly notice), or alternative win conditions (you must annihilate the enemy in every game to win). Since you can climb the tech tree so fast and spam units so ridiculously, you never feel any attachment to any of them. And gameplay is fast and furious. I hope that an expansion introduces some sort of hero units or roleplaying elements to the game, along with some caps on the number of super units that can be made (at least things like Mammoth tanks should be more expensive). Anyhow, as I said before, some people are going to like this traditional style of gameplay. At least the game has modern amenities like hotkeys, save/load options, and easily adjustable difficulty levels.
Visuals: The game looks great, especially on high settings. Explosions, heat exhaust effects, unit animations, and map features are very well done. Each side looks distinctive. The interface is a lot like that of Battle for Middle Earth 2; necessary information is easy to get to without being in the way. The cutscenes, while a bit to melodramatic at times, do tell the story well, and the actors are all usually convincing, besides the fact that they are talking to the camera most of the time.
Sound: Units make appropriate sounds and have decent voice acting. They don't have the personality of a game such as Dawn of War or even Warcraft 3, but they're good enough. The game's music is also decent, but not memorable.
Technical issues: The game comes with a good manual that explains the basics. The tutorial mission is only for GDI; there should have been a tutorial mission for all three races. The game has run nearly flawlessly on my computer, with only one crash in about 50 hours of gameplay. I suppose it should run well on most mid-range and better computers.
Replayabiity/Value: Since RTS games probably offer the best replay value for the dollar of any gaming genre, anyone who likes RTS games should get good value from C&C3. There is an online community, and the AI poses a good challenge. I would not be interested in replaying the campaigns any time soon, but could see running through them again at some point. If you are a fan of the C&C series, I imagine this is a no-brainer buy. For those (like me) with no previous experience with C&C, play the demo first. I overall recommend this game.
Pros:
--Great graphics, scalable to various computer set-ups.
--Good AI, entertaining campaigns, decent skirmish mode
--Easy to pick up and learn
--Some strategic depth, despite itself
--Fast and furious gameplay
Cons:
--Fast and furious gameplay
--Spamalicious; badly needs either caps on super units, more balance, and/or increased costs
--Old-fashion gameplay, with unsightly base sprawl and tired resource collection model
--Only 20 skirmish maps, with too many 2-player maps
--A few very frustrating campaign missions
Date: 2007-05-18
Gripping & Immersive!
I cannot comment about the online gaming features of C&C3, as my interests lie with the single player missions only. However, I can say that this is a proper C&C upgrade that was well worth the wait. The gameplay is silky smooth on my new Vista desktop (Vista Ulimate, Core2Duo 2.4MHz, 2GB RAM, EVGA 7950 Nvidia card 512mb) and I have yet to experience any problems. The video mission briefings and cutscenes are the best in the series. I tried loading this game on my older (but very capable) XP machine and I had video issues. If your comp is fairly new with a decent graphics card, you should be able to run this game. Highly recommended!
Date: 2007-05-14
I give C&C3 a "buy".
i like almost anything with a science fiction tilt on it. I started in the C&C universe with Generals and felt pretty confident about purchasing this game. It is certainly a fun RTS though the AI has the usual faults making certain scenarios tougher then necessary. The graphics are top notch and I enjoyed the story. No problems with gameplay but I am running a high-end machine.
Date: 2007-05-14
WELCOME BACK COMMANDERS!
Let me make it clear from the beginning: GREAT GRAPHICS! Physics and details are AMAZING! I particularly liked the exhaust distortions, the dust of the passing mammoth tanks and the burning debris falling from destroyed flying units!
And for graphics like that it does not require the moon an the stars hardware-wise! Even my office 3year old system, sporting a 3.2MHz P4, 2GB RAM and an nVidia 7600GT can manage the highest settings.
Why is this important? I have STALKER gathering dust waiting for my next PC - only, when it will eventually be playable, it will also be...obsolete!
The story moves along, new units get unlocked, you gather, you built, you defend, you read the terrain, you amass your forces and you push forward hoping for the best. No try it again with the Bad guys.
Where it misses the 5th star: one cannot hold a battle formation while moving as most major units move at different paces and (although the AI has improved) they keep bumping on each other. May be the next C&C could have some TOTAL WAR infused into it, with battle formations options.
- Is it balanced? Mostly YES.
- Does it require tactics? As much as one might expect from a COMMAND & CONQUER Game.
- Can you still hog resources until you tank-rush the opposition? YES (sometimes the only solution)
- Is it GENERALS 2.5? Definitely NOT. It has a clear C&C character!
True, I could do without the wooden acting of Michael Ironside! (Gone are the days of Kari Wuhrer...Lock'n'Load!)
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