Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

Command & Conquer 3 gets the series back to its roots in the Tiberium universe, with new gameplay features that rewards players for their own unique play styles. Beyond the new story and gameplay tweaks, added new features include voice-over IP, integrated clan support, and new spectator modes. It is 2047 and the stakes could not be higher. Tiberium -- a self-replicating alien substance that has infected the Earth -- is spreading like a radioactive ice age. The GDI, a high-tech alliance of the world's most advanced nations, is fighting to contain Tiberium, but Kane, the megalomaniacal leader of The Brotherhood of NOD has other plans for Earth. Kane's secret society turned superpower is bent on using Tiberium to take control and transform humanity into his twisted vision of the future. All-out war rages over Tiberium and the fate of the planet rests in the balance.

Seeing the Tiberium universe is a welcome reunion. GDI and Nod are still battling it out but this time they have to contend with a new alien Scrin faction. These guys have a large presence in the game though their personality isn't as strongly developed as the GDI or Nod. Along with the large campaigns for Nod and GDI, you'll get the chance to play a bonus four mission Scrin campaign after completing the other two.

Also back are the famous live-action cutscenes that fans love so much. EA stayed true to the original series with a campy, cheesy, silly sci-fi plot and we're plenty happy about it. There are a surprising number of TV and movie actors playing roles here and while their acting talent isn't exactly put to the test, they're still pretty fun to see in roles like this. Who doesn't want to see Billy Dee Williams and Michael Ironside on screen together? It's like a B-movie bonanza. The Scrin campaign cutscenes had to take a different tack since I don't think anyone wanted to see a guy in a foam rubber suit gurgling like an alien. Thankfully it's awesome and effective in its simplicity fitting perfectly into the overall cutscene structure while maintaining a definitive alien perspective.

The campaign structure progresses well. Locations range across globe on three different types of terrain. Missions themselves usually involve either base defense or destruction of one kind or another. While most missions were fairly predictable, creativity wasn't totally absent, especially in the Nod campaign where missions were designed to highlight their stealth capabilities. There's also a good variety of secondary missions on every map granting plenty of gameplay objectives. The campaign AI rarely forces your hand, allowing players to sit back and relax aside from some ramped up and difficult later missions.

Once done with the campaigns, you'll be able to sink into skirmish and multiplayer. Each of the factions has enough differences in the way they behave to keep gameplay interesting. The Scrin, for instance, are better at harvesting tiberium and aren't affected by its radiation. GDI can't send infantry across tiberium, but have some of the strongest armored units and have mobile repair bases. Nod, on the other hand, employs greater use of cloaking technology making them better at quick strikes. Each faction has a distinct feel through form and function that players will appreciate.

Whichever side you choose, gameplay can be furious. While some players might want to sit back and enjoy the relative safety of a fortified base, giving an enemy time to expand and tech up can have disastrous consequences. The design here doesn't force players into the battlefield as a game like Company of Heroes does, but it also becomes pretty apparent, especially when fighting against hard or better AI, that turtling is a poor choice if you want to win. Late game units are so powerful that letting any enemy get the drop on you is practically suicide. Pushing the action and taking over new resource points is really the only way to counteract the mad amounts of units a fully funded army can pump out.

The thing to remember is that teching up goes quick, which means that somebody is going to get a leg up pretty quickly depending on the strategies taken. As a result, those of you looking for a game you can get in and out of relatively quickly should be very happy with C&C 3. The average time for skirmish or multiplayer maps is between 15-30 minutes.

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