Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun

Well, what can I say? The "real" Command and Conquer 2 follows on from 1.5 (Red Alert) and then some.

As in the first game, you can take control of either the evil NOD or the heroic GDI. Each faction has its own attributes, and both are fairly evenly matched. When you have selected your side, you are treated to a FMV sequence, where star actors such as James Earl Jones or Michael Biehn have put in some of the best performances in a video game. Once the sequence is over, you're into the game, and it plays just the same as other RPGs - point, click and build.

But it's on the multi-player side of things that the game really scores. Westwood, the developers, have obviously put in a lot of time and effort into the making the multi-player game as even as possible, whatever side you choose. And, with a ranking system you know just how good the person you're playing against is.

Get it now!!!

This has got to be one of the best Tiberian franchise instalment. The game follows on from its 1995 predecessor, exploring two rivalling factions - the noble Global Defence Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod (aka Nod). The latter are considered a terrorist organisation led by the charismatic leader, Kane. Kane seeks a new world order and is a closet (but not-so-closet) believer in aliens. He believes in the mystical benefit of tiberium, a substance overgrowing across the world- both a prized resource and a toxic chemical, akin to say nuclear power. This game delivers some compelling videos that propel this wonderful story.

If you like RTS (real time strategy) games, you will love TS. It blows all other RTS games away. The FMV's are real smooth and have feature some top notch actors such as James Earl Jones and Micheal Bein (good guy from the first terminator and aliens). There are a ton of units and structures. Also, TS' multiplay is the best I have seen in an RTS game because the servers are always being upgraded so you don't get much lag. Its hella' fun!

The game is enjoyable, although it gets quite hard. The special effects are good, and the plot is great. The character of McNeil is super, and excellently portrayed by Michael Biehn. James Earl Jones is also good as General Solomon, although some of the supporting acting is bad. But it is a computer game after all, but the bonus of having my favourite actor in the movie scenes is a special treat.

The following review will cover both Tiberian Sun and Firestorm. With how negative many people seem towards this game, one must assume that they forgot the many new things that it introduced to Westwood's on-going Command & Conquer series... or maybe they just got tired of waiting. I believe this game was in development for no less than four years... and it admittedly still feels less than fully complete. There are several bugs, and the AI still needs work(and more hand-holding is required than earlier games, due to some of the new features). Firestorm did not fix any of these issues, and it did bring about one or two new ones. But instead, let's look at all the things that this game did do, rather than the fairly few things that it did not. It introduced several new major things, some of which are really good, including hills, cities(instead of the endless "villages" of the last two games), tunnels, more elaborate terrain, turning power on and off, it made bridges repairable, etc. It tried something new with the cut-scenes(characters no longer talk at you, you play a character seen on screen). Firestorm brought back the familiar method of having the characters brief you, talk into the camera as if they were speaking directly to you(this brings about some slightly awkward editing in a few parts of the briefings, but those are relatively easy to ignore). How you feel about these changes and additions is obviously subjective, but the creativity and courage required should be commended. The whole game has a very slick, stylish look to it. Firestorm maintains this look. The graphics are improved, with much more detailed and realistic effects on explosions and such. The story-telling is adequate. Firestorm has about the same quality of that, though the story is somewhat less... well, less(both sides pretty much follow the same story-line, and while the idea expressed in the plot was originally an interesting one within the realm of science fiction, it is now something of a cliché within that genre). The animated portions of the cut-scenes look stunning. The casting is good, with James Earl Jones and Michael Biehn both given lines and roles that fit them(the former being an authoritative type, the latter being the determined soldier). Firestorm, apart from the character of Slavik, has hardly any of the characters from Tiberian Sun return, though the new ones certainly aren't bad(and at least CABAL comes back, and he's awesome(not that Slavik isn't, too)). The acting and writing vary. As with the first Command & Conquer, there are plenty of highly powerful units, but this game also presents you with ways of dealing with them all. Even the super-weapons are both powerful and possible to stop(well, not the Ion Cannon, but it can do enough damage to be useful, and too little to be devastating on its own). Firestorm adds a few units and changes around some of the ones that were already there, to further increase the level of fairness (as well as making things more interesting and intense, with the new Mobile War Factory that both sides get, the Mobile EMP Cannon and the Mobile Stealth Generator), though the addition of an artillery unit for GDI(whilst definitely a cool addition and very, very helpful) seems completely out of character). Firestorm's new units are implemented in the single player portion reasonably well(and they're helpful, in general, to boot). Both sides have some really cool technology to play around with, and they both have a rather... interesting APC, neither of which I will describe here. Firestorm's difficulty picks up where Tiberian Sun left off, making for a good challenge. The sound is somewhat limited, and the music, whilst still sounding good, doesn't really have the whole adrenaline-pumpin' thing that we've seen in the other games. It does create a solid mood, though. Firestorm has quite a few in-level characters get downright chatty, compared to earlier games, maybe to make up for the limited sound of Tiberian Sun. The level design is fairly good, and both sides *definitely* get a satisfying finale. Firestorm scores reasonably high marks on that, as well... while there are only nine new levels per side, they're all good, connected(unlike those of every add-on in this franchise preceding it) and are often quite interesting... such as the level where you, fighting as NOD, battle using the Tiberium creatures to fight for you and the GDI mission where you must stop a civilian riot; both sides again get a great finale each, though the last level of both campaigns is basically the same. Firestorm, in general, offered far more(well, earlier add-ons had more single player levels, but apart from that) than the expansion packs to the Command & Conquer games prior to it; it had an actual story(if perhaps not the best one), there were new cinematics to brief you on the missions, the new units in no way felt recycled, several new buildings and such were added instead of only(which both Firestorm and Tiberian Sun admittedly does) reusing ones we've seen before... as Tiberian Sun is a landmark in RTS games, Firestorm is one for C&C add-ons. The multi-player is also quite good, with a few dozen playable levels(Firestorm added more levels, as well as the World Domination mode), a solid randomizing generator which you can set values for a number of properties, to ensure more, and several features that can be turned on or off before you start playing, including the old favorite of RTS games(which had not been seen in the C&C games before this point), Fog of War, as well as whether or not bridges can be destroyed, whether or not the players will be allowed bases, etc. I recommend Tiberian Sun to any fan of RTS games, in particular those who want more of the (rightfully) popular Command & Conquer universe. I recommend Firestorm for anyone who enjoyed Tiberian Sun and wanted more of that, because for that, it definitely doesn't disappoint. 7/10