Command & Conquer 3: Les Guerres du Tiberium

...only with todays technology.

I'm sorry, but i have to disagree with the first user-comment for EAs newest RTS, a follow-up to Westwoods "Tiberium conflict" and "Tiberian sun". To kill two birds with a stone, i also wholeheartedly disagree with all the nay-sayers. I tried to swallow all the criticisms I've read throughout, but since this is the only voice currently here, furthermore a negative one, i *have* to throw in my two cents.

Im a die-hard fan of the Red Alert series portion of CnC, especially the sequel. I've tried both "normal" CnCs, but while i appreciated the game's main idea, Soviet vs. Allies was a much cooler conflict to play for my tastes. Also, i was never big on Sci-Fi, except only a handful of games and films. So while all the hype-machinery was started for TW, i couldn't see why everyone was so hot for this game. I thought akin to many skeptics, that its same ol same ol anyway, except for improved graphics and fin. But then i laid my hands on the demo, just for fun, and in that instant moment, i was hooked. Even with my merely biting in the predecessors, it just poured the CnC-feeling from every pore: The sidebar, the cheesy movies, the terrific unit and building-design, the uncompromising mix of fast action and room for tactics, the drill of the briefings, the devastating effects, animation, sound-design etc. I absolutely fell in love with the game and got it right away. And even though its German dubbed, which is, at most times, a serious atmosphere-killer, it didn't disappoint. Though let me note, I'm only talking about the campaign! I don't want to jump to conclusions for the skirmish and multi-player modes when I'm not playing them- What more evidence can one give than after all new RTSes I've played (AoE 3, Supreme Commander, thousands of WW-games ie.) only this could grab me by the throat? Heck, even Generals left me cold (Though after this i think i might give it a third go)! So what makes this game so interesting for me? Well, first its the design, ranging from the menus, interface, cut-scenes, units and buildings, terrain etc. Its just millimeters away from perfect. Secondly, the story and missions, which are a blend of fast-paced destruction and strategical tiers- Which means, that in some missions the tactics are to omit any kind of tactics, which translates further into "Build fast and eradicate the enemy from the face of the earth", and in some there are multiple layers to complete a mission. And while some missions are a tad too easy (And others far too difficult), you'll always notice promptly when you made a mistake, like loosing units or structures after you didn't pay attention for a millisecond. The secondary objectives have their purpose as well, since at most times they ease the advancement (Albeit other times their only point of being is to prolong a mission, what should have been avoided)- And blimey, its just a heap of fun to slay the confronting party in effect-laden battles, while creating outposts, level up, gather resources and building huge bases. The presentation is only the glazing on the cake, with the Hi-Def videos loaded with stars, being less hilarious than the RA2 counterparts, or the aforementioned interface, that makes sure you're always in control of the battle, regardless of where you are on the map, or, the amazing music, atmosphere and so forth. Or did i mention the world map, whats also only a tool of immersion? (No, i didn't. But its adorable!) Simply, everything fits. And the one thing that *really* dragged me in: When i attacked a base during the campaign, the enemy's infantry seized buildings dynamically to my whereabouts- awesome (Even more that you can do the same, sometimes even with bonuses)!

Sure, it really tangles like you'd play the same game with modern looks all over again, hence all the outcries for innovations, but i say better master what you can do already right than innovate while no one cares (Maelstrom, anyone?) Now that they showed that they actually can develop a true CnC, they could show it *everyone* with RA3, though. For my part, they're in my heart again, after disasters as NFS Carbon, their general policy, and the Sport/Sims rehashes every goddamn year. I don't like em much either, but when someone gives a crap and develops such a crafty game, we should cut em some slack.

Bottom line: If you are a CnC fan, than read no further and buy it. If you dug the main idea of the games, but the old graphics put you off, do the same. Singleplayers can anticipate an atmospheric, fun campaign, with missions variantly short and long, multi-layered and straightforward, simple and challenging. Those who like it slow and tactical like Supreme Commander, Medieval 2, Company of Heroes and cant digest the idea of a fast, action-oriented oldschool game should stay with their favorites. But i still advise anyone to try out the demo, since thats exactly what you get, only tenfold.

(Thoughts about the first comment: EA *did* care. Thats why they've thrown Generals out of the window and brought back the original CnC. 3 generations of fans worked on this title. The interface is almost the same as in RA2. System specs are quite humane for todays standards- Just look at NFS Carbon for instance! Why isn't it properly finished? There were fan summits to get feedback- Why do you think did the critics and most fans like it? I mean, most people hate the title exactly for what you miss from it- Being CnC, almost completely unchanged.)

For me, it was like coming home.

(Sometimes it IS a tad too difficult, you're right- But thats better than unchallenging, generic games. Btw, im parallel in love with BfME right now).

In terms of the Tiberium Wars and Kane story arc, this game is easily the most compelling and dramatic!

Seriously? This is the longest gap between two titles in the overall C&C franchise, and they phone it in like this? I have to say, I enjoyed and got into every other installment up to this(yes, including Renegade, come on, it was OK... I actually had a bigger problem with Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge, pure camp), at their worst, I found *something* to love about them. Believe me, I have no axe to grind. It's quite evident that these have taken steps downward since EA took over. Hopefully it got better after this. Next to no upgrades(and yes, a couple of them are useful... however, handholding remains a constant requirement, men will wade through Tiberium, and tiny adjustments that ought to have come ages ago are not enough for these... come on, earlier, we got stealth and underground tunnels, this is a mere repeat showing) since Generals and Zero Hour, that this obviously builds upon. This is the first of these... think about that... that essentially does not, at all, introduce any new technology or units for you to use. With minor exceptions, everything here has been seen before. Oh, other than, of course, the Scrin(they're also faster, I think). Think YR, with Yuri's side, if less outlandish and, you know, *interesting*; they have freaky stuff(plenty of lasers and such... unfortunately, so do the humans, so there's barely a contrast, they simply... glow a lot, and other extra-terrestrial clichés), if it largely boils down to other versions of the regular ones(and a craft clearly stolen from the Protoss of StarCraft(that they continue to not top)... not the only theft in this). With a whopping five, count 'em, five levels(about a fourth of the other two campaigns, 18 each), they come and become a bigger part of the plot. Sort of. You know, once they actually show up. Do they come in peace? ... what do you think? No, they come to start to invade, and then leave sequel-bait. That's right, this is just to tide us over. The story-telling(consisting of the usual briefings(in which they will pose dramatically, and where the lighting now doesn't know the meaning of the word "subtlety"), where they talk to the camera that now moves(cinematography and editing are fine)... can someone tell me if I'm supposedly present in front of these people, or if it's transmitted, what, do they have a crew present to record these transmissions, I mean, this goes beyond talking into a receiver that stands still... oh, and there are a few CGI cut-scenes as well, they're reasonable(nothing special, if FX are good), if we care too little about what goes on for them to make much of an impact) spends all of its effort setting up the next one. No character is memorable(if Billy Dee gives it a shot... Holloway is rehashing Sawyer, Morrison is an annoyance and Ironside, well, he tends to dominate the screen, and it can't be all bad to see Rasczak kicking bug ass... and yet it didn't grab me; Kane is at his least intimidating and charismatic here, and yes, of course that continues to be far ahead of many others), no developments excite you, and the endings are extremely underwhelming. Acting ranges, and only half the main cast deliver noteworthy performances. There are hardly any compelling missions(nor any that take you over half an hour, or at least only a couple), and I frankly completed it, on Normal(three difficulty settings as usual), nearly without using any other method than rushing, and on occasion using superior firepower. MP only offers one rule-set, your standard battle(and teams, of course). Twenty arenas. Designs are honestly rather plain and forgettable. Music is passable(why is it so average? It has been steadily declining since Red Alert!), ditto voice acting(and the lines are dumb), and otherwise, sound is well-done, and it allows for mayhem, grandiose, with explosions and killings en masse. You probably already know that this looks great, and it can support a solid scale(until the AI loses track, anyway) of warfare. The graphics are the best thing about this, them, and the balance between the three sides, as it is mostly fair. There are less tactical opportunities in this than in earlier ones of the series, because of streamlining(cutting unique abilities) and, well, not putting them in the game. Every tank can now be made to efficiently take out troops, rendering the machine-gun ones and the like less useful. Changes are hit and miss; the two-button mouse is unnecessarily complicated to get used to, the vehicle production structure also repairs(straightforward, yes, but you can't tell a group to "go get fixed up" the way you could before, and if you send a bunch of ones into the radius where they will get a workup, the ones that don't require attention may block the ones that do), etc. You now train squads(and not only riflemen can garrison) at a time(think Zerglings), and don't worry, they control less awkwardly than the Angry Mob. Patrolling is possible, Plan Mode is useful(have the selected ones do specific tasks that you ask, in the order you choose, when you execute the command), and this adopts the "aggressiveness of the stance" feature from Age of Empires 2, where you can tell them to stand ground or be defensive. That you can assemble a Crane for an additional queue of constructing, and the same for training facilities is nice, and base expansion is very accessible. Frankly, Tiberian Sun is miles ahead of this. This tries to wow us with high-tech gadgetry, even though they already peaked with that(see sentence before this one), and it is so busy making sure they have a strong start-off point for the following one(remember how The Empire Strikes Back *didn't* suck, in spite of being the middle chapter? Or how about X2? It can be done, you know) that it forgets to give us any reason to become engaged in this one. I recommend this purely to forgiving fans. 6/10

Hands down one of the best Real Time Strategy games ever. The graphics is really great the details are stunning and so is the model design ! But the physics engine could be a bit better !

The rating could be said to be a bit prejudiced as I am head over heals in love with the C&C franchise especially the ones involving GDA and NOD !But you are lying to yourself if you give this game anything less than an 8.

It has awesome background story and the scenarios you face in the campaign are pretty amazing too . The NOD and GDA individual campaigns are worth the time and effort because of the scenarios which give you individual view points of the organizations. The game just gives you specific objectives to fulfill in campaigns. Use your wits and stratagem to beat the game !

I have thoroughly enjoyed nearly all of games in the Command and Conquer series, and I am pleased to say that Command and Conquer 3 was everything that I had hoped. A return to the Tiberium universe, sweet graphics, and of course, the fun and campy Full Motion Videos (FMVs). As this is IMDb, and not a games website like Gamespot, I will focus much of my review on the FMVs.

Cheesy is the key word that sums up the FMVs. But it's cheesy in a good way. There is some really good B-movie talent to ham it up, including Michale Ironside (Sam Fisher!), Josh Holloway (Sawyer from Lost!), and Billy Dee Williams (Lando!). Williams is really a sight to see as he overacts his way through the GDI FMVs as the sleazy GDI Director Redmond Boyle. Shannon Cook, John Huck, and Shauntay Hinton serve their roles as faux reporters quite well. Grace Park and Tricia Helfer from Battlestar Gallactica along with Jennifer Morrison from House add some much-needed female presence to an otherwise all-male cast. Of course, Joe Kucan's performance as the evil, sneering bald man Kane really took the cake. One thing I really relished was the use of jerky camera effects which gave a sort of "you are there" feel.

A lot of people out there seem to be against the game simply because it was made by EA. Well, that is a shame, since the game and its FMVs are good in their own right!