Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
April 2,2007 - Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is a relentless assault on the nerves and senses. Never before has a strategy game spewed forth such a barrage of action and color, or demanded such adrenalized concentration from the player. There’s nary a dull moment – or a moment to breath, for that matter. From the campaign’s first mission to the final ion cannon strike against some anonymous opponent halfway across the country, C&C 3 never lets up and never disappoints. It is undoubtedly more than just a worthy successor to Westwood’s classic franchise: it is ferocious proof that, if dressed properly, some things never get old.

The story certainly lands on familiar ground. In the year 2047, the world remains ravaged by the growth of Tiberium, a toxic alien substance that leeches precious minerals from the ground and crystallizes them on the surface. The value of these crystals complicates a long-standing conflict between the United Nations-born Global Defense Initiative and the quasi-terrorist Brotherhood of Nod. Some fifty years have passed since the mysterious green crystal first appeared on Earth, and much of the planet suffers from deleterious effects of Tiberium poisoning. Thus, GDI and Nod lock themselves in a continual struggle for economic and military dominance, with this ultra-valuable resource at the center. That’s where you step in, taking control of either side (or, later on, as an emissary for the alien Scrin).

But not since Red Alert 2 has strategy unfolded at such a vicious, uncompromising pace. Forget Tiberian Sun’s plodding walkers, vast maps, and stretches of time where only the “click click” sound of accumulated credits kept you company. C&C3 is as much a race to the top of each faction’s limited tech tree as it is a game of monetary domination, and with multiplayer matches hardly lasting more than twenty or thirty minutes, overt aggression definitely leads to victory. You must build or be killed; any player mistakes are amplified by the sheer destructive power of top-tier units, the most popular of which can take down key structures in four or five shots. In fact, the entire game wears its “strategy” label rather loosely, since C&C3 very much rewards the player who can muster the most voluminous forces at the quickest pace, then throw them at their opponent’s harvesters and Tiberium refineries and retreat them properly. But the truth remains that mischievous tactics will win out—just pray that if your opponent can perform one thousand tasks simultaneously, that you can perform one thousand and one.

Many of the old “tricks of the trade” remain intact from previous titles. As before, a small squad of engineers can strike a fatal blow to any commander who disregards base defenses. Nod still relies on deception, with their many stealthy units, chemical bombs, and speedy raider buggies. GDI players would do better to survive into the late game, where Mammoth Tanks and Zone Troopers roll through virtually anything land-based. The alien Scrin, however, present an odder scenario, one that focuses on long-range air superiority and unorthodox unit combinations. All three sides benefit from the new abilities of engineers, which can commandeer fallen walker units and reclaim them for the player.

Each campaign (one for each faction) does a wonderful job of demonstrating the ins and outs of all this military machinery, even if the level of difficulty tends to jump sporadically from one to the next. And behold, most missions eschew the traditional base-building, unit-whoring mentality that plagues games of this type; virtually every objective manages to excite, with unusual tasks and dozens of bonus optional objectives. In between, you’ll witness some of the most extravagant and intentionally cheeky displays of cinematography in recent memory. Kane is the Kane we all know and love, not so creepy this time as he is sinister and paternal, calling you “son” and praising your efforts to cleanse the Earth of fascist GDI pigs. On the side of order, Grace Park and Jennifer Morrison do an impeccable job of conveying the intelligent, conservative GDI mindset, even as Billy Dee Williams fronts the operation with a memorable, over-the-top facade. Even the bonus Scrin campaign is worth playing, as it reveals a couple of hidden facts about Kane and the Tiberium crystals.

Many will find Williams’ performance indicative of game’s entire ethos: big and bold, but at heart derivative of past performances. C&C3 adds little to the genre when divorced from its furious tempo and stellar graphics, but these two assets work together to stunning effect. It’s a testament to the tremendous impact speed, style, and flair can have on a piece of entertainment software. There’s utterly nothing unattractive about these visuals, with glorious particle effects, subtle distortion, and awesome unit designs which, in many cases, evolved right out of Tiberian Sun. Battles between sizable armies coalesce into an orgy of light and fireworks – as much fun to watch as it is to play. Environments glow with fervor depending upon the severity of Tiberium infestation, and buildings crumble periodically as rail guns pound their walls. There is no plain, barren look of Supreme Commander, nor are there the dynamic physics effects of Company of Heroes. But all will agree that the artistic direction is practically unparalleled in the thickest of conflicts, and C&C3 looks fantastic not because of its technical achievements, but because of the cohesive, detailed, and imaginative world it portrays. All with relatively modest system requirements, no less.

Considerable detail in this multiplayer package exists as well. Players can jump into unranked matches, ranked 1v1 or 2v2, or clan-based 1v1 or 2v2. Matchmaking is handled well enough, but the tracked statistics, “BattleCast,” and telestrator controls are the real kicker. The latter two allow a commentator to dissect strategy through VOIP and mark up a live (or even tape-delayed) match like John Madden on Turkey Day, while a group of spectators looks on. It’s all great stuff, though we would’ve liked to see options for ranked 3v3 and 4v4 matches. On the other hand, offline skirmish mode is no slouch, with the ability to toss seven devilishly tactical AI opponents into the fray for some large scale destruction.

In spite of the astronomic hype surrounding any major release in the C&C series, Tiberium Wars doesn’t so much walk a fine line between the traditional and the unexplored so much as it drapes a ton of aesthetic appeal on top of familiar, fast-paced gameplay. Any faults are purely nitpicky – music seems to err from the beat-driven techno and rock of previous installments, though it’s still well-composed and catchy in its own right. Aircraft sometimes refuse to land at their assigned airfields without some extra-convincing click-bouts. And yes, the overall speed of the third Tiberium War might drive you to insanity, once your expensive army is met with nothing but hard counters and cheap foils, reducing it to scrap while you were off placing a structure or guiding an engineer into a neutral tech structure halfway across the map. Lastly, a couple of units seem inexplicably high-priced and underpowered – Nod Avatar, anyone? Yet C&C3 is such an inviting and addictive product that minor shortcomings are easily overlooked. It’s a near-perfect concoction of speed, style, nostalgia, and fun. Play it now.

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