Since its debut over ten years ago, the Command & Conquer series has become one of the standout series in the RTS genre. Usually mentioned in the same category as titles like Age of Empires and Warcraft, the C&C games have quietly slipped out of the spotlight in recent years with incomplete efforts like Command & Conquer: Renegade, and radical revamps like Command & Conquer: Generals. With the license now owned by EA and many of the original Westwood members gone to startup studios like Petroglyph, the task of creating a new title worthy of the Command & Conquer name fell upon EA's Los Angeles studio.

EA LA decided to go back to basics for Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, designing a new RTS game that focuses on the traditional strengths of the series. Fans of the earlier C&C games will be delighted with their efforts, as series clichés like FMV cutscenes, massive unit spamming, and over the top dialogue make triumphant returns. Newcomers might be disappointed by the arguably dated gameplay and balance oversights, but that shouldn't really come as any surprise for series veterans. Though Tiberium Wars fails to push the envelope like recent competitors Supreme Commander and Company of Heroes, it's nonetheless a solid title and brilliant homage to its series' heyday.

Kane's Back

The Command & Conquer plot has always been slightly over the top, and I have to admit it seemed slightly absurd as I contemplated summarizing it. Suffice to say the campaign has an interesting storyline that is portrayed via fantastically cheesy FMV sequences and in game events. Not only is the campaign's story fully fleshed out, you have multiple factions to choose from, each with more than one possible ending depending on how you play that game. The game's interface hasn't undergone any serious changes, and gamers familiar with the earlier C&C games will feel right at home. Units have a few new tricks up their sleeves, but the core gameplay remains shockingly similar to the classic Command & Conquer titles.

The missions themselves are quite memorable, and varied in their difficulty. The environments you fight in and the objectives you're required to complete create a unique experience that won't soon be forgotten. Cities like Washington D.C. create compelling backdrops to the carnage on the screen, complete with recognizably landmarks. It's surprisingly dramatic single player game, which is a nice improvement over similar titles where you spend most of your time staring at tech trees.

Besides playing by yourself, Tiberium Wars features a robust multiplayer mode. With support for leaderboards, scheduled matches, and replays, the online component of the Command & Conquer series has joined the 21st century. You can play competitively with up to eight players, and mix and match AI opponents as well. The AI presents a challenging opponent, with the ability to select several different difficulty levels and play styles. Unfortunately, balancing issues quickly become apparent while playing online. It's not unusual to race through the tech upgrades in just a few minutes only to have each faction with one type of unit being spammed across the map. Expect to see a lot of Mammoth tanks. It's too bad that the core strategy for C&C hasn't changed at all in the last decade, and it leaves you wishing for an experience that was a bit more tactical. Though online stability was initially an issue, EA has already issued three patches within the first week of release to address multiplayer concerns. I'm impressed with EA's efforts so far to fix issues that shipped with the title, and only hope they continue their support with adjustments to the games balance.

"Waiter, There Are Shaders In My C&C."

With target releases for Xbox 360 and PC, it's no surprise that Command & Conquer looks good. Though it doesn't take advantage of DirectX 10, the visuals in Tiberium Wars rival any seen in Company of Heroes and Age of Empire 3. The unit detail is superb and the environments do a great job of selling the story. Each faction has a unique style and you won't have any trouble distinguishing between who's good and who needs to die. And unlike games like Supreme Commander, the action doesn't come to a grinding halt when the screen gets filled with units. Though I played Tiberium Wars on an extremely high-end machine, I had no problem testing it out on a more mid-range, single-core computer. With a slight adjustment to the fidelity settings, you should be able to play Command & Conquer 3 on any decent computer. The game's audio is also top notch. Some classic sound effects are back, and you'll feel a wave of nostalgia when you hear "construction complete" for your first power plant. The music isn't spectacular, but it manages to match the action on the screen most of the time.

EA LA had a tough assignment on this one. Creating a title to follow in the footsteps of some of the greatest RTS games of all time is no easy task. Their results will likely receive a mixture of criticism and praise, depending on who you talk to. Old school fans of Command & Conquer will no doubt love the experience, and bask in the nostalgia Tiberium Wars has to offer. Gamers looking for the next evolution of the RTS genre probably won't find it here, but that doesn't mean they still won't enjoy it. Any gamer casually interested in RTS games should pick this one up, as it provides a unique look back at the genre's roots in an entertaining and polished manner. Hopefully with some balance adjustments and possibly an expansion, a large community will develop around Tiberium Wars and we can look forward to a thriving multiplayer scene for years to come.