Back in 1995, Westwood wrote gaming history with the release of Command & Conquer. An instant classic, two sides fighting for their beliefs of right and wrong, high tech military weapons, an alien substance with unlimited potential, a mad but charismatic leader named Kane and one of the most memorable soundtracks ever for a strategy game. It did everything right.

Zoom forward to 2007 and EA is doing it again. And behold, the result is glorious.

CnC3: Tiberium Wars hands on review

Some of you may ask, "You're just putting out a review now? There are dozens of reviews out online already!". Ah, yes, grasshopper, you would be right. However, I'm not going to visit a big website, see the rating and say "Ok, cool. I'll just take the idea from here, and do it all in my own words." For the past two weeks I've been pumping hours into this game, and I did not rest until I had beat the entire campaign, played the game on a LAN, as well as online. So believe me when I tell you, I know this game pretty damn well by now.

When Westwood was eaten up by E.A., I was probably one of the most angry people on the planet. Westwood made fun and interesting games, E.A. just buys developers and make them work for them. Pretty much like a sweatshop. So when I heard that E.A. were working on the next chapter in the Command and Conquer galaxy, I was pessimistic to say the least. You can ask Alpha or Bix bout all my negative comments prior to its launch. 

By Antti Summala
Apr 13, 2007

The Command & Conquer series needs no introduction. If you've somehow managed to miss the defining RTS game franchise, don't worry: there's no need to play the old games in the series to get up to speed. Even if you're not allergic to dated graphics, there's really nothing to gain from playing the classic C&C anyway. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars gives you the same game with new, beautiful graphics and a good deal of tweaks and improvements.

The shammed silence, whispered in the ears of time since our last strategic meeting with Command & Conquer universe, got its share of effects. This aspect certifies the advertised impact, promised to the third well off iteration. Tiberium Wars was conceived from day one as a return to its roots, through traditionalism, and a generous sample of technological progress, through visual fluency. But since the storm of needs (not the "biological" epos) converges into a shabby walk, the producers' efforts couldn't have restrained themselves from stirring up personal controversies. There's nothing more surprising really, than the structural elements' cohesion, and the lack of innovation, gameplay wise. An approach that assured its place for later on, because it's only fair to admit that the anticipation of the new elements masks the itch of keeping the concept in a different yet familiar setting. Hence, Command & Conquer (3) remains a RTS intended for veteran upholders.