Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (Xbox 360, 2007)

“Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars” is the most recent title from the long running “Command and Conquer” series, and one which I have been enjoying immensely on the Xbox 360. After producing these strategy games for more than a decade, I'm delighted that this title has taken the much needed steps of balancing and tweaking, allowing the gameplay to be far more faster paced than previous titles, yet still maintain the strategic foundations that has elevated the C&C series into the lofty position it now enjoys.

At its most basic the gameplay takes place thus: You start off with a construction yard and by gathering tiberium, the games source of revenue, quickly build up your base and your army until you are ready to attack and hopefully topple the opposition, who obviously strives towards the same goal. The excitement and appeal of the game comes from the vast sci-fi battles that rage across the games maps, as infantry, tanks and air units are deployed, buildings are captured and eventually powerful nuclear weapons are fired. There's a very real sense throughout the game of tension, due to the fog of war you're never sure what forces your opponent has, and thus you're never sure whether to concentrate on creating an attacking force, defending your base or gathering more resources that might give you the upper hand in the battle ahead. There are three factions to choose from, each providing a different set of units, each excelling in a different area, and it's up to the player to utilise their chosen factions strengths and pursue victory.

The graphics and sound really are excellent, the cities and countryside the battles take place on are immensely detailed, and all the units look significantly menacing. The sound is straight out of a science fiction movie, and naturally all the units shout signature phrases as you send them into battle, which whilst charged with bravado, never become irritating.

The story is, as with all the “Command and Conquer” games, the perfect mix between mock serious and utterly ridiculous. With famous characters such as the Bald Man from Star Ship Troopers and Sawyer from Lost, each dressed in a costume somewhere between looking kitsch and looking like a child made it, every character delivers their lines in a hilariously cheesy way, which only adds to the appeal of the game. Special mention to that guy from Star Ship Troopers, who constantly looks like he's reading off a card just below the camera. The plot twists and turns like a furious snake, yet manages to remain utter predictable for the most part; that's not to say it isn't a good story, all I'm saying is just don't expect Hollywood performances from these Hollywood actors.

The single player game features multiple campaigns, and the multiple achievements encourage repeat playthroughs, although to gain all the achievements you're really going to want to get all the secondary objectives. These were probably included to add more variety to the single player game, but instead what they end up doing is setting you ridiculous challenges that you'd never even bother trying to attain if you weren't hopelessly addicted to getting all the achievements. Seriously, some of them are so picky and can be succeeded or failed in the blink of an eye, and when you're looking at a loading time of about 3 minutes every time you want to load up a saved game, the seemingly random nature of the bonus objectives can end up frustrating the gamer somewhat unnecessarily. The singl

WOW! This game is awesome...a lot of fun and a real time strategy game to boot,,Fantastic story and easy to learn controls make this game a must have for ant RTS fan...I'm not going into great detail on story because the game is the story...all parts played by actors and shot on video not computer graphics//I can't stop playing and plan on getting all the others including the new red alert 3...this game is just too much fun..The graphics are good for the type of game it is...If comparing to Halo Wars there really is no fair Comparisons as Halo Wars is the best RTS for the 360..But, that should not deter you from giving the Command and Conquer franchise a chance..If you like Halo Wars you most likely will like Command and Conquer also.

Verdict<<<BUY IF FAN OF RTS>>>> If you've never played a RTS game this is a great way to give it a try!!!

Difficulty: Scalable which makes it great
Learning Curve: 0 to 15 Minutes (Depends on your level of RTS skill and familiarity with C & C)
Time Spent: 10 Hours or Less

:|First the Basics|:

Gameplay: It's wonderful, all of the amazing RTS action that you have been waiting for....Stealth missions...monstrous base building...non-stop action. Don't worry that one side is better than the other because you can tell a lot of time and I mean A LOT of time was put into balancing this game out.

Graphics: No matter what your system is this game still looks good from the jet trail of your Vertigo bombers to the tracer rounds of your infantry this game just plain looks gorgeous.

Sound: The sounds are good, what you would expect for an RTS, the screams and "Kill them all" screams your squads make as you send them into battle can get repetitive, however the voice acting is wonderful.

Value: More bang for your buck, a undeniable must have.

Tilt: Didn't I say enough already?

:Just a few words:

This is an in your face action game that will convert you to one side or the other. I started playing NOD right away and I must admit, if the NOD was recruiting today I'd sign up in a heart beat. The acting and story line is gripping and the campaigns are fun. It's constantly changing objectives so no two levels are apart. If your given the choice of going after and Air Base or the White house the next level is affected by what you choose. Say you take out the Air Base, then when you go to the White house level, they lose their air support. You actually feel like you accomplish a mission when moving on the the next.

If you actually read all the way here then there is something wrong with you. You should have been picking up the game after your read about the Gameplay. Tisk tisk, please do yourself a favor and pick up this game.

A long standing series and a came that's skirmish feature give it huge replayability. As a fan of real time strategies such as Starcraft, Age of Empires, and of course as of late the great Halo Wars but this game continues to grow off what the ground work that has been laid for so long that it just can't go wrong.

Also a great game for anyone new to the genre with it's easy to understand tutorials and it's a stand alone in the series for anyone new to the franchise and a great addition to anyone such as myself that has been a fan since the PC days.

Worth the reasonable prices you can pick it up for these days.

Great game. Must have if you like strategy games. Little hard to transition from Halo wars to Command and Conquer but well worth the time it takes. Should also think about the next edition of C&C Revenge of Kane.