There's a reason why strategy titles don't work on consoles and it's normally due to the terrible controls. So with this in mind we approach each strategy console release with worry that we're going have to remember stupidly complex controls because there aren't as many buttons as on a keyboard. It's either that or we have to control an unresponsive cursor with the stick. However, last years Lord of the Rings 2: Battle for Middle Earth changed the perception for many. It was good, surprisingly good, and now EA are giving us another one in the shape of Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. Can lightning strike twice?
The long awaited third (not counting the numerous spin-offs) entrant in the C&C franchise is an overwhelming game for the uninitiated. Unless you’ve played the marketplace demo then you'll need about an hour before you truly to get to grips with the mechanics involved. The boot camp is certainly the best place to start. Once you're told how the controls work it'll still take some time to really sink in, after all it's simple to just highlight everything and charge. Building structures, creating groups and working out effective strategies is tough to learn unless you're a strategy expert. Good news is that EA have tried to make the control scheme as simple as possible. Pressing the A button highlights your chosen structure and holding the L trigger will bring up your options. That's the basis for it, and it works. In fact, it works really well. Obviously it's not as good as playing on a PC, but that's to be expected. This brings us onto the biggest complaint that can be levelled at the game. Being a straight port from the PC EA clearly haven't factored in that controlling using the thumbstick is clearly not as quick or as effective as using a mouse and keyboard. So, the console version is slightly harder, not to mention the already existing difficulty spikes that happen throughout the campaigns. Even on easy, for those not trained in C&C warfare they'll be in for a rough ride.
Long time fans will be pleased about the return of the series' trademark live action cut scenes. EA seem to know the sort of fan base that the C&C series has and instead of hiring random actors they've hired a number of people from various sci-fi and other popular TV shows. If you start the GDI campaign (the only one available at the start) then prepare to take your orders from Sam Fisher, a Cylon and Lando Calrissian. If, when it becomes available, you fancy siding with the evil NOD then you'll be chatting with the same person that played Kane in previous C&C games as well as another Cylon woman and Sawyer from Lost. It's like an ultimate geekgasm. The scenes are very camp, very silly and it's obvious that the actors are just there so they don't have to actually act.
Once the scenes end then it's straight onto the battlefield. As you'd expect from a game where all of your time is spent looking down from afar, the graphics aren't anything to shout about. However they aren't terrible by any stretch of the imagination and a game like this hardly needs Gears of War-like graphics. What we did find disappointing was the speech from your troops on the battlefield. Hearing the same phrase time and time again as you create a new vehicle or squad member can soon grate when you have to create loads of them, and trust us, you will be creating lots of them. The variety of different soldiers, structures and vehicles that you can build is good though. Each different faction has their unique weapons and each one will require different tactics in order to win. For example, with NOD you have the crazy fanatics who are essentially suicide bombers, good for doing mad dashes on the enemy base. Whereas with the GDI you have a squad with jet packs you can hover over terrain, good for ambushing enemies from behind. It's certainly a thinking mans game, but at times it feels more like it requires super fast button pressing than anything else.
A lot of the game is just building stuff as fast as you can and this is more apparent when you challenge people online. A number of game modes can be played including the usual that you'd expect such as normal 1 vs. 1 or 2 vs. 2 matches, but also a few out of left field. Game modes like Capture the Flag and King of the Hill are ones that you'd expect in an FPS not an RTS. They play well and make the online side really well put together adding a much needed boost to the longevity of the game and lets not forget that you have vision camera support, so now it's more than just a device to put your face in Rainbow Six: Vegas.
The bottom line with Command and Conquer 3 is if you're a huge strategy nut who doesn't own a decent PC then you'll absolutely love this. If you're not or are hoping for this to break you into the world of RTS' then it's best to look elsewhere for your thrills because before you know it the game will absolutely hammer you into the ground before you have time to blink.
