C&C action factory

by ERIK LEIJON

By virtue of being such a huge corporation, Electronic Arts have become an often-undeserving punching bag for angry gamers everywhere. For fans of Command & Conquer and series creator Westwood Studios, the hatred is justified.

History may have portrayed EA as the evil empire of gaming, but the fact remains that EA bought Westwood in 1998 and the beloved studio, known for revolutionizing the real-time strategy genre, was dismantled in subsequent years until folding in 2003. Westwood is dead, but that’s no reason to let a quality brand go to waste. In what must rile those still holding a grudge, Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (PC/EA, EA Los Angeles) is not only a great RTS, but its respect to the source material makes it an awesome quasi-retro experience.

Tiberium Wars takes place in a dystopian future, where a mysterious and powerful alien substance called Tiberium has rendered much of the world uninhabitable. The UN Global Defence Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod (the two factions that have been around since the first game in 1996) are still fighting each other, their conflicting beliefs about the future of mankind in relation to the substance kick-starting many a glorious battle. It’s only fitting that the trifecta in the series introduces a third group, the alien Scrin, who have come for the precious Tiberium, and to enslave us, of course.

It’s shocking just how little the series has changed. In a real blast from the past, the full-motion video cutscenes in between the missions still use real-life actors (including Canuck Michael Ironside and Lando Calrissian himself—Billy Dee Williams). We can have a conversation about the glorious FMV period of the mid-’90s, but rest assured this game’s cheesy and fun cutscenes feel like Daedalus Encounter all over again.

The silly Outer Limits-esque storyline continues where the last C&C left off, and the gameplay faithfully recreates the action-oriented real-time strategy the series is known for. C&C doesn’t reward those who stand back and build defences. Every mission involves rushing your quickly assembled team from one location to another, fighting a series of spontaneous battles. Fighting on foot typically revolves around forming a suitable garrison before your opponent does; otherwise, the best method is to build the right vehicles to counteract your foes’ arsenal. In comparison to the other RTS I’ve played this year, Supreme Commander, C&C is not as deep and the missions are more straightforward.

Where this title has a slight edge is in overall playability; those who haven’t played an RTS in years will find Tiberium Wars’ preservation of the classic elements of the genre easier to get into. The new online broadcasting stuff is useless, but C&C’s rich first-player mode is worth completing. Supreme Commander is more innovative and ultimately more rewarding to play, but Tiberium Wars is the rare RTS that’s simply fun to play.

Behind the 8-Ball

Portable games don’t need to be deep and complex to be enjoyable, but Pocket Pool (PSP/Eidos/Conspiracy, Hyper-Devbox) doesn’t even do a great job satisfying my carnal urges. I honestly was on board with the idea of a pool sim staring at scantily-clad women, but it does neither the billiards nor the sexiness very well.

The repetitive voice-overs for the girls, especially the smug Paris, won’t encourage even the most lovelorn of males to play enough times to unlock pics of her in a bikini, especially since the pool itself isn’t enough to keep anyone enthralled for more than one or two rounds. There are 13 different types of pool games, but gauging angles is all guesswork, and the PSP controls eliminate the preciseness that makes pool so unique.