Upon starting the game, you'll be welcomed with a progress bar, which will slo....ww....lll...yyy move across the screen (so go grab something to eat while you're waiting if you're impatient).
Goodies, and, well Goodies and Baddies
Like Emporer: Battle For Dune, Generals gives you the choice of playing three sides.
China - Kickass machinery at your disposal. GLA - Use your normal, every day to day weapons that a group of terrorists would need. USA - Better advanced features than China IMHO, although units are somewhat weaker.
We aint got no stinkin' FMV?!
After the Bog standard EA Logo, usually C&C players would be able to feast upon some sexy FMV sequences. Shockingly enough, FMV is the one thing which is seriously lacking in this game. Ok, there's a cool enough intro and three endings, but none of these use real actors or much in the way of voice actors, and use footage from filmed in-game cutscenes. There had been a short movie circling some sites which detailed a scene of an apache (or gunship) attacking a vehicle. This may've been some tests Westwood were performing..that is until the FMV was cut.
Cuts
Obviously
both time and money are going to be a deciding factor in the development of anything, and so the fmv was removed to concentrate on the game engine itself. A lot of die-hard C&C fans will be upset in not seeing any more of the trademark chromakey sequences filmed on a respectable budget.
Graphics
As far as graphics go, i have never seen an engine used to the full like this one (you might remember that C&C Renegade used the Sage engine too!) Providing you have a decent graphics card, you'll be happy with all of the on screen effects taking place. The particle system gives a bit of life to the environment (smoke, trails, water - and don't miss the awesome nuclear explosions!!).
Emporer: Battle for Dune may've been one of the first to move to 3d, but Generals offers incredibly detailed and realistic environments (particularly if your pc will run happily at higher resolutions - 1024 X 768 is just about right).
Bouncy
Making more of a difference while playing the GLA, the physics engine adds more realism to movement, as rocket buggies bounce over hills.
Gameplay
One major downfall of this game is that all three sides offer only 7 missions each. China and USA offer the most varied missions, however if carnage is your thing, then the GLA might wet your apetite. The missions that are available though, are the type of missions you'd expect in any C&C game: Rescue, Search and Destroy, Capture. The old side bar, now runs along the bottom, where you can now also bring up mission objectives. A nice new addition is that when building, if playing either the USA or CHina, you'll be using bulldozers, and workers if on the GLA side, giving a realistic look to the game.
With regards to buildings, there's an incredible variety available to build, and also in terms of civilian buildings which you can have your soldiers capture and snipe/shoot/launch rockets from. While they might be relatively safer from the likes of other infantry and some vehicle units, they won't last long against vehicles using toxic/flame weapons.
Your vehicles can be upgraded with a couple of new toys over the course of the game to improve damage they sustain on an enemy.
Completion
Without trying to spoil the game, i did feel a bit down, and wanting more upon the game's completion on all three sides. Unlike the other C&C games, none of the sides have a very major completion, and you'd've thought that after 7/8 missions, your struggle to save/blast off the earth/nuke humanity would mount up to a "big damn ending".
Sound
Each side has its own distinctive music which i feel puts you more into character with that particular side. Sound Effects are varied, although a wider support of different sound hardware/software would've been desirable
Multiplayer
If buying for nothing else, the multiplayer aspect of the game will be enough in itself. You can also use the Map editor provided with the game, so the longevity of this game is almost limitless.
Conclusion
This game had potential, and I feel that in some ways, EA Pacific/Westwood achieved this. However, a higher number and wider variety of misions would've given this game an almost perfect score; the only other necessity being the FMV, which i felt left a big gaping hole in this title.
One of PC strategy gaming's most influential franchises comes scarily up to date, inviting ... more
the player to take command of technically advanced armies in a world that's teetering on the brink of war.Command&Conquer: Generalsalso successfully maintains th...
Postage & Packaging: £1.94 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Great graphics and unit design. The new challenge mode Disadvantages: Still suffers from slightly poor online connectivty and other issues.
Jun 15th, 2003
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