First things first: if you liked the original C&C, then you will love this, although it may take a little time to get used to the new look. If you’ve never played C&C before, don’t worry, it won’t affect your playing enjoyment one bit.
Here’s a rundown of the various aspects of the game:
STORY: The story takes off 20 years or so after the original C&C ‘story’ ended. It seemed like the evil head of the Brotherhood of NOD, Kane, was killed. Or was he? So begins another fairly run-of-the-mill storyline of the good guys (GDI) trying to get rid of the bad guys (NOD), or vice-versa, since as with the original you can play as either GDI or NOD. Personally, I wasn’t going to not play the game just because the storyline was a bit unoriginal.
GAMEPLAY: The general method of playing the game is again similar to the original C&C: build bases, train troops, build vehicles and various other structures, then wipe out the other side. To add a degree of variation to the proceedings, for some missions you don’t build a base, but work with the units you have to perhaps just capture an item held by the other side. However, where TS scores over the original C&C is in your ability to manoeuvre around the screen and manage your units much easier.
You can group units together and number them (you can use the number keys 1-0 for this purpose). So, all of your tanks can be number 1, while your disk launcher infantry can be number 2, for example. You can then order all your tanks to attack a target, even if some of them are off-screen, without a finicky highlighting process with the mouse; you simply press ‘1’ and click an enemy unit. You can also store up to four different locations on the map using f9-f12, so you can jump to them immediately, in the same way you can get straight to your base by pressing the ‘H’ key and centering on your construction facility. This makes running your campaigns MUCH easier.
On the subject of units and buildings, Westwood have added many new types of unit, as well as new structures, with non-new structures (like the power plants) getting a makeover too in order, I suppose, to signify the advances in technology in the C&C future. One of the best additions is the availability to GDI of the Medic, who can heal your troops for free, negating the need to constantly build new units when the ones you have get killed.
It may seem that TS has a lot of keyboard buttons to use, but when it comes down to it, you’ll probably only use a handful of them, and these will become second-nature to use after a fairly short time.
GRAPHICS: The graphics are greatly improved over the original C&C. They are much better defined and all unit movements are much more fluid – the overall jerkiness of the original C&C was one of its biggest flaws.
Like the original, TS also has video clips in between missions to further the plot and explain the next phase of the campaign. Again, the video is higher quality, and as with quite a few video games these days, includes famous actors in the form of James Earl Jones and Michael Biehn.
MUSIC and SOUND EFFECTS: The music is good, providing suitable background to the action. And all of the sound effects you would expect (explosions, firing, screams of the dying, etc.) are there in abundance, and suitably realistic.
OVERALL: A great extension to the cracking first C&C, which will appeal to existing C&C fans, as well as newcomers to the C&C universe. The improvements to gameplay and graphics make TS worthy of a score of 95%.
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Advantages: Two discs so you can lend one to a friend for multiplayer, you can change the graphical detail if its running to slow(very usefull in multiplayer) Disadvantages: Dont know about anyone else but I have to have Firestorm installed for the game to work.
Advantages: Excellent, addictive gameplay, exciting storylines, entertaining videos and cut scenes, brilliant array of units!!! Disadvantages: Too one sided NOD have a huge advantage over GDI, and you cannot save the video cut scenes which is frustrating!
Advantages: Great New Units, New Missions, and Balances the Sides Disadvantages: Still Lacking realistic AI Skirmish "Quick Rushes", ie- You never see an AI do a Dis' rush with a CarryAll!
Mar 19th, 2004
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