Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour review (PC)

The campaign missions, in a manner similar to the generals challenge ones, feature contextual dialogue that informs you about some of the new units and abilities available to each side. Specifically, each of the main factions gains three new units, a new type of building, a number of new upgrades, and a couple of new generals powers in Zero Hour. Many of the new units are quite interesting, though they mostly fill supporting roles. The USA's microwave tank can fry enemy infantry garrisoned in buildings, and its beam weapon can also disable structures--including defensive emplacements. China gains the impressive Helix helicopter, a flying fortress that can drop massive bombs. Like the Chinese emperor tank, it is so huge that you can build a Gatling gun, a propaganda tower, or an infantry bunker on it. The GLA gets an incredibly fast-moving combat cycle, which is basically a motocross bike that can be mounted by any GLA infantry unit. It then gains that unit's powers. The new units generally look great and are fun to play with.

The new buildings include the fire base for the USA, a powerful defensive structure; the Internet center for China, from which hackers can quickly gain resources to fund the Chinese war effort; and fake structures to mislead its foes for the GLA. The GLA may optionally upgrade these façades into the real thing if need be. The new generals powers also play to the themes of each respective side. Generals players will recall that generals powers are the special abilities gained by each side as it destroys enemy units and structures. Collectively, these new technologies expand the options available to each side, though they do not necessarily disrupt existing strategies honed by experienced players. After all, Generals is still about very quickly building up a base, marshalling a powerful force, and demolishing the opponent. The heavy-hitting units and superweapons of the original Generals will still be doing most of the damage in Zero Hour.

Those who remember Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 and its expansion pack will notice that most of the cool ideas from these games that didn't make it into Generals, have now made it in Zero Hour (though unfortunately there is still no real naval combat to speak of). Again, in addition to the core changes made to each faction, the specialist generals' subfactions have their own unique characteristics. General "Pinpoint" Townes, for example, specializes in laser weaponry. He cannot build the USA's tomahawk missile, crusader tank, or paladin tank, but he has unique access to a powerful laser defense turret and a similarly equipped laser tank. He can also build avengers, new antiair units that also increase the rate of fire of other nearby units using a laser targeting system, at a cheaper-than-normal rate. As you might expect, playing as some of the individual specialist characters can start to feel limiting after a while. Yet there are so many cleverly designed and interesting units and so many viable and devious strategies available in Zero Hour, overall, that the game has no shortage of lasting appeal.

The gameplay in Zero Hour has technically improved, though some of these enhancements were introduced in the v1.06 patch released for Generals this past summer. Unit balance has been fine-tuned, ensuring that the core factions and all their units are as competitive as possible. There's an option to use the right mouse button for issuing orders, unlike Generals, which required you to use the left mouse button both for selecting units and for issuing orders. Some players found this frustrating. The interface has changed cosmetically, in some ways, as well. Hot buttons are available for your superweapons and generals powers, letting you better use these important abilities in a pinch. There's also a toggle that causes your units to counterattack any foes, regardless of whether you order them to or not.

Zero Hour's gameplay is still very fast paced, especially if you set it faster than the default (and opt to start with more resources than the default) in a skirmish or multiplayer match. Juggling unit production, sending out and repelling attack waves, and establishing a base defense can be a real handful. A consequence of the Blizzard-style interface in Generals is that your unit-building is not a permanent part of the interface. You must consciously and constantly select your barracks, factories, and airstrips so that they can build more forces as you fight. The lack of formations and some pathfinding issues with larger units still make the combat feel more chaotic than controlled. As such, those who felt overwhelmed by Generals' arcadelike pacing aren't going to find a fundamental change in that regard here--not that pacing presents a problem. Still, the interface enhancements may be just the ticket for players who are "on the fence" about their like or dislike of Generals.

Generals looked and sounded superb when it was released, and the same can be said of Zero Hour. The game engine has been optimized, leading to more consistent frame rates and a better look for all of the impressive explosions and special effects that made Generals look so fantastic. New graphics elements, such as some very impressive full-scale ships and other vehicles, add plenty of eye-candy to some of the maps, as if the great-looking, fluidly animated units themselves weren't enough. Vehicles that have been damaged look noticeably in bad shape, which speaks to the game's remarkable visual detail. The game's music remains fantastic, with its hard-hitting bass riffs and Middle Eastern and Oriental motifs, and helps intensify the action a few more notches. Eight months can be a long time in the world of PC gaming, but the graphics and sound of this game just haven't aged a bit and remain some of the most impressive that this style of gaming has ever seen.

One might easily think that Zero Hour is what Command & Conquer: Generals should have been in the first place, since this great expansion pack seemingly arrives on the heels of the original. It makes Generals a deeper, better game overall--and one with more challenge, more variety, and more personality both in its single-player and multiplayer modes. It even sports a manual that offers helpful tips on how to play competitively online and how to use the game's powerful (and enhanced) world builder utility. Fans of Generals must get it, because, once they do, they will never look back. Even those who gave Generals a try, but maybe didn't warm up to it because of the nuts and bolts of the execution, should consider Zero Hour. Clearly, this is the result of a careful analysis of what sorts of things could have made Generals an even better game.