How differently each faction plays is impressive. GDI units tend to be straightforward and powerful, and a huge force of mammoth tanks and juggernauts is a challenge to counter. Nod relies on sneakiness and smart use of unique abilities, and a small force of stealth tanks and viper bombers can cripple an enemy's economy. But playing as the Scrin is Tiberium Wars' greatest delight and challenge, since the alien faction is so different from the others. Your first encounters with the Scrin in the campaign are breathtaking, since even low-level units like buzzers look interesting and intimidating. In fact, the most threatening sight within the game is a fleet of Scrin assault carriers and their accompanying fighters. Yet while the Scrin have some potent units and other advantages, such as the ability to collect endless tiberium without building silos, they require a lot of micromanagement and intimate knowledge of each unit and structure.
Capture and hold mode adds an intriguing component to the world of real-time strategy.
With all of these aspects of the gameplay remaining intact from the PC version, it's hard to imagine handling all of the units and commands without the benefit of a keyboard and mouse. Yet there's very little awkward about the controls in the 360 version. The side bar of the PC edition has been moved to the bottom left of the screen, and you can access your build queues and special powers by pulling the right trigger and scrolling through the options with the D pad. Movement and attack orders are as simple as pressing the A button, and even tasks like creating control groups or performing special moves are easy and instinctive to pull off. It is definitely a compromise, and selecting smaller groups of units on the fly isn't particularly easy, but overall the controls work just fine. Placing structures is often a pain, too, since the game is picky about where you can put them. Positioning something as simple as a turret or a power plant can take multiple tries, and it's never clear exactly why you can't put certain buildings in certain places, particularly when the terrain is smooth and the area is totally free of nearby obstructions.
C&C3 is also home to an impressive set of multiplayer options. You've got the standard versus option, which lets you skirmish against other players or the CPU. There are also king-of-the-hill and capture-and-hold modes, which require you to hold certain spots on the map to attain victory. These options are the best of the bunch, not only because of the added strategic dimension, but also because the action is focused and intense as players struggle to maintain control. There is also a siege mode, which keeps you and your opponent from attacking until the timer is up. It's interesting to play, given the game's rush-friendly design, but it also allows players to pit high-level units against each other without worry of early bombardments. The final mode is capture the flag, which functions much like it does in first-person shooters. There are a good number of maps for up to four players, and with so many ways of playing, you're bound to get a good deal of mileage from the multiplayer. You can even connect your Xbox Live Vision Cam should you wish to make rude gestures at your opponent.
In many ways, Tiberium Wars looks really good, particularly the unit designs. Scrin annihilator tripods lumber about with a commanding attitude, GDI orca bombers circle in believable formations, and Nod avatar warmechs advance with heft. Their stature and fantastical nature fit perfectly with the over-the-top nature of the action, as do the titanic nuclear explosions and lightning strikes. In the most extreme battles, your screen will fill with mighty blasts and streams of lasers, as if you were the main player in a sci-fi action film. The visuals look washed out, though, so many of the effects aren't as vibrant as they could be. More noticeably, the frame rate suffers from regular and frustrating slowdown, particularly when there are a lot of units onscreen.
The visuals are good, though it sometimes looks like things were left out in the sun too long.
Bad unit voice-overs are a common annoyance in strategy games, but they're all done well in Tiberium Wars. EA pinpointed just the right amount of extravagance to lavish on the sound design, from mission voice-overs to the eclectic soundtrack, which is alternately tinged with orchestral fanfare and heavy metal grinding. While many of the sound effects are what you would expect from standard artillery and tanks, others, particularly those of the Scrin units, are ominous and appropriately alien.
There's a good set of achievements to unlock, including a few zero-point ones that pop up should you lose a few too many multiplayer games in a row or bypass the tutorial mission. But it's all just icing on the proverbial cake, since playing Tiberium Wars is a reward unto itself. Not only is it a great game, but it's a great example of a console RTS done right. If you've never played a Command & Conquer game before, there's no better time than the present.
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