Command & Conquer: Generals (PC CD)

Gameplay is also well balanced, each of the three sides being equally strong despite widely differing play strategies. There doesn't seem to be as many units available as previous C&C games.. but the ones that there are are all useful in certain situations.. even the infantry.

Speaking of infantry, this is my first 'niggle' with the game; Despite the overally graphic excellence, for some reason your soldiers look like dorks from a 60's sci-fi movie with guns made from painted shoeboxes, regardless of which side you play. Most of the time, this is forgivable as you play zoomed out and you're usually watching the tanks.. but on the odd occasion you look closer.. yuck!

The C&C series traditionally set itself apart from the usual RTS genre by having strong story-based campaigns with full-motion video cut-scenes. Unfortunately, the campaigns in 'Generals' are short and lacking any real story-line and the full motion video is now no more (no great loss as it was a bit hammy sometimes). This wouldn't be a problem if the single player skirmish mode was up to much, but unfortunately without a random map generator (as in Age of Mythology) it simply aint. The pre-made maps that come with the game all have a fixed number of sides associated with them.. so if your the sort of player who likes skirmish games againsed three other independent AI components you're limited to only three or four maps.. once you've played each these a few times.. it all gets very boring indeed. As has been said before; multiplayer would be great but its only really worth considering for those with some sort of broadband.. the humble modem user need not apply apparently.

On my system, I'd say that the minimum system requirements on the box could actually be lowered. I use a 1GHz machine with 512Mb RAM and a 64MB Geforce MX440 G card.. nothing special these days, but the game runs great (with no crashes) at 1024x768 with the detail levels on 'medium'. As usual, using windows98 helps free up more RAM (If you play games.. stick with 98/ME, and keep your system CLEAN.. ) especially with all but the essential background processes turned off.

The lack of a decent campaign/single player options is a bit of a shame really, because the game itself is immense fun.. it has you grinning from ear to ear as you send in the nukes/bombers/skuds. Its a wonderful little slice of megalomaniacle mayhem. Recommended for a short term fix or just some cheap, hot thrills when you need it. Think Donner Kebab as opposed to a Sunday Dinner: Cheap, tasteless fun, but no real substance.

When it came I was instantly blown away by the graphics, smooth and details (if a little resource hungry). They had for the first time changed the building and unit manufacture menus, it took a little getting used to but is straight forward enough, if a little ungainly. The units have become more akin to real life (gone are the tessla tanks and radio-active splurge guns :), I really love the marine’s abseiling into buildings from helicopters though.

I think this game has some exceedingly good ideas and innovations but in doing so they have lost the fun that was rampant in Red Alert 2.

After reading a previous review, I understand that Westwood is no longer, which is a pity as I would have loved to have seen what they would do with this game platform to create Red Alert 3.

All in all, a good game but lacking the sparkle that make Red Alert 2 a great game.

Costs aside though, C&C Generals is a stunning game to look out. Wave goodbye to the static isometric views of the previous C&C games, C&C Generals has gone three-dimensional with beautifully detailed terrain, buildings, and explosion effects taken straight from a Hollywood movie. Sound effects are suitably realistic and the music of a convincingly militaristic style too. C&C Generals is definitely a new benchmark in technical achievement.

And, mercifully, there is an excellent game here too. The plot resides around a modern battlefield with the US and China battling it out against the Global Liberation Army (GLA), a terrorist sect if you will. The game has three campaigns allowing you to control each of the different armies to complete their respective missions. The U.S. rely on technically superior units along with air supremacy, China possess a versatile number of units which can attack in great numbers, while the GLA can produce angry mobs, scud missile silos and suicide bombers. You could argue that this is a little too close to modern warfare in a real and tasteless sense, especially considering the current political climate we find ourselves in. One of the missions even involves the remodelling of a section of Baghdad, demolition style. Slightly stepping over the boundary one may feel.

Ignoring the moral concerns the missions that are there are well structured and great fun. Although the C&C series has now made the transition into 3D, it's lost none of the gameplay mechanics that made it so good in the first place. It's well paced with a perfect level of balance and the learning curve is just about right. It doesn't take long to settle into your own style of play with the units you like to use and the tactics you favour. I'm not suggesting that one tactic is better than the other, but 'each to their own' usually works. For example I tend to totally ignore the commando unit of the US and like to have mobile units instead of static defence lines guarding my structures. But if employed correctly, any strategy can be successful.

Beyond the technical improvements, Generals also heralds a new 'Generals' system. You can earn stars through eliminating enemy units and using then use stars to purchase mega weapons such as carpet bombing or specialist units such as the scud launcher. A fun and useful addition.

However, with the cutscenses gone and the lack of any real plot progression within the single-player missions, I can't help but feel that C&C Generals is geared towards multiplayer gaming. You can flip through the single-player campaigns within a weekend and the computer A.I. still suffers from the same idiocy. Essentially to beat the computer all you need to do is build a big army and swamp its base. Simple really. Of course, playing against human opponents is a different kettle of fish. That's where things get interesting, and bloody good fun.

Highly recommend for those with high-end machines, a modem and a lack of political correctness.