Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (Xbox 360, 2007)

“Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars” is the most recent title from the long running “Command and Conquer” series, and one which I have been enjoying immensely on the Xbox 360. After producing these strategy games for more than a decade, I'm delighted that this title has taken the much needed steps of balancing and tweaking, allowing the gameplay to be far more faster paced than previous titles, yet still maintain the strategic foundations that has elevated the C&C series into the lofty position it now enjoys.

At its most basic the gameplay takes place thus: You start off with a construction yard and by gathering tiberium, the games source of revenue, quickly build up your base and your army until you are ready to attack and hopefully topple the opposition, who obviously strives towards the same goal. The excitement and appeal of the game comes from the vast sci-fi battles that rage across the games maps, as infantry, tanks and air units are deployed, buildings are captured and eventually powerful nuclear weapons are fired. There's a very real sense throughout the game of tension, due to the fog of war you're never sure what forces your opponent has, and thus you're never sure whether to concentrate on creating an attacking force, defending your base or gathering more resources that might give you the upper hand in the battle ahead. There are three factions to choose from, each providing a different set of units, each excelling in a different area, and it's up to the player to utilise their chosen factions strengths and pursue victory.

The graphics and sound really are excellent, the cities and countryside the battles take place on are immensely detailed, and all the units look significantly menacing. The sound is straight out of a science fiction movie, and naturally all the units shout signature phrases as you send them into battle, which whilst charged with bravado, never become irritating.

The story is, as with all the “Command and Conquer” games, the perfect mix between mock serious and utterly ridiculous. With famous characters such as the Bald Man from Star Ship Troopers and Sawyer from Lost, each dressed in a costume somewhere between looking kitsch and looking like a child made it, every character delivers their lines in a hilariously cheesy way, which only adds to the appeal of the game. Special mention to that guy from Star Ship Troopers, who constantly looks like he's reading off a card just below the camera. The plot twists and turns like a furious snake, yet manages to remain utter predictable for the most part; that's not to say it isn't a good story, all I'm saying is just don't expect Hollywood performances from these Hollywood actors.

The single player game features multiple campaigns, and the multiple achievements encourage repeat playthroughs, although to gain all the achievements you're really going to want to get all the secondary objectives. These were probably included to add more variety to the single player game, but instead what they end up doing is setting you ridiculous challenges that you'd never even bother trying to attain if you weren't hopelessly addicted to getting all the achievements. Seriously, some of them are so picky and can be succeeded or failed in the blink of an eye, and when you're looking at a loading time of about 3 minutes every time you want to load up a saved game, the seemingly random nature of the bonus objectives can end up frustrating the gamer somewhat unnecessarily. The singl