Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight Review for PC

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight box art

System: PC	Review Rating Legend
Dev: EA Los Angeles	1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid	4.0 - 4.4 = Great
Pub: Electronic Arts	2.0 - 2.4 = Poor	4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
Release: March 16, 2010	2.5 - 2.9 = Average	5.0 = The Best
Players: 1-10 (Online)	3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
ESRB Rating: Teen	3.5 - 3.9 = Good

The other aspect of the presentation, the sound design, is equally as good. Throughout each mission a great orchestral soundtrack plays and helps greatly to raise the tension of many of the battles. Our only complaint is that the songs aren't contextual; at certain times the music will ramp up into an epic song, which makes you think that the enemy is attacking when nobody is around at all. It's not really a "fault" per se, but it's an unfortunate consequence of so many other games using contextual soundtracks.

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight screenshot

Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the oppressive DRM policy that EA has adopted for this title. Taking a cue from recent games from Ubisoft, EA is using the "online-all-the-time" DRM strategy. In essence, you have to be online at all times while playing the game, even when you're only playing the single-player game. If you get disconnected for any reason, you'll be exited from the game. We experienced no problems with this policy and were never kicked from a game, though you may want to consider the strength of your Internet connection before making a decision on whether or not to buy C&C4.

Though EA has tried to defend this decision by saying that there are benefits to forcing everyone to stay online, the truth is that it probably won't benefit you much. In exchange for probably getting occasionally kicked out of games, you'll get a tiny chat box in the menus where people in the community chat about the game. Who cares? We certainly didn't. The only conceivable benefit is that it greatly increases the amount of potential online co-op partners you could hook up with.

As a general rule, RTS games don't take kindly to complete renovation. If you're a developer with a good RTS, then it's best to iterate on that design and to evolve it slowly over time. RTS are games with very delicate balance, and if you don't hit the balance just right, then the entire experience goes down the tubes quickly. So, while we applaud the bravery of EA to take this series off in a wild new direction, it just doesn't really work all that well. Had the game been slowly evolved into its current form, it probably would have been better, but there's just no way that you can expect a developer to nail all of these new gameplay mechanics on the first try. If EA sticks with this direction for its upcoming C&C games, we'll be excited to see what they can do because with a little practice and a some refinement this could have been a good game.

By Andrew Groen
CCC Freelance Writer

RATING OUT OF 5

RATING DESCRIPTION

3.5

Graphics
The graphics are good for what they're trying to achieve. This isn't a game that tries to wow you with amazing visuals, but they're stylized, appropriate, and low budget.

3.8

Control
Series veterans are in for a shock when they experience the new user interface, but those who have experience with other RTS games will feel right at home.

4.2

Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
There's a very good orchestral sound track that plays throughout missions, and the acting is serviceable; it's not spectacular, but this is Command & Conquer after all.

3.3

Play Value
There's a good amount of value in the single-player missions, especially considering there are branching paths to experience (only two branches, though). Add in the multiplayer action, and there is at least a good amount of content involved, though we weren't convinced that this game will enthrall strategy fans.

3.4

Overall Rating - Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

The Epic Conclusion to the Tiberium Saga - Kane returns in the thrilling conclusion to one of gaming's longest running storylines, told through gritty live-action cinematics.

Choose to take on the campaign solo or team up with a friend and play cooperatively!

Persistent Player Progression - The more enemy units you destroy, the more experience points you earn to progress your player profile! Level up to unlock new units, powers, and upgrades to make your army more powerful!

Choose Your Class - Choose from three unique classes from both GDI and Nod, each with its own specialized units and powers, for more strategic and combative options that match your play style of choice!