Tiberium Wars review, Spoilers inside, you have been warned! Options

[Crash]

SPOILERS!


In this review, I review the game as a C&C

Let's start with the FMV's.... The FMV's were boring actually, and eww at the blue GDI, Cheezy. Kane isn't who I recognized as Kane.
The characters acted bad, I did like the news thing and the GDI guy, Billy de Williams acted as, along with the Nod dude who briefs you. It just didn't fit good enough. Could use more in battlefield videos. 4\10

Next thing will be the missions. The missions weren't really good. Mostly boring long lasting ones. Could use more speeches. Like in the first TS GDI mission "where the hell are those reinforcements?!" and text triggers. The camera function thing was annoying. I did get some bit of C&C atmosphere in the Nod mission where you protect these trucks inside your base, with Kane popping up and sending you reinforcements (the avatars) The other missions were mostly boring. Some were a bit hard and fun to play. The first Scrin mission was horribly boring, you have to get a lot of units to destroy the GDI bases. 6\10

Storyline was pretty ok, however it didn't reach the deepness it should be, C.A.B.A.L should be included along with the other mech technologies (Technology story)
The Technology looks backwards.... No further comments 5\10

Atmosphere (Music included) was quite boring compared to TS's The lighting of the missions were just too standard, didn't really fit to what it should be.
3\10

Other things:
The way the multiplayer works, is cool. The unit spamming isn't fun, and should been avoided.
The way the scrin was..... too bug alike! Superior airforce, bad ground units.
Squad system ? ...... OH-NO
Walls and gates cut out..... not cool
What happened to the distruptors and other things like the laser fences and firestorm walls ? They should have included or brought this technology further.
The liquid tiberium bomb should kill everyone on the battlefield shortly if it really was that deadly in the last GDI mission.
Tiberium ? in Firestorm we saw tiberium envolving into different mutations and types of tiberium. And they just "disappeared" ?
You should feel like "WOW! I WON THE GAME" at the end, but I just felt "that was it?!"
The EVA voices weren't good. The game was unserious, the selection sounds were awful.

Overall: As a C&C it's bad, but as a game it's cool. Not something for real C&C fans though, 4\10 as a C&C, 7\10 as a game.

More to come perhaps.

This post has been edited by Crash-King: May 11 2007, 09:25 PM

[Clazzy]

The characters acted bad

The characters acted at the same level as those in older C&C games, perhaps better. The acting quality has never really been extremely high in games, usually just a bit tacky and silly. That's why we love them, though.

Next thing will be the missions. The missions weren't really good. Mostly boring long lasting ones. Could use more speeches. Like in the first TS GDI mission "where the hell are those reinforcements?!" and text triggers. The camera function thing was annoying. I did get some bit of C&C atmosphere in the Nod mission where you protect these trucks inside your base, with Kane popping up and sending you reinforcements (the avatars) The other missions were mostly boring. Some were a bit hard and fun to play. The first Scrin mission was horribly boring, you have to get a lot of units to destroy the GDI bases. 6\10

I'd argue the case that most of the TS missions were long and boring. They could also be frustrating in that you had to eliminate EVERY SINGLE unit and structure to win (always a pain when against Nod). In the TW missions you usually only needed to eliminate vital structures. If you like destroying bases then you have the opportunity but if you're fed up then you can just complete the objective. Concerning your gripe with the first Scrin mission, it's usually customary to build lots of units and rush. This has been the case in strategy games for years. In fact, you could argue that forcing a tactic like this in the first mission allows you to use all the units to see what is good against what.

Storyline was pretty ok, however it didn't reach the deepness it should be, C.A.B.A.L should be included along with the other mech technologies (Technology story)
The Technology looks backwards.... No further comments 5\10

The storyline is very deep, go and complete all the bonus objectives and read the backstory you slowly unlock as you play. You're just annoyed that they didn't include CABAL and dropped some of the GDI technology.

Atmosphere (Music included) was quite boring compared to TS's The lighting of the missions were just too standard, didn't really fit to what it should be.
3\10

Music was boring, I'll give you that much. I don't see the issue with lighting, it looked real and right. TS maps were amazingly boring too in their lighting.

The way the multiplayer works, is cool. The unit spamming isn't fun, and should been avoided.

They're releasing a patch soon with masses of balance changes, that's a problem solved.

The way the scrin was..... too bug alike! Superior airforce, bad ground units.

Well what did you expect? Considering the size of the Scrin ship interior in TS, I never expected human-looking aliens.

Squad system ? ...... OH-NO

What's wrong with it? It's more fitting to have squads with infantry.

Walls and gates cut out..... not cool

Oh scandal, they've ruined the game now!

You seem to complain on many occasions on how the game is boring or what the game shouldn't be like and make references to TS despite the fact TS had the same flaws. If you're going to complain about features, at least make a point to refer us to a game that does it better.

This post has been edited by Clazzy: May 11 2007, 09:50 PM

[Nimron]

I admit that EA could have included a lot more Tiberium mutations (animals, plants etc)...

The soundtrack was pretty good...but (as Crashking said) couldnt compare with TS's music. Over all... Gameplay was generally good, Graphics were great and it had a fairly straight forward (but good) storyline...

I'd say it's a good game... (with a few "iffy" catches)

[Crash]

The characters acted a lot better the way I saw it in Tiberian Sun. I did complete most of the bonus objectives.
It's meant as a review, not as a complain topic (it might have looked like one)

Oh scandal, they've ruined the game now!

Walls and gates were a strategic way to protect your bases better and should been included.
All games developed by the true Westwood had walls. Really a big thing that buggs me.

What's wrong with it? It's more fitting to have squads with infantry.

It fits better being able to train one soldier to scout with, then you could make the squads on your own. Numbering them with 1, 2 ,3 etc.

Well what did you expect? Considering the size of the Scrin ship interior in TS, I never expected human-looking aliens.

I personally found the scrin more of a robotic race than an organic one looking at the scrin ship in TS, I just didn't like the way some of their units were. Did like the airforce, but it was a bit too powerful, a bit weaker airforce and a bit stronger air units would do.

Music was boring, I'll give you that much. I don't see the issue with lighting, it looked real and right. TS maps were amazingly boring too in their lighting.

I agree with you lighting being boring in TS too, but some missions were pretty good with blue alike or different kinds of lighting, Ion storm one etc.

The storyline is very deep, go and complete all the bonus objectives and read the backstory you slowly unlock as you play. You're just annoyed that they didn't include CABAL and dropped some of the GDI technology.

I don't see a real point including bonus objectives, I do see the deep story, but it's not very much about the earlier things that had happened. Of course some, but not really the BIG things earlier. I didn't like the way you have to unlock all the story pieces doing several things extra. Not the way to tell the story IMO

This post has been edited by Crash-King: May 11 2007, 10:34 PM

[Clazzy]

All games developed by the true Westwood had walls. Really a big thing that buggs me.

Walls would be nice but they're not necessary. The game has been designed in a fashion such that walls aren't needed. The case is the same with RA2, really.

It fits better being able to train one soldier to scout with, then you could make the squads on your own. Numbering them with 1, 2 ,3 etc.

But an infantry squad doesn't exactly cost a great deal, a mere £250 or so.

I personally found the scrin more of a robotic race than an organic one looking at the scrin ship in TS, I just didn't like the way some of their units were. Did like the airforce, but it was a bit too powerful, a bit weaker airforce and a bit stronger air units would do.

I never thought they'd appear robotic really. There's little point arguing this ultimately since it's more personal interpretation. I preferred their stronger air force, however. They're a technologically superior race who have mastered space travel, it makes sense they would have superior aerial units. It makes a welcome change from the typical style.

I agree with you lighting being boring in TS too, but some missions were pretty good with blue alike or different kinds of lighting, Ion storm one etc.

Look at the lighting in the Red Zone levels, I think it's extremely fitting and looks very nice.

I don't see a real point including bonus objectives, I do see the deep story, but it's not very much about the earlier things that had happened. Of course some, but not really the BIG things earlier. I didn't like the way you have to unlock all the story pieces doing several things extra. Not the way to tell the story IMO

Better than the TS method of telling you nothing of the backstory besides the fact that Kane disappeared and was presumed dead. There weren't any major events between TS and TW so they don't particularly need to be shown with a large song and dance.

[confactor]

I don't see why you'll miss walls or disruptors. walls were pointless for online play for every c&c game and
disruptors were way misused and really didn't make sense in the sceme of things.
IMO the disruptor should have been used like short range artillary much like the allied
artillary from red alert. That would have compensated somewhat for the artillary
imbalance in tiberian sun.

[Bittah Commander]

I disagree about the TS missions being "long and boring". Some might indeed have been a bit long, but I know that the first couple of times I played them, I really enjoyed them, while this really wasn't the case with C&C3's mission. They all just had something that made me dislike them (some of them even had major bugs, especially the Nod mission where you have to stealth the nukes from GDI while the Scrin first invades; I kept failing the mission because of a bug and I eventually won the mission because of another bug). I do agree that it was sometimes quite annoying having to hunt down every last enemy unit during a mission.

We might not know what the Scrin should have looked like, but I really think that what we see in C&C3 just isn't it. If you ask me they don't even look like an intelligent race. In my opinion, even for an alien race, (most) infantry should carry a weapon and not be the weapon (it is one thing that shows the their intelligence). We've got animals that spray poison for instance; they've got a powerful weapon (the weapon is part of their body, so you could say they are the weapon), but aren't and don't don't look like they're (as) intelligent (humans), just as the case is with the Scrin.
Maybe you could argue the Scrin bio-engineered their infantry, but in my opinion it then still wouldn't make sence if you wouldn't see a single natural Scrin infantry (it's what should come out of vehicles and buildings when they're destroyed). Also the Scrin's engineer doesn't look like it could be that intelligent or even function as an engineer; it doesn't even have arms (or hands), just legs.

We all know (should) know the Scrinship we see in TS was really built by Kane at the end of the first tiberium war, but I'm pretty sure it's design was completely based on a Scrin one, which Kane got from either the Tacitus or a Scrinship that crashed earlier somewhere else. There is also some concept art with different models of Scrinships, which all have a in a way similar design. When looking at the Scrin in C&C3, I really can't picture a ship like either one in the concept art belonging to them.

The Scrin mothership also made no sense... Mostly because you just can't call the thing a mothership (there's just no way you can define the thing as a mothership, period). Also the way the Scrin used it made no sense in my opinion. I think it should have been a bit bigger (actually I think it really is a bit bigger, but only looks that small because of bad scaling), fly just outside (or just inside) of the earth's atmosphere and fire it's weapon from there. It really would make no sense for the Scrin not to be able to do that, while GDI can. Ingame the thing is almost worthless (a base with a little decent air defense can easily prevent it from even reaching the base).

Now about the acting in C&C3... I really think all acting (that's video's and unit speeches) is done bad. Everything is just too exaggerated or the way someone acts in a video just isn't realistic. The Nod harvester for instance... It just talks way too much and always in a way that sounds like "muhahah, I'm so evil". Also Kane isn't acted like he's supposed to... In C&C3 the whole messiah thing is exaggerated way too much. I really can't stand when Kane calls you "my son" or when Killian calls members of Nod "Nod's children".
The cheesy acting also isn't something of all C&C's. Yes, TD might have had it a little and so might RA(1), but note I said a little. Also firestorm had it a little, but this really wasn't the case in TS. In my opinion the acting in the video's in TS is just like you'd expect in a movie. When Westwood Pacific an immediate change in the way people acted (both in the video's and the unit speeches) could be noticed. It all became a lot cheesier and this is still the worst in RA2. Also in Generals the cheesiness was maintained and now also in C&C3.

The story is also far less deep than it should have been. When I hear some of the things Westwood intended for the story, it appears the C&C3's story isn't even half as deep. A lot of things in the story also really sound like excuses, rather than a plausible explanation. When scrapping 1 kind of technology from TS for instance and say it was unreliable, it still sounds believable (and like it could be really an explanation). When 2 kinds of technology are scrapped with yet a different excuse (or hell, the same excuse), it sounds less likely, but still believable. When 3 kinds of technology are scrapped this really no longer sounds believable and the reasons given really sound a lot more like an excuse than a plausible explanation. It isn't even just 3 kinds of technology that's scrapped in C&C3, it's more.
I don't know what EA's plans are with CABAL (is he really "dead"?), but if he really won't return it's also unacceptable in my opinion; especially with the cliffhanger we saw in Firestorm.

There's also something about the gameplay I just really don't like (it feels a bit chaotic, which isn't the only reason), but that might be personal preference. The gameplay just doesn't feel like that of any of the previous C&C's however (with C&C's I mean TD, RA1 and TS).

Also, if you haven't already, also read this topic (especially Morpher's second post):
http://www.ppmsite.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14733

[Crash]

I quite agree with Bittah, we have had tons of these conversations on msn. And there's some cheesy stuff in the FMV's sometimes, but not all the time like in C&C 3 or RA2, Doesn't make sence does it ? The bugs bittah encountered... Also Walls have been a real big part of the earlier C&C games. I didn't see any battefield FMV's as we saw in RA1, TD and TS, like when you rescue Tanya, you see the spy throwing the gun to her and she shoots the soviet guy. And in TS you really feel that the FMV's and the game is connected. If I watch the TS videos, I get a really WOW feeling, even though I have seen them millions of times. Lighting itself wasn't that bad, but it could be darker and a bit more variatation.
And again, why remove veins and other mutations ? To me it doesn't make sence, in TD you see normal tiberium all the way, and in TS you see Tiberium starting to envolve, with animal mutations veins and later the green and blue fonas along with the swamp. In TW, you see green and blue tiberium along with some wierd looking "mutants" when training from the mutant hovel. These looks rather like people that were burnt.
I just don't see the point in going backwards in technology.... What happened to the carryall along with the GDI dropships ? They can't just have disappeared. I like the way you can build with the Construction Yard on the bright side, but not the way you can build two yards with double building capasity. In the orginals you builded two and it built faster. I didn't think the TS missions were long and boring. Some missions were a bit. I didn't really find it annoying to hunt down every single unit and buildings. It'd be ok to just destroy all buildings (like in some missions) And the speeches in TS were way better they didn't say "FOR KANE!!!!" or something. The normal light infantry said "Sir?" , "Yes Sir!" , "Light infantry reporting in" etc. Didn't have some special missions like in TS either. Where you are gonna destroy a dam or rescuing Tratos etc. TS was a lot more fun to play. I felt like "YAAAY!!! I have completed the game" when I completed it. In Firestorm, on the last Nod FMV, just wooooooooow! What a surprise.

[Tore]

About the walls: People think only about walls and engineers but in TD the walls does not only protect you from engineers. It protects you from minigunners, buggys, hum-wees, chemical warriors, and flametrowers. with AGTs or obelisks behind the walls, the wall protects the AGTs or OGTs from tank shells. So the next time someone say the walls are useless in every C&C game think again. (this also includes RA1 and TS)

I just had to write that before someone said: "The walls are useless in every C&C game!"

This post has been edited by Tore: May 12 2007, 02:30 PM

[Crash]

About the walls: People think only about walls and engineers but in TD the walls does not only protect you from engineers. It protects you from minigunners, buggys, hum-wees, chemical warriors, and flametrowers. with AGTs or obelisks behind the walls, the wall protects the AGTs or OGTs from tank shells. So the next time someone say the walls are useless in every C&C game think again. (this also includes RA1 and TS)

I just had to write that before someone said: "The walls are useless in every C&C game!"

Indeed, Also they will block off enemies for longer and it will be harder for them to penetrate your bases.
And the firestorm wall did aswell.

[The DvD]

I think it's a very mediocre game, apart from the graphics, which are good to great (depending on the map)

The missions where a lot of fun, and are the best part of the gameplay, in my opinion.

The cutscenes where so-so. I agree with Bittah's complaints on the acting. TS acting was really quite good, ofcourse they had A-actors and not B-actors like in TW...

The sound effects are good. The musis is sadly almost non-existant. A HUGE atmosphere killer. I find myself turning on TS music on WinAmp while playing TW.

The storyline development isn't bad at all IMO. Some nice cliffhangers at the end. I do agree about the technology issues though. It looks like they first designed the units, then the storyline around them, while it should really be the other way around. Now it just sounds like a sad excuse.

The controls are quite bad. The units do all kind of things on their own. They autoprioritize the targets they are supposed to counter, so even players without any micro (noobs) can win online games. They changed the mouse buttons from previous CnC games without even adding an option of changing them back.

[Crash]

A good game in my opinion will make you play it untill you're done, in TS, I just play and play and play enjoying the game. In TW I played one and one mission. Slooooowly completing the game. The game didn't feel like a C&C really.

[The DvD]

Well in contrast, i played through all 3 campaigns in 3 days.

[Bittah Commander]

Now that's quick... It took me quite a bit longer (though when I started the campaign, I had an older computer and because of that the game ran a lot slower).

I agree with your post aside from the parts about the missions and the story. I don't know, but there was really something about the missions that made me dislike them (I enjoyed them a lot less than the TS or even TD ones)... Or maybe that's just because of the gameplay.

The story seems like it's based on some of Westwood's intentions, but unlike we're used to from Westwood, EA took a quick route with the story; it seems a lot less deep than it could and should have been. From just the little parts of the story Adam Isgreen gave away at the Petroglyph forums, it's obvious that unlike in TW, even the Scrin was supposed to have a detailed background story. With Westwood the C&C story has always been deep, which made it seem a lot more real and alive -With EA's you could pretty much say it's dead-. EA's story feels dead and aside from that they killed the C&C story when they first took it over (and started developing RA2); with the release of TW the killing of the C&C story has just been finalized.

About the mouse click by the way; there'll be an option to change it when you install the next patch (1.5), though it hasn't been released yet.

[Crash]

I've started playing orginal TS again, and I am already on the sheep's clothing misssion. (9th Nod) The story really is deep. When I see Nod talking with soldiers on the battlefield and Umagon killing of one etc. It's deep. And things come surprisingly, not like you'd expect. The TW missions were quite boring, agreeing with Bittah Commander. Why bother having bonus objectives ? They are annoying to complete to get more story of it. Also, why having the stupid medal "award" system? It's a lot better the way TS is. Really, I've played the TS missions millions of times. Still they are cool and fun to play. You don't see any technology research in TW either. TW just ISN'T C&C, in my opinion.

[Roani52]

OK, I didn't read all the reply's... But that this game is sh*t, means that there's much work to do for modders. This game is moddable, and has a more advanced engine as TS, I think. You could replace some sounds and music from TS. But the most horrible thing is that the disruptor disapeared!!

I don't have the game, but no disruptors... That sounds bad

[Crash]

Not only distruptors, Cyborgs are gone aswell.

[Uufje]

Well, seeming that everybody almost wants this game to be a TS in 3D, I'll have to say that a bit of new things are also welcome.

About the game itself - it has more a Generals feeling in it than a C&C feeling.
It's a good game, only the storyline is too much twisted. Just take a look at the Scrin. They look more like insects than normal aliens. And why do all alien things have to be slippery and disgusting? :sleep: They do not look what I expected to be.

The gameplay and graphics are nice. The missions, however, are a bit boring. You only need to destroy or protect something, and then you'll need to destroy or protect another thing...
The bonus objectives can be sometimes annoying. Like, you're about to finish off a base, and then you suddenly hear: "New bonus objective.". Oh no! Now I have to complete another objective to get more from the storyline!
The intelligence database is pretty cool. You'll read about the units from your own army and the enemy, read about tech structures etc.

Overall, I think it's a good game. It has many cool new features in it, like seeding new tiberium, infantry squads, the ability to call for transport, etc. It's only too bad that the storyline is twisted. They did ignore some crucial things from TS.

[Crash]

Yeah, it's a good game, but not a good C&C game. I really don't like the new features coming from generals. The extra things you are able to do, upgrading a structure ( this would be like the TS way imo ) And sending reinforcements from the left bar of the screen. Just at that. It's not C&C in my opinion.

[Wess]

we schould be lucky there still using the sage engine, if it was a entire new one we would be in a world of hurt.

instead of going forward there going back.

i'm not going into it all (whats the point, most sayed it already) but i think i have an other 60 bucks dust collector.

story wise i do agree its alot less then the games before it, its lacking deepness (if thats a word, correct me here).
acting seems a bit more cheesy, a bit to much. music wise its really poor, how many songs are there anyway, it all sounds just the same to me, altho i do like the theme in the main window.
the campaign...well i stopped playing it, nuff sayed. (altho i will finich it sooner or later).

gameplay wise... the pure focus on rushing is rediculis. the maps AAAAAH dont start me on that one, altho i do like the weather effects, the grafs and the factions, altho Nod has changed to much from a real army to a rebel one. i seem to be playing Gdi alot more.

overall its a good game but it lacking imo, its just an upgraded Gens game, the main focus is to much on rushers leaving notting for the rest of us. i dont play online so what do i care for it, but there is really notting for, well, a turteler.
plus options seems to be unknown by EA.

i concider this my last RTS game from EA.

[Robo fish]

Cyborgs are gone aswell.

Would you still produce Cyborgs even if they tried to destroy you in the past time? (FS) Think about it. And also, who used Cyborgs anyway?

And before you say "Cyborgs are Nod" They where mainly because of CABAL and Tibrium experiments, which By the way aren't very present in TW apart the liquid Tiberium, but i remember seeing this in Renegade.

[Crash]

Did you take offense from what I said ? Maybe the cyborgs weren't really too bad to lose. I used them a lot actually.
The game really doesn't feel like the sequel to TS, the story and technology feels like if it was in 2010 or something, in the middle of TD and TS.
Even the disc throwers are gone....

This post has been edited by Crash-King: May 15 2007, 01:01 PM

[Nimron]

Even the disc throwers are gone....

Replaced with Grenadiers...which are pretty effective!

[Crash]

Again backwards in technology, also they are too strong and expensive. I HATE them!

[Tore]

Replaced with Grenadiers...which are pretty effective!

ok?

TD: Grenadiers.
TS: Disk Throwers.
TW: Grenadiers. (Again WTF?)

Replaced with old tech like Crash-King said.

EDIT: I just wanted to add a few more.

The "Mammoth"

TD: Mammoth tank
TS: Mammoth MK 2
TW: Mammoth tank. (Just weaker.)

---------------------------------------------------------

The "Medium tank/mech"

TD: Medium Tank.
TS: Titan.
TW: Predator (Medium Tank). (Just weaker)

----------------------------------------------------------

"The Light Tanks"

TD: Light Tanks.
TS: Tick tank.
TW: Scorpion. (Light Tank) (Just weaker)

This post has been edited by Tore: May 16 2007, 08:57 PM

[Poskov]

Tiberium Wars was the most pathetic excuse of a C&C game EA has to offer. The C&C just isn't there.
Everything was low tech for its time period, (such as the RPG tossing grenadiers) and why are the Scrin aircraft hardly the size or shape of the scrin cruiser in TS?
There are no battle scenes. Movies were all un-Westwood like and poorly made. Typical EA hiring known actors to gain publicity.
99% no primative Tiberium life (What, did GDI some how eliminate all the Tiberium swamps from the oceans?)
It is as if this game was not made for us fans but, for newbies only.
Really, how does this even relate to TS!? It may be a related to TD but, totally not TS.
If I'm in a reallly good mood I might rate this game a 5/10. Might.

[Bittah Commander]

Indeed...

The same thing applies for the Obelisk:
TD: Spike
TS: New model
TW: Spike again (only uglier)

Also the Nuke:
TD: Nuke
TS: Multi Missile
TW: Nuke
How original...

And also GDI's APC:
TD: Armed APC
TS: Amphibious APC
TW: Armed APC (only weaker and allowing only a single infantry or squad)

[Bittah Commander]

Though it actually doesn't need it, does anyone feel like supporting TS? Just for the heck of it...
http://forums.ea.com/mboards/thread.jspa?t...=0&tstart=0

My post on page 14 shows the current stats of the votes at the time of my post.

[Wess]

posted there already Bittah

[cncgamingsource....]

fs was the best with tiberium veins and those jelly fish kind of tiberium monsters =)