5 stars (Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour) - Very Well done Much better then the first installment.
4 stars (Not your daddy's Red Alert) - Pretty much an entirely new story line and a different universe in this one, so if you're looking for GDI vs NOD action it isn't here. That being said, this is the best looking RTS I've seen, and the gameplay is good and the resource gathering mechanisms are rather simple (i.e. you don't need 9 different elements to build a tank).
One thing to note is that if you're like me and want to beat up on the computer in skirmish mode (custom game configuration where you can take on between 1 and 7 computer controlled opponents) it will slow down if you crank up the number of opponents and the skill level at which they play (I'm on 2x2.3Ghz G5, Radeon X800, 2.5G RAM). The one good thing that can be said about this is that while it does slow down in the heat of battle things keep moving fairly smoothly whereas with my PC version the game begins to stutter and get very frustrating.
4 stars (C&C lives on!) - Command and Conquer: Generals is a great game and I'm glad to say the game lives up to the C&C name. Fans of the series will enjoy the simular gameplay but you don't have to be a fan to enjoy Generals. For those of you who are worried it might not be the same since Westwoods name isn't on the box (developer of past C&C games) worry not since Westwood is a part of Electronic Arts.
The interface is slightly different but works out nicely. Instead of having every building option available to you at once, the options for each building become available when you click on them. Another nice change to Generals is the 3D environment. Being able to rotate the camera and zoom in and out is a nice feature to have, especially if your units go behind buildings and you hate the colored shadows that show up to let you know where they are.
There are a few things that I miss from the previous C&C games. There arn't any naval units so if you wanted to blast your enemies base away from off shore with Tomahawk missles, you'll have to keep dreaming. Another thing they took away are the cinimatic live action movies for the storyline missions...in fact, there really isn't much of a storyline at all. I've played a few of the storyline missions and they are pretty fun so far, however, it would have been nice if they had kept the live action movies. from C&C games past.
Overall, I think anyone who is either familiar with the C&C games or likes RTS games should definatly check Command and Conquer Generals out. |
