It is always sad when a great historic game franchise comes to the end of its road. But it is depressingly sad to watch it do so in this condition.
KANE IN DISNEYLAND?
The graphics are laughable. True, EA has been steering the C&C franchise towards the ...cartoon direction ever since the RED ALERT 3 installment. But the RED ALERT series had always been more playful. Even so, what was barely palatable for a RED ALERT game is outright insulting for a TIBERIUM one.
If his tanks could still run-over infantry units, have no doubt, he would hunt down whoever did this to him.
Because, you cannot mock Kane and avoid having your lungs infused with Tiberium fumes!
MORE UNITS? PLEASE WAIT BEHIND THE YELLOW LINE. FOREVER.
One of the most annoying features of the new C&C4 is the units cap. You cannot produce more units above a (very low) number. Upgrading your tech-tree with such a unit cap in place means you have to kill and replace most of your units - and make painful decisions as some units are more equal than others. It feels like having to deal with a (small) Diablo-like inventory: whatever does not fit within the grid must be left behind to rot.
And to add insult to injury, extra units are bestowed with a dropper. A tiny one.
This cap reeks of one thing: an attempt to turn this series into a Massively Multiplayer Online Game (fewer units means less lag). And no one seems to care that this took away one of the most fun tactics in a C&C game: tank rushing.
SORRY, ALL OF OUR TIBERIUM-HARVESTERS HAVE BEEN RECALLED. WOULD YOU CARE FOR A SENSIBLE COMPACT?
A COMMAND & CONQUER game without harvesting? It could be an RTS game of any name (and there have been baseless RTS games before), why did it have to be a C&C game? Because, once again, EA proves to have no respect for this beautiful art-form. If it means exploiting a classic title in its swan song to sell a few more units, so be it.
Moreover, game publishers seem to have an ever declining expectation of their targeted customer IQ. Hence the ever simplified games released. So, yes, this feels like C&C-for-Dummies.
BATTLEFIELD CONTROLS OFFLINE? YOU'RE SCREWED COMMANDER!
Yes, this must be the most inconvenient DRM scheme ever.
If you hate STEAM for requiring endless updates, this is worse.
If you hate games that require online activation because they never actually become yours, yes, this is worse.
And if you hate games that come with Limited Activations and become worthless the moment you pop the box, well yes, this is worse.
This inconceivable scheme demands for the owner of this game to always be online to verify that the copy he payed for is legitimate. That's right, not just activation, ALWAYS ONLINE. Yes, even for a single player game.
Will it deter piracy? No, pirates will be playing the game without all those DRM hassles. Legitimate gamers are left complaining - and, once more, EA will turn a deaf ear.
All in all, C&C4 will not appeal neither to old friends of the series nor younger gamers. And (for as long as it will keep working), it will have you jumping through hoops for the privilege of having ...bought it. And I thought it was the other way around.
This Tiberium field has been depleted long ago.
Move along Commanders.
Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian TwilightWell, I will start with the most relevant statement I can think of about this game, " If it aint Broke, Don't fix it!"
I was soooooo looking forward to the conclusion of this great game, So I hurried home to install it and jump back into the Tiberium Wars...BUT...... WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!!!! EA messed up one of my favorite game formats and replaced it with some kind of monstrosity!!They put caps on units, no Tiberium harvesting and a confusing game console layout!Half the time I was trying to figure out what the Hell was going on and screaming at my computer screen!
If you were looking for a Great game....... KEEP LOOKING!!!! This was one of the biggest disappointments I have attempted to play in a long long time! EA should be ASHAMED of themselves!!
Requires a persistent internet connection at all times. I repeat, you must have a constant internet connection 100% of the time to play. If you get disconnected, the game stops working. You will be blocked from playing this game on a laptop whose wireless internet connectivity might fluctuate. You cannot play this game on a car trip, or at the airport, or on the plane, or anywhere else where there is no uninterrupted broadband internet connectivity 100% of the time.
The above restrictions apply to both single-player and multi-player modes. Additionally, the game is locked into a single account. This is customer abuse at its finest.
Here is what it says at the back of the box (in very, very small print):
"Persistent internet connection, EA account, registration with enclosed serial code, and acceptance of end user license agreement required to play."
You have been warned!
I have purchased hundreds of items from Amazon.com, and have always appreciated the user reviews in helping to form a better choice. I've rarely left feedback for a product, even if I've had a strong positive or negative reaction (shame on me), but this takes the cake.
I am a long-time player of the Command & Conquer franchise, and I absolutely *love* it. Until this game, that is.
This game feels like something that was designed solely for the console, and not the PC. It has none of the elements that made the franchise award-winning (if, albeit, a little tired). There is no resource gathering, no base building, you cannot develop large armies with which to crush your enemies.
Instead, it's on a limited map (running this in 2560x1600 doesn't actually increase the map size -- just the resolution detail), and you have a limited number of units at any given time.
It reminds me of a poorly-implemented Halo Wars knock-off. When I got Halo Wars, I understood it would be different from the rest of the Halo games, and I accepted that. It was interesting to see an RTS of that kind implemented for the console. However, I found it lacking the richness and depth of the previous Command & Conquer games for which I had become accustomed. But C&C4 on the PC is even more scaled-down than Halo Wars on the console!
There are other reviews that get into the details of the game better than mine, so I encourage you to read through them.
I had more fun lighting myself on fire and installing SecuROM on my system to play Red Alert 3 than I have had with this highly-anticipated game.
I'm bitterly disappointed. I don't think this game will appeal to long-time fans of the franchise, and I don't really see newcomers appreciating it either. - Online Only - Online Activation Required - Defectivebydesi - Real Time Strategy'
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