A real let-down (Command and Conquer - Tiberian Sun (PC))

Member Name: Burning_Darkness

Product:	Command and Conquer - Tiberian Sun (PC)
Date:	10/08/09 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: some intresting new units, tried and tested gameplay, nice FMV/battle cutscenes

Disadvantages: tired visuals, feels unimaginative, sluggish and slow-paced

Finally released in 1999 after many years of waiting, Command and Conquer Tiberian Sun was seen as someting of a disappointment to many, even prompting speculation that developer Westwood Studios had been in the process of developing a more ambitious game, but had given up on this halfway through and churned out the final release product at the last minute. The game is certainly underwhelming, both graphically and in terms of gamplay, although that is not to say that there isn't entertainment value to be found here.

Set in the same universe as the original C&C game, Tiberian Sun sticks closely to the familiar C&C formula of harversting tiberium and churning out factories, barracks, base defences, troops and vehicles, and there is some innovation present in the units available to the two conflicting sides, GDI and Nod. The GDI rely on lumbering bipedal robot gun platforms, sonic tanks, fighter/bomber/carrier choppers, amphibious APCs and rocket launcher hovercraft, whereas Nod have chaingun-wielding cyborgs, bazooka troops, deployable tanks, artillery guns, flame tanks, flying plasma bombers and subterranean APCs, which can burrow underground and pop up in the middle of an enemy base, spilling out commandos, machinegunnners and engineers. As in the original game, The GDI have satellite linkups to orbital Ion Cannons, whereas Nod have obelisks of light, laser towers that fry anything that comes close. There are new structures and base defences too, such as the GDI'snear-impenetrable plasma-walls that take a great deal of power to keep running, and Nod's laser fences and stealth generators,that can hide entire Nod bases from view.

The game is straightforward and playable enough, but has no spark or real originality to it, certainly nothing to justify its incredibly long development time. It feels like a lazy sequel, and is also quite sluggish and unengaging to play. As before there are plenty of high budget FMV cutscenes and rendered battle scenes between missions, but there's nothing really new here, and Tiberian Sun's more fast paced, colourful and well-balanced sister game Red Alert 2 is far more inventive and fun to play.

Summary: A moderately entertaining but ultimately lazy sequel