Command & Conquer: Generals

Review:
The Command and Conquer series has always been superb entry to the field of real-time strategy games, and EA's latest entry is no different. C&C: Generals puts the player in charge of either the USA, a technologically advanced global superpower; China, the nuclear juggernaut; or the Global Liberation Army, a scrappy Taliban-esque group that uses more surreptitious tactics to advance their causes.

Each of these armies has its own strengths and weaknesses, and mastering these ins and outs can separate the novice player from an expert. The game's graphics are splendid as far as real-time strategy games go. Fighting units are modeled well, but the real graphical gem of C&C: Generals is the explosions. Whether they are from car bombs or nuclear warheads, the game's fantastic fiery blasts make having your troops leveled almost an aesthetically pleasant experience.

However, the game is not without its problems. The menu system in the game is particularly crummy, in single-player mode there are long cut scenes that you can't skip, and the online multiplayer mode has many inconvenient quirks. More importantly, though, there is no real way to assemble and then organize your troops in the game. Logic dictates that the slower, weaker units should be placed in the back of your battlefield formation so that they can be shielded from enemy fire, but C&C: Generals makes it excruciatingly difficult to accomplish this. Also, larger units like tanks have a hard time maneuvering through narrow spaces. Instead of moving over a bridge single file, they will all try to go at once, obviously fail to succeed, and then just give up and sit and wait to be obliterated.

In spite of these minor flaws, Command and Conqer: Generals manages to be a thoroughly enjoyable war game for almost anyone, while offering the depth and strategy that seasoned gamers will appreciate.

Reviewed by Alex Weinberg