Free Tank Rides!

It’s time to reload and refuel your tanks, for Command and Conquer is back this March!  The next installment for the Command and Conquer game series is Command and Conquer 4: Tiberium Twighlight, set to conclude the story of this epic game saga.

Overall, Command and Conquer games are a part of PC gaming heritage.  That is to say, they kick ass!  Dating back to the ’90s, the games have consistently been amongst the best PC games including a number of great game titles such as: Command and Conquer, Red Alert, Generals – Zero Hour etc (yawn).  Tiberium Twighlight is the 4th game of the Tiberium series that follows on from Tiberium Wars.

The game stars Kane, with the longest running game actor, who is set to make a final appearance in the game saga.  Much will be revealed, as the Kane story concludes in Tiberium Twighlight through live-action cinematic.  Overall, there will be two playable factions: the GDI and NOD as well as two non-playable factions, the Scrin and Forgotten, that will compliment the story.

So it’s another C&C game, what’s new?  Well actually, quite a lot!  For the first time this is a Command and Conquer game that will not require players to gather resources to build armies, or indeed to take out all the opposing units.  Command and Conquer 4 will include nodes which need to be taken and held to gain points to win the match.  The game also has class-based gameplay, with three upgradeable classes and player progression.  Overall, up to 90 units will be included in the game, with new units as well as older revamped units such as Mammoth tank, Nod Scorpion and Mammoth Mk Walker.  In addition to this a new crawler unit can be used to move your base, giving bases greater mobility.   While some may question the break from tradition, the game’s lead designer has said:

“Players can expect the fast-paced strategic RTS action they’ve come to know and love in the Command & Conquer franchise augmented with new gameplay elements that really ratchet up the intensity.”

Of course, Command and Conquer games have also been great for multiplayer skirmishes.  As with previous C&C games, you can still pummel your opponents into the ground with Command and Conquer 4!  However, in addition to this, new elements have been added with 5 v 5 objective based battles.  An all-new party system has also been introduced in Command and Conquer 4.

You can pre-order Command and Conquer 4 from the official website.  A free bonus mission is also included along with official soundtrack when you pre-order via the website.  The site also includes some good Command and Conquer 4 game trailers and previews.

Overall, Command and Conquer 4: Tiberium Twighlight is set to bring an original addition to a classic game series.  Whether new to the game or a C&C veteran, it will have something to offer.  So get set for battle!

Reach For Your Swords with Napoleon: Total War

February brings the next installment of the Total War game series Napoleon: Total War. This latest offering of the hit PC game, promises to take the series to a new high with some exciting new features and effects. So start sharpening your swords and brushing up on your French!

The SEGA Total War game series has certainly had some great games to date. Starting with Shogun: Total War, this latest game is the sixth addition to the franchise. For those not familiar, and you really should be; the game series is an epic turn based strategy game with players commanding armies through various historic campaigns.  So, Napoleon: Total War should be a ‘blast!’

This game is set in the 19th and 18th century Napoleonic era starring… Emperor Napoleon! For a very brief history lesson: Napoleon was a great French general of the time, eventually defeated by Britain and their allies. The game includes three episodic campaigns, based on the Italian and Egyptian campaigns of the latter 18^th century. Then notable battles such as London’s appropriately named train station, Waterloo, also feature in the European campaign.

Of course, the game campaigns are not just limited to the French.  Rival factions, such as Britain and Austria are also included for good measure, adding greater variety to the gameplay.

Napoleon: Total War is set to have a number of new features. One of the most exciting is the introduction of a new cutting-edge multi-player mode - bravo, bravo! With this, multi-player campaign modes, drop in battles and on-line support is now available for the first time in this game. Game effects have also been enhanced, with better battle physics for cannon balls and landscapes. In addition to this, extra touches to light and smoke effects have also been included in this game making battles all the more realistic.

The previous game in the series, Empire: Total War, introduced some great new game features that will also be included in Napoleon: Total War. For example, the naval battles will return in this game with more refined combat, and the chance to repair any damaged ships. Creative Assembly’s communication manager has said:

“We’ve taken everything we’ve achieved with Empire and Empire’s engine and just pushed it to the limit.”

In addition to the standard game, a more collectible Imperial Edition has premium packaging and a wall-chart.  The Imperial Edition includes a Heroes of the Napoleonic wars pack, or an Elite Regiment pack which can be purchased with the standard game pack, that provide extra unit add-ons.  Heroes of the Napoleonic wars has extra infantry and cavalry units, while the Elite Regiment pack has 5 of the best units such as French hussars and Britain’s Connaught Rangers.

The Napoleon: Total War website is a good site for further details on the game, that has preview trailers included.  Here, with links to Amazon and Game you can preorder any copy of the game with potential discounts.  Just a note, console fans can forget about this one as the game is currently exclusive to the PC only.

Overall, this game could be one of the best in the series to date. So, it seems that Napoleon is back with a bang in Napoleon: Total War. Vive’ Le France!

Gear Up For Splinter Cell: Conviction

This February, it’s time to gear up for the latest Splinter Cell game Splinter Cell Conviction – unless the game gets another delay that is. However, after a good number of release delays, it does seem that Ubisoft are all set on its release for February 23rd. So, hurrah for that!

In response to the delays:

“nobody wants to be the team that sinks the franchise,” jokes developer. So the game should not be Splinter Cell’s Titanic.

For those who haven’t played a Splinter Cell game before, you really should consider it! This is a game series endorsed by the author Tom Clancy, that has had four earlier installments starting with the original Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell.

It’s a super stealthy adventure game series, that stars agent Sam Fischer as a seasoned veteran of covert ops. The game involves stealth combat action, through a number of missions. In the game Fischer is not quite James Bond, but the games include a number of gadgets and weapons to aid.

The Splinter Cell game series has been big on plot, and have had some great cinematic graphical effects. So, Splinter Cell: Conviction is set to continue this great tradition but with a number of new features. It has been said that Splinter Cell Conviction has more action-orientated game-play, and a more direct approach.

Such exciting new features introduced include a marking place which allows players to mark specific targets and objects, and then fire as they burst through a door or window. So with this, Fischer can scout rooms before entering them. Another exciting new feature of the game includes a co-op campaign, as a short prequel to the single player game, where Sam teams up with agent Archer.

The last Splinter Cell game was a big hit on the Xbox. Double Agent won many awards for best action game and game of year, with some particularly high ratings. As such, this latest Splinter Cell game is much-anticipated. In the mean time, you can consider a trip to the Splinter Cell: Conviction site for more details: http://splintercell.us.ubi.com/conviction/.