Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath

[Insanius]

For those of you who have played the Command and Conquer games before, this one's totally different, honest.  Sure, you've still got the same elements we all know and love (Refinery, power plant, barracks...) but in addition to multiple production queues and special abilities added in C&C3, the Kane's Wrath expansion adds a whole new level of depth by introducing 6 subfactions with unique units of their own and the addition of Epic Units.

- Controls
The interface is finally compliant with most RTS games out there, but you have the option of enabling left-click move orders.  In addition to training units from multiple barracks/war factories at once, you can use your money to activate special abilities that can range anywhere from a veteran reinforcements drop to railgun accelerators for your tanks.  All units and structures can be built using hotkeys, so it should make it easier for people who have trouble with micro.
In C&C3 you now have the ability to issue a "reverse-move" order to your units, which is useful since most vehicles now have directional armor which makes the front of a unit more resistant to damage than the back.  I'm dissapointed that the AI doesn't automatically path infantry unit around tiberium patches instead of through them, since these patches hurt any infantry that attempt to cross them.

- Gameplay
If you're new to the game, you may want to play through the campaign first.  Managing resources in this game requires a lot of know-how and tactics that may turn most people away from this game.  Once you've gotten the hang of how to keep your resources flowing, beating the AI in skirmish mode becomes a piece of cake, and you can move on to challenging opponents online. 
Lastly, each side has an Epic Unit that can hopefully end the game once you make it.  NOD gets the Reclaimer, a giant four-legged mech with a triple obelisk laser and a "rage generator" that causes nearby enemy units to attack each other.  Scrin gets the Eradicator Hexapod, a giant six-legged mech with the ability to harvest dead unit corpses for cash.  And finally, GDI gets the Mammoth Armed Reclamation Vehicle (MARV) which is a giant harvester/refinery on treads.
Overall, the game is slow like molasses, but it has to be, since speeding the game up didn't work so well in the end.  (Unit massing was the best strategy before patches were released)

- Sound
It's dissapointing that there is no in-game jukebox like the other games, although the music is mostly ambient so you hardly notice it.  The unit confirmations are pretty well done so you know what it is you've selected without looking at the units.  (Hearing "SIZE MATTERS" when you click on the MARV is priceless.)

- Graphics
YES
YES

- Balance
After the travesty that was C&C3 version 1.0 things have finally settled down with the latest patch for Kane's Wrath.  All units can be countered if you know what you're doing, but new players may not catch on and get decimated by a single flame tank or a shadow team rush. (stealthed commandos with gliders) You're still going to get owned if you don't know how to deal with quick hit and run attacks, but at least you won't have to worry about being swarmed with units without a chance to build a force of your own.

- Final Score
Fuck Numbers

- Final Remarks
If you're not that big into RTS I don't recommend this game for you, it simply won't be fun unless you're with a group of people at the same skill level.

[ughwtf]

I'd like to add that the new spin-off factions don't vary much. In essence, they play basically the same as their core group. Traveller 59 is the only new faction that actually plays differently.