Passed Inspection: Intense, addicting gameplay. Great graphics. Excellent sound. Movies are delightfully cheesy. Great post-release support from EA.

Failed Basic: Doesn’t do anything new. Jennifer Morrison needs to brush up on her acting lessons. Multiplayer balancing needs tweaking. Music is bland.

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Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is here. The long awaited sequel to the original Command & Conquer and Tiberian Sun has been released with an absolute vengeance. Be prepared for yet another cataclysmic battle between the benevolent Global Defense Initiative and the insidious Brotherhood of Nod, as the two have their global rumble for planetary domination along with a new unwelcome guest, the alien Scrin.

The first and most striking aspect that the player will notice here are the graphics. The folks at Electronic Arts have spared no expense to give the most intense battles equally intense animations, explosions and effects. Flying units such as Orcas and Firehawks spew jet wash that distorts the sky as they blaze bee-lines towards their targets. Stealth units like tanks and bombers curve light around them, giving a strange watery effect to the terrain. Explosions rock and roll, sending shockwaves through legions of troops. Buildings crumble, superweapons roar, infantry duck for cover and tiberium – the almighty resource – glows an eerie green over the oft-times dusty, barren landscape. While the jaw-dropping scenery may make the casual PC gamer hesitate to try C&C 3, never fear. Even low-end systems can still handle the game throughout, with marginal decreases in detail to compensate.

The sound effects are a perfect fit for Command & Conquer 3. The voiceovers for each unit sound appropriate, if a little campy. For example, the Mammoth Tank features a rather baritone commander as he rolls across the terrain in search of the enemy. Orcas have the stereotypical "radio chatter" going on. Nod units are decidedly sinister and conniving, not to mention often British, as well. The explosions are scintillatingly loud and satisfying, even the smaller grenadier blasts have that certain something that makes the enemy cringe as his infantry run to safety.

The music can’t share the same success. No longer composed by maestro Frank Klepacki, the background music has changed its theme from industrial in-your-face rock to a more militaristic orchestrated style. While I did enjoy the effect of the music transitioning depending on what’s going on in the combat, I was definitely missing the heavy metal riffing that ol’ Frank was so famous for.

Much of this fades into the background when the gameplay begins to heat up. The interface is so wonderfully streamlined over previous Command & Conquer titles, it’s a wonder it wasn’t designed this way before. Every action is now contextually based for both the hardcore fan, and casual RTSer. For the stubborn old-school commander, the interface is just as it was years ago. The control sidebar still rests neatly on the right side of the screen, allowing players to select to build units, structures, or defenses at any time, regardless of what the commander is looking at on the map. Alternatively, the player may opt to go the traditional RTS route, and click directly on buildings to produce units and other structures. This hybridization is incredibly intuitive and smooth, and I found myself frequently switching between classic C&C and traditional controls. Another part of the interface, which many Command & Conquer fans will celebrate, is the ability to fashion multiple construction or training queues. No longer is the gamer limited to selecting a primary building and constructing units from a singular structure. Instead, the player is allowed an infinite number of queues to build from any location where a particular training structure resides.

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