IGN reviews Kane's Wrath!

[Matt@Sim_Moves]

US, March 25, 2008
The single-player campaign feels disjointed, mainly because it jumps all over the Command & Conquer timeline to fill in the gaps. Things start off just at the end of the Second Tiberium War, and every few missions the campaign leaps forward a decade or two. As such, you don't get much of a cohesive story. Instead, you get glimpses of the back story. While prior knowledge of the previous games isn't necessary, it would certainly be helpful in understanding what's going on.

Meanwhile, there's the standard selection of RTS mission styles in the campaign. Most of them have you begin with a construction unit, which you use to construct a base. That includes a refinery or two to start harvesting tiberium, some power generators, and a variety of infantry or vehicle factories, along with support buildings that unlock special powers and abilities. The formula in these is usually build up your forces till you're strong enough to go on offense, and then attack and repeat until you've worn down the enemy. Then there are a handful of non-building missions, where you control a small group of units and must navigate around the level without losing too many of them. Here the trick is to save early and often until you get through the level.




The entire campaign takes place from the perspective of the Brothehood of Nod, so you don't get to play as the Global Defense Initiative or the alien Scrin. Those are reserved either for skirmish, multiplayer, or the global conquest game. You do get to mess around with the two new Nod subfactions, the Marked of Kane and the Black Hand. The idea behind the subfactions is to inject some variety into the mix, though the differences between them seem a bit too subtle and slight. There's a bit more variety between the Scrin subfactions, as one of them plays entirely unlike anything else due to its dependence on mind control.

The battles are fun, especially when you're finally bulldozing an opponent over. After all, there's always something thrilling about stomping all over a foe. The lack of growth in the series is noticeable though, especially when things like AI and pathfinding are basically unchanged from the original C&C. Units can jam up on little obstacles, while the AI will send a steady stream of units at you regardless at how effective that tactic is. Things like that are especially glaring considering the features found in modern RTS games, such as intelligent squads that know how to use cover effectively on their own. As a result, the combat in Kane's Wrath feels like pure math; instead of tactics or maneuvering, the only thing that matters is how much damage your units can inflict per second.

It isn't until you hit the global conquest campaign mode that you encounter something very new and different for the series. This is basically an overarching strategic layer to tie real-time battles together, but unlike the campaign modes found in earlier EALA real-time strategy games, the one in Kane's Wrath does away with the idea of distinct provinces or territories. Instead, the global map allows for very fluid battle lines as factions struggle to carve out territory or corrupt cities and so on.




Multiplayer remains extremely fast-paced and fun; though depending on the skill of your opponent you might get wiped in minutes. Still, we managed to get in some nail-biting tug-of-war struggles. The addition of new superunits certainly helps to break the stalemates that occur, and it's cool to see a massive tank or insect-like war machine rampaging on the battlefield. Closing Comments



Ultimately, Kane's Wrath is something that old school RTS fans and die-hard C&C veterans will enjoy. There's enough here to keep them busy for a long time. Those looking for a more modern RTS experience should look elsewhere, though.

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8.0 Presentation
High production values abound in Kane's Wrath, but the storyline feels scattered and disjointed.

8.5 Graphics
The graphics engine has aged gracefully, and the visuals still look fairly sharp.

7.0 Sound
The music and sound effects did their job, but there's nothing that really sticks with you after you play.

7.0 Gameplay
Old school to the max, the gameplay is a throwback to the 1995 classic.

7.5 Lasting Appeal
The single-player campaign is good for about 6 to 8 hours of gameplay, but there's plenty of multiplayer and global conquest gameplay to tide you over.

7.9 Good OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Command and Conquer: Kane's Wrath will be available to buy this Spring.

[Soulstorm]

You are best off just linking to a review rather than posting the whole thing here, I'm sure this is against the IGN user agreement.

Anyways back to the review, it pretty much sums up my thoughts, however:


*** POSSIBLE SPOILER ***


I enjoyed the story but I cant believe the writers could not come up with a better conclusion (if you can even call it that), the ending was a joke.