Command & Conquer: Generals – PC – Preview

E3 2002 – First Look

The world is teetering on the brink of
Armageddon ­ of course, that isn’t exactly news if you are talking
about Westwood Studios (and EA Games) Command and Conquer series.

While the game was not demonstrated on
the floor at E3 2002 in Los Angeles, a private showing did reveal facets
of the program that will have C&C fans hungry for the release of the
game.

Players choose of nine generals on one
of three sides of the brewing conflict ­ the United States, China or
the Global Liberation Army. Of course, the goal is to become the dominant
power, but how you accomplish that is up to you. The game features 27 mission-based
single-player scenarios. Multiplayer online mayhem also is an option.

You can battle it out with a variety of
weapons, from Paladin Battle Tanks to Aurora Strike Fighters and super
weapons ­ the U.S. Air Fuel Bomb, the Chinese Nuclear Missile, or the
GLA Scud Storm.

Careen through villages and wipe out innocent
bystanders who happen to get in your way, or blow up the dam to knock out
a key bridge, and (again) wipe out villages located near the river.

This is strategic combat, but it is also
insane entertainment.

Graphically the game looks on a par with
its predecessors, and the sound is also very well done.

Other features of the game include a state-of-the-art
‘SAGE’ engine, which produces detailed three-dimensional settings; 60 distinct
unit, including new weapons and tactical possibilities, such as air-to-air
combat; and an array of new special effects. The AI has also been upgraded
to make the enemy harder to kill.

The demonstration of the game was much
like an atomic attack, quick and dirty. But from all indications, the Command
and Conquer universe is very much alive and doing very well.

This game is slated for release in December
2002.