Command & Conquer: Renegade

Rating:
Summary: Awesome Multiplayer, Cruddy single
Review: When you first pop that cd in and install the game, the first thing the diehard C&C fan will notice is the opening movie that seemingly has nothing to do with a story. Once you get into the game, however, you realize the story has really taken a back seat in this game. This becomes one of the biggest flaws in the game. Thinking back to the previous C&C releases by Westwood Studios, I was always blown away by the good stories and the wonderful cutscenes blending live action and CG animation. They were the glue in the games, the part that made it realistic and immersive. The characters had personality and human traits that made you feel like they were really there. Generals, however, is very lacking in personality. The cutscenes that you looked forward to between missions are gone, only in game graphic videos are used(including some flagrant use of bullet time). While these look pretty cool, they aren't enough to build a story. Instead of having a human brief you on whats happening and what your mission is, you are thrown into new scenarios every mission where a faceless voice barks commands. The bottom line in terms of the story is that Generals is simply uninspired. There is nothing about it that makes you say, "Wow, this is awesome." like the rest of the games in the series, which is a shame, because there is a lot of potential.
Now that I've finished with the poor story aspect, on to the gameplay. This is where the game excels. The first thing i noticed about the game when i started playing, was that it plays a lot more like starcraft or warcraft than it does a C&C game. Instead of having a sidebar with units listed that you can build, you build units at their respective buildings. You also have to construct buildings with a unit, rather than building them on the sidebar and having them magically appear. You also get a lot more control over your units, with more options for control, such as a more defined guard function and attack move options. Mysteriously missing is the deployment options from Red Alert 2. The three sides in the conflicts are all very defined, and have their individual strengths. The US specializes in strong single units and high technology, while the Chinese specialize in brute force and huge numbers of people. The GLA specialize in simple, dirty tactics such as suicide bombing and poison attacks. Each side plays differently and requires unique strategies. The individual units are all very well done too, each one with a very specific use. Gameplay does have problems though, especially dealing with long range units. If a unit is being attacked by another unit that is out of its range, it will just sit still and let itself be killed rather than attack its assailant. This is very frustrating to deal with, especially when you're having to micromanage over a large area, its difficult to babysit each one of your units. Another complaint is that the computer AI is extremely bipolar. During the battles, it is extremely aggressive, and attacks almost constantly from different sides, but as soon as the battle starts to turn, it rolls over and stops entirely. Beyond all the little issues, however, the gameplay is very good, with good variation and addictiveness. The graphics and sound are also superb. Its great to see humvees driving around with headlights on when its night. There is a lot of attention to detail.
Good:
Great gameplay
Good graphics
Improved combat/construction systems
Bad:
Lack of story
AI issues

Overall: 4/5
C&C fans will definitely want to own this game, but most will probably be disappointed with the lack of inspiration in the story(or lack thereof).

Recommended?: Yes, any RTS fan will want to play this game.