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Developer: Electronic Arts LA
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Systems: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PC
ESRB Rating: T
Official Web Site

0:00 I got literally three missions into the original Command and Conquer before quitting the series for good. I'm really, really bad at real-time strategy games, you see.

0:01 Straight to the title screen, with a red globe and a generic looking super-soldier in the background. Meh.

0:02 The controls screen is a confusing mess, with buttons like "selection modifier" and actions like "decrement from building queue." I hope they hold my hand a little bit.

0:03 Boot Camp sounds like a good place to start. "This mission will teach you the basics of how to utilize the interface and controls." Thank God.

0:04 "Welcome to the training scenario, Commander." Click on the training stations to get training info. Duh!

0:05 OK, I know what a mini-map is. I don't need THAT much hand-holding.

0:06 One stick moves the camera, the other zooms and rotates. The rotation is so fast, it's making me dizzy.

0:07 I like how the cursor is magnetically attracted to the units as I move towards them. Of course, this has probably been standard in the RTS genre for a decade or something. Whatever. I'm easily impressed.

0:08 The interface does a good job making it clear what units are selected and what's going on, at least so far.

0:10 I like the simple, radial build menu. Nice big icons and easy-to-access descriptions of costs and benefits.

0:11 The idea of "building" squads in these games always disturbed me. What are we building them out of, a big mound of flesh and DNA?

0:14 The Zone Trooper units have Jump Jets that let them cross impassable ravines, but I have to activate them manually. It's this kind of micro-management that makes me suck at/hate RTS games.

0:15 Engineers can take over enemy structures, but, "The engineer is lost in the process." NOOOOOOO! He was only two days from retirement!

0:17 So far, I'm very impressed with the tutorial. A nice, clear voice guides me through all the options slowly and methodically, but without treating me like an idiot.

0:19 The tutorial is walking me through a sample battle, telling me exactly what to build and who to send where. Very helpful, although I'm sure I'll forget all this stuff very quickly.

0:21 I could be wrong, but my units don't seem to automatically counterattack when they come under fire. If so, it's going to get really annoying telling them to freakin' defend themselves!

0:25 My strategy of selecting all units on-screen and attacking full force seems to be working nicely. I hope this is all that's required of me through the entire game.

0:26 I get 10 Gamerscore points for having "Great Potential." Awww, you're sweet, Xbox Live.

0:27 On to the single player campaign. "Rio is ripe for rebellion. Be its catalyst." Liking the alliteration in this mission description. I'm pretty sure Easy difficulty is all I can handle.

0:28 The year is 2034. An underground room full of electronics is bathed in red light. A guy with a flashlight stumbles around as explosions thunder in the distance. He has a metal plate over half his face, like a futuristic Phantom of the Opera. He turns on a console. "They've abandoned us, my child. The Brotherhood of Nod has been broken. You are the only one who has not forsaken me." This guy definitely has a crazy streak in his voice. "Our technology has failed us. Cabal is no more... though his memory lives on." I'm sure that means something to C&C fans. "Our enemies believe we have been defeated and that I am no longer among the living, but they are gravely mistaken. Together we will raise a great army. PEACE... THROUGH... POWER." He sounds like Che Guevara or something. An impressive live action performance.