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Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun: Firestorm

Score: 60%
ESRB: Teen
Publisher: Westwood Studios
Developer: Westwood Studios
Media: CD/1
Players: 1 - 8
Genre: Miscellaneous

Graphics & Sound:

Firestorm did nothing to enhance the graphics of the original. The explosions and terrain still look nice; the animations and units still look ... not so nice. And what is up with all the movement lines? When you order your unit to move or fire, it draws a line to the destination or target. I'm really not in to connect-the-dots anymore. You can disable these lines; however, the enemy units still use them. Overall, I guess the graphics in this one no way enhance upon the original (which are not much better than the previous C&C games). I almost wanted to stop killing people for fear of that annoying death cry that they all make. Every person has the same irritating scream. Other than that, I thought the sound was pretty good.

Gameplay:

What this add-on does offer is a better story line and more units. Some of the new units include jump jet infantry, EMP cannon, mobile EMP, Juggernaut, mobile war factory, limpet drones, mobile stealth generator, and the reaper. These units are a nice addition, but I feel that they should have been included in the original release. I mean, we waited long enough. What's another month or so? I would have to say that these units unbalance the gameplay a bit - giving more of an advantage to the NOD. That's okay because in the original, the GID had the advantage. The story line is ten times better than the original. Again, details that should have been included in the original. In only a few missions, the expansion manages to grab on to and hold on to your attention. By the end, you're board again, but it's the end so it doesn't matter.

Well, it's the same old point and click tactics. Same unit generation, resource management, and building construction as before. I guess once you develop a good engine and beat it into the ground, why not keep using it?


Difficulty:

This game is not difficult at first. There are options that allow you to change difficulty, but as a rule, it's not that bad. It does, however, get increasingly difficult as you continue to play. By the end, you're tired of getting beat. It just gets plain difficult! But, that's what we expect (it's been that way since Dune). It's not a difficult game to play - just difficult to complete.

Game Mechanics:

The mechanics are almost similar to every other Westwood RTS that you've ever played. I say almost similar because it's not similar, it's identical. Ever since Dune to Dune 2 to C&C to Dune 2000 - it's all been the same. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I thing the mechanics are quite solid. All in all, this is a good expansion that makes a bad game better. My question is why wasn't this part of the original release?

-Storm, GameVortex Communications
AKA Jeremy Kelso

Minimum System Requirements:



Windows 95/98, Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun, Pentium 166, 32 MB RAM, 200MB HD Space, 2MB SVGA card, 4x CD-ROM, Sound Card, Mouse, Keyboard
 

Test System:



P2 450, Windows 98 SE, 128MB RAM, Diamond Viper V770 Ultra w/32MB RAM, 2 12MB Voodoo 2's SLI, 5x24 DVD-ROM, Monster Sound MX300, DirectX 7.0a

Sega Dreamcast World Series Baseball 2K1 Windows Force 21

 
Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated