It’s a real shame that the single-player facet of the game ends too quickly because they are some of the most well-produced levels ever seen in a game. They begin with an introduction, generally a conflict that sets the tone for the mission to come. This where the game’s 3D engine really shines, showing you close-ups of units, structures and terrain without any noticeable blurry-ness or lack of detail. We can’t begin to describe just how amazed we were when we watched these cutscenes take place and while we miss the inclusion of Kane in this game, we’re more than willing to make the sacrifice in this case.
It’s out with the old and in with the new for
Generals, this also means that all traces of the GDI and the NOD have been wiped out from this title. While it’s sad to see the two foes depart, it’s for the better good. In there places are three new factions, the Americans, the Chinese and the Global Liberation Army. The sides all feature their own unique technologies, units and weapons that will force you to learn different strategies to both defend and accommodate to them.
What’s really great about the game is that selecting a different side will force you to utilize an entirely different strategy. If you’re the Americans you may want to build up a huge tank force or massive mobile artillery. If you’re the Chinese perhaps you might want to build up a Mig force to accommodate your mobile nukes and if you’re the GLA, perhaps you’ll want to build up a massive legion of suicide bombers. Each side has some similar units there’s still enough variation to make each side feel entirely different and unique. There are some side-specific units that really stand out such as the Chinese hackers which have the ability to log on to the internet and steal funds for your cause.
Move it along folks, pay no attention to the giant mob that's troucing your townThere are some distinct differences that come with choosing each side. Players who like to focus on sneaky tactics will love the GLA, their side requires no power and in a cool inclusion, can actually earn money from killing their opponents. The downside to this is that they have lessened technologies so their vehicle units will have to scavenge kills in order to become more powerful. The technologically advanced Americans can amass a massive air attack, featuring stealths and combat planes while the Chinese rely on sheer dominance with their tanks.
While combat can still be won by building up the most massive forces, there is much more strategy this time around. Variables such as highground and cover play a massive role in deciding the outcome of a battle. In fact, utilizing the highground, a group of rocketmen can actually take out a battalion of tanks. Then there’s a new dynamic that comes with the ability to garrison civilian buildings. You can place your troops in the buildings so that they can shield themselves while raining fire upon the enemy. This gives them a significant advantage over the opposition, earning an additional plate of armor.
Each side also has their own form of superweapon that can rain massive destruction upon your opponents. You’ll be familiar with the particle cannon, a take off of the GDI’s Ion Cannon, but with a twist, instead of firing one shot it unleashes a sustained laser beam that can be controlled by the user. The Chinese have a massively destructive nuke that can level an entire base while the GLA have the Scud Storm, a structure that launches a whole host of Scud Missiles upon a target. They’re all fairly balanced although I feel that the Nuke is the strongest of the three, if only for its sheer ability to level entire buildings and armies.
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