Under Control: Tech-Gaming Reviews Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath

With Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath, the Los Angeles
office of Electronic Arts offers its third port of a popular PC real-time
strategy game. While past efforts, Lord of the Rings: Battle for Middle Earth
and later, Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, have attempted to adapt the
mouse-centric control schemes to the Xbox 360, C&C: KW refines the
interface for a nearly seamless play experience. The title’s wealth of options
coupled with its forty dollar price, make it an ideal game for the console strategy
fan.

Graphically, the game is impressive- units are highly
detailed, with subtle visual indicators of damage. Offensive weapons are especially
enjoyable to observe- from beam cannons combining laser streams into larger,
turret-melting rays, to the magnesium-hot intensity of flamethrower tanks. While
slowdown will occur when larger skirmishes break out, it will usually be
remedied as soon as warring units are inevitably destroyed. 

C&C: KW employs a highly-functional radial interface for
resource building and unit functionality. First, players click on a resource,
then while holding down the right trigger, select an option from a circular
menu with the left analog stick. One problem we found was the occasional unresponsiveness
of the ‘recall all units’ function.  AI path finding was mostly functional, with the exception of infantry unit propensity to walk through lethal Tiberium fields.

The title offers a number of play-types, starting with the
main Campaign mode. Notably missing is the PC’s turn-based Global Conquest
mode, which was inexplicably replaced with Kane’s Challenge; a set of
straight-forward scenarios far too similar to the main game. Additionally,
there is a skirmish mode where players can select between one and three CPU opponents,
at multiple levels of difficulty and personality types. Finally, players can
take their game online via Xbox for a relatively lag-free experience.

Overall, Command and Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath is the best RTS
currently available on the 360. While the forthcoming Tom Clancy’s Endwar and Halo Wars may
offer competition in the future, any armchair strategist with the slightest desire
to play a console RTS could do far worse.

Final Grade: A-