Amazon.com: Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath: PC: Video Games

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3.9 out of 5 stars (28 customer reviews)

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53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NEW BATTLE PLANS - THINK FAST COMMANDER!, March 24, 2008

By	NeuroSplicer (Freeside, in geosynchronous orbit) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars

I generally do not like expansions. They used to be additions only very successful games got to have. Nowadays they are mostly the...other half of the game the publisher withheld when selling us half the original for $50! C&C:KANE's WRATH is a rare exception that brings new dimensions to an already great game!

Story-wise, although an expansion, this is somewhat of a prequel to C&C3-TIBERIUM WARS, as it is set on the history of NOD, starting off just after the 2nd Tiberium War and continuing well past the 3rd.
There is a big campaign comprising of 13 single player missions, new units and upgrades and a new (a la RISE OF NATIONS) Global Conquest mode, that can turn C&C3 into a Turn-Based game! What make this REALLY interesting are the six subfactions, each with its special units, strengths and weaknesses. Not to worry, all GDI, NOD and Scrin get their own off-shooting factions.
On the opposite ends of the spectrum, there is Reaper-17 (a Scrin sub-faction): with hard-hitting and powerful offensive options; and then there is Traveler-59 (also a Scrin offshoot): a much more devious faction that relies on mind control of humans (remember how much fun Yuri's Revenge? was). In between, GDI's (retro) Steel Talons and (futuristic) ZoCom and NOD's (mind-benders) Black Hand and (cyborgs galore) Mark of Kane.

Production of the new epic-units can tip the battlefield scales dramatically. Most are not only devastating but are pretty hard to take down too. GDI gets the MARV [Mammoth Armed Reclamation Vehicle], a souped-up triple-barreled tank; NOD gets the Redeemer, an augmented killer avatar; whereas, Scrin get the Eradicator Hexapod, a impressive six-legged mech.
Revamped units, such as the Shard Walker or the Reaper Tripod, or back-to-the-drawing-board units, such as the Prodigy or the Ravager all add to a renewed experience. Moreover, as a long-time C&C fan, I particularly enjoyed the reappearance of good-ol' units such as Titans and Wolverines on the side of GDI!

The graphics are beautiful, the physics detailed and the explosions and beam-weapons spectacular! Don't forget to turn on the volume on those speakers, because this is a total immersion experience.

As with the original: it misses the 5th star for fun because one cannot hold a battle formation while moving. As most units move at different paces (and although the AI has improved they keep bumping on each other), this results in the more agile, yet vulnerable, units having to face the enemy first - a short-lived sight... May be the next C&C (say, RED ALERT 3) could have some TOTAL WAR infused into it, with battle formations options.

If you are boycotting SecuROM you should know that it is the copy-protection used (nevertheless, it is the usual version used in the original C&C3-TW as well, coming nowhere near the BIOSHOCK RootKit madness!). I usually withhold at least one rating star because of such security inconveniences. However, I enjoyed the game so much that I was willing to overlook it. On the other hand, since it is important for a great number of Amazon customers, I have to mention it for the sake of a well informed decision.

Finally, be advised that this is an expansion and, yes, you do need the original C&C3: TIBERIUM WARS to play it. If you do not have it, take note that there is a pack available, including both original game and expansion (the prices fluctuate so make sure to get the best deal).

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!!

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kane is back and he is ticked off., April 8, 2008

By	Gareth Mc Bride (Lynnwood, WA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

I am a big fan of the Command and Conquer series and was thrilled when the series returned to form with the release of Command and Conquer 3. The previous release in the series, Generals, did not work for me, as I missed the GDI and Nod conflict as well as the full motion video that had been staples of the franchise from the start.

Thankfully the series not only returned to form, but took the series in a bold new direction by combining all of the classic elements of the series with the latest in 3D graphics and an dynamic story told from the point of three factions including the brand new alien Scrin faction.

With the success of Command and Conquer 3 and the pending release of Red Alert 3, E.A. decided to release a new expansion to the game, Kane's Wrath which provides a brand new story arch for the Nod side as well as a host of improvements for multiplay.

The story spans more than twenty years and places players in the role of Legion, a minion of the enigmatic cult leader Kane who is placed in command of the armies. The missions are introduced by the use of full motion video sequences as well as in game messages that appear in the command bar.

With the story spanning the end of the second Tiberium War as well as the third war and beyond, the game cleverly gives players new missions, as well as expands on the back-story of some of the missions from the last game.

As is typical for the series, players must collect Tiberium and harvest it into currency in order to buy more structures and units to build and defend a base as well as an army to carry out the assigned missions. With a multitude of units available, players will have many options to choose from ranging from vehicles, planes, ground troops, specialty units, and the really big weapons which show up later in the game.

The campaigns are enjoyable and do offer some challenges even when played on some of the lower difficulty settings.

The inclusion of new units is always a selling point of any expansion pack in the series and Kane's Wrath is no exception. As well as new ground units, there is a new transport vehicle and a super unit called the Redeemer which has to be seen to be believed. This is not overkill, as the forces pitted against you have their own new super units and it will take skill to complete the missions as raw firepower alone will not do it.

One issue I had with the game that was a source of frustration was the fact that several times, despite clearing every enemy on the map, I was tasked with protecting/escorting a unit after reaching a specific point in the mission. Usually this is not a problem, but time and again, enemy units would appear out of nowhere before I could scramble or manufacture units to counter attack or defend.

I had to resolve this issue by returning to an earlier saved game and staging the area with appropriate defenses in anticipation of what was to come. While it does hamper with the flow of the game I was able to complete the missions but it was a pain having to prepare for what you know is coming instead of being able to react accordingly as threats arose.

The missions as stated are enjoyable and the final mission was a real challenge though it did not start out that way. It took some careful strategy and a few attempts before I was able to complete the task, but after doing so, I was happy to have my strategy pay off.

I would have liked to have seen more missions with the Scrin as they show up briefly in the game but I am sure fans of not seen the last of them.

The acting in the game is solid and it was nice to see Natasha Henstridge of the "Species" films as well as Carl Lumbly of Alias join the series as they really added well to the story as does the always good Joe Kucan who plays Kane.

Graphically the game shines as the 3D graphics and the ability to zoom in on a unit is almost as much fun as watching the tracks and damage units create on the landscapes as they travel.

The only real issue I had with the game other than the escort problem I mentioned above was path finding as units still got jammed up. More than a few times I had to remove one of my own buildings so harvesters would not spin in place and would take their precious cargo to my refinery so I could have the ever important funds to press on the fight.

Multiplay also shines in the game as players match up via the online service in the game and as a bonus, can now play some of the rogue factions in the game. Aside from playing Scrin, Nod, or G.D.I. options such as Steel Talons and various rogue factions are playable online.

In all, despite some glitches the game shines and continues the great legacy of Command and Conquer in style.

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17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Needs some patches most likely, March 31, 2008

By	J. White "Defending the Conservative Right" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars

I give this expansion pack 5 stars for story line, new technology units and overall fun. I give it 1 to 2 stars for technical quality. I have a Nvidia GeForce FX 5200 video card in the system I play Kane's Wrath on. I can play the game from 5 to 20 minutes at a stretch. It then crashes with a debug that ALWAYS references to the video or some type of graphic rendering. I downloaded a new driver from Nvidia that did help space out the crashes. My DirectX version and settings match up to what EA is suggesting to resolve the issue. As I said, all of this helps, but I am still getting A LOT of video related game crashes.

Your video card may not have a single problem with this game. I only wanted to post this review to offer my own experience. I am definitely NOT sorry that I bought this game despite the crashes. I hope to purchase a new computer (my system is a bit aged) someday which will run this game with no crashes. Until then, I will play it for what I can, hope for some patches from EA and just hold on to it in my library until that new computer graces my home desk.....