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EA will remaster the first two 'Command & Conquer' games in 4K
EA recently hinted that it would hop on the real-time strategy revival bandwagon and remaster Command & Conquer games, and now we know just what that entails. The publisher has confirmed that it's remastering both the original Command & Conquer and Red Alert (i.e. the best games in the series) in 4K, with all the expansions included. And no, these won't be excuses to wring out a steady stream of cash from nostalgic gamers. Unlike C&C Rivals, EA is promising that the remasters will go "without microtransactions."
EA spills further details on Red Alert 3
IGN sat down with EA Los Angeles executive producer Chris Corry to discuss the upcoming multi-platform RTS, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. Several new info regarding the previously revealed new faction, revamped naval combat, and co-op campaign mode have surfaced.One of the most delightful changes in RA3 is how there is a stronger emphasis on naval combat. Corry talks about how battle maps will now contain more water bodies, and that there will be amphibious units that can go on both land and sea. The biggest shocker about this focus on aquatics is that players can now build their home base out at sea. Corry says this will add a huge amount of strategical value to the game as there's more of a reason to evenly build and command navy, air, and land unit.Another big item, is the co-op campaign. The game is designed around gameplay for two people and is all about "coordinated assaults." Even if there isn't a buddy around online to play with, there will be a selection of unlockable AI generals to help you out. Each general will have a unique personality and strategic style. Moving things onto the new Empire of the Sun, Corry reveals they'll be the most technologically advanced out of all the factions. Corry doesn't confirm there will be super giant robots though, but he does confirm that "transformation plays a significant role in [the Japanese] faction." Sweet. Will we be seeing vehicles combine too?
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 unveiled
EA is clearly no longer interested in keeping the development of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 a secret, what with the forthcoming title appearing rather prominently on the cover of PC Gamer's April 2008 issue. Though details are currently scarce, Red Alert 3 is likely to provide another strategic romp through an alternate history that began when a time-traveling Albert Einstein erased Hitler from the history books. The unfortunate side-effect, of course, was the rise of Soviet power and stylized, AK-wielding ladies (pictured). The game's intended platforms have yet to be revealed, though our keen journalistic sense tells us that the PC Gamer cover hints at an appearance on the ... Gizmondo? No, that can't be right. If only EA would quit Stalin and give us some more info![Via Rock, Paper, Shotgun]
EA signs celebs Henstridge and Lumbly for Kane's Wrath
Sci-fi sex alien Natasha Henstridge of Species fame will join the cast of Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath, as will former Alias star Carl Lumbly, better known around these parts as the voice of J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter on the Justice League animated series. The pair will join veteran C&C actor Joe Kucan, a.k.a. Kane, as the central characters in the upcoming expansion, which will cover 20 years of in-game history, from the rebirth of the Brotherhood of Nod following the second Tiberium War to events beyond that of the most recent game. The use of digitized actors is something of a ghost of gaming past, but Command & Conquer has nonetheless continued to embrace tradition in using live actors in its games, and any news that gives us an excuse to (go)ogle Natasha Henstridge is just fine by us.
Command & Conquer Saga: the most complete collection since the last one
Command & Conquer: The First Decade, EA's comprehensive celebration of all things C&C, packed a lot of value into one box set, offering all 12 games and expansions spanning the series' ten-year existence. The compilation seemed to be all a C&C fan could ask for, though not according to EA, as the company has strangely announced plans to revisit the set less than two years later with Command & Conquer Saga, adding this year's Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars on top of everything else included in The First Decade.But why stop there? At $50, Saga will admittedly include a lot for players' hard earned credits, but we have to wonder if subsequent C&C games will be likewise bundled into new, even more comprehensive packages shortly after their solo debut. With Tiberium Wars set to suffer Kane's Wrath in early 2008, we fully expect yet another collection to follow in short order. Mark your calendars for Command & Conquer: The Whole Enchilada for release in time for the 2009 holiday rush.
Hoor-EA! Mac games hit Apple store today
That's what they say. Publishing monolith EA has announced that four of its Cider-powered Mac OS X titles are now available to purchase on Apple's online store today. The initial burst looks to satisfy a variety of Intel Mac gamers, including those who are partial to waging futuristic war (Battlefield 2142!), owning totally sick rides (Need for Speed Carbon!), casting ex-crucio-ting spells (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!) and, uh, waging even more futuristic war (Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars!). The games will also materialize on minimalistic shelves within Apple retail stores, with Potter and Need For Speed arriving on Tuesday, 21 August. Battlefield 2142 and Tiberium Wars should arrive the following week on 28 August. Though the tardy titles, namely Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 and Madden NFL 08, were promised to arrive on the same day as other systems at WWDC, you can now expect their respective balls to come crashing through the "September/October window."
EA officially backs off of Mac releases
Shame on you, EA! Shame! Back at WWDC, you promised to release four of your franchise games simultaneously on PC and Mac in July. But July came and went, and we saw (and played) nothing.And now EA has told Apple Insider that Mac faithful shouldn't have held their breath on those promises-- Madden 08 was the big release on Tuesday, but while it did appear on PC, the Mac version has been officially delayed until "September or October" (which means late December, in videogame-release-speak). Additionally, even EA doesn't know what's going on with its own games-- they claim that Battlefield 2142, Command and Conquer 3, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Need for Speed Carbon are all in stores, but when asked which stores they were actually in, EA didn't have an answer.I can't say I'm surprised-- for all the talk at WWDC, the Mac isn't quite the platform of choice for most game makers, and who knows who would have actually bought any of those games on Mac if they had been released (I wouldn't have). But the fact is that EA stood on stage at WWDC, and got lauded for it. Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk, Electronic Arts.
EA unveils C&C TV Battlecast Primetime
You may recall an announcement two weeks ago that Command & Conquer 3 would be "revolutionized" this month. Well, EA has officially unveiled this revolutionary idea, which they are calling C&C TV Battlecast Primetime. So, what the hell is it? From the looks of it in the video above, Battlecast Primetime is essentially SportsCenter for C&C fans. The program will be shown on the official C&C3 website starting August 14th at 12:01AM PST. The teaser video promises dev interviews, and action from C&C3 matches. We're not sure if we'd call it revolutionary, but it is a neat idea. It will be interesting to see what effect it has on the C&C3 community.[Via Gamertag Radio]
C&C 3 to be "revolutionized" soon
Our buddies over at Gamertag Radio received an interesting email today. It's contents can be summarized in the image above. Yes, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars will be revolutionized on August 7. What the hell does that mean? We have no earthly idea (and no unearthly idea for that matter). Gamertag Radio is stumped, too. All we do know is that whatever it is, you can uncover more info on August 7 at the official C&C3 website. We do, however, have some concrete details on the upcoming patch for C&C3. The patch is set to fix three major exploits in the game and should be available "soon." Alright, so maybe it's not concrete per se, but it's better than nothing, right?
C&C3 raises Kane on Marketplace
Still on the fence about picking up Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars? Maybe some cheesy into-the-camera monologues will change your mind. The NOD characters trailer is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace, featuring everyone's favorite fanatical warlord, Kane. You'll also get a brief look at the other main characters in the NOD campaign, including other aggressively named characters like Kilian Qatar. On the other hand, if evil doesn't do it for you, maybe you'd rather check out the GDI (read: "the good guys") campaign intro. You can find it after the break.
Command & Conquer 3: the documentary?
It's becoming common practice for developers and publishers to document the creative process behind creating videogames. Command & Conquer presents an interesting take on game design, using real actors instead of digital ones to tall its story. There is a new documentary describing the casting and filming process for Command & Conquer 3 available on Xbox Live Marketplace (also handily embedded at the top of this post). Of course, it also has geekily satisfying doses of Michael "Sam Fisher" Ironside and Billy Dee "Lando Calrissian" Williams. Check out the documentary and tell us what you think.Do you like C&C's use of real actors, or do you prefer digital actors?
X3F hands on: Command and Conquer 3
You may have heard that we had a tough time getting our hands on the Command & Conquer 3 demo last week. Saints be praised, we finally managed to grab the demo this morning. We spent a few hours playing the game and coming to grips with the controls. We also spent about 20 minutes getting owned on Xbox Live. So, is it any good? The short answer is yes. The long answer is after the break.
Fanboys am cry: no C&C3 demo in sight
Despite yesterday's reports that a Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars demo was set to drop today, it remains unseen. The demo was unofficially announced via a forum post by an Electronic Arts employee. Either the employee was misinformed or the demo is still clearing certification hurdles at Microsoft. Of course, there are still many hours left in the day for the demo to drop, but as most demos hit in the morning, we're less than optimistic.Rest assured, we'll let you know when it's live.
Command respect, conquer C&C3 achievements
Half the fun of playing games on the Xbox 360 is unlocking achievements. Hell, just saying the word achievement feels pretty good. Try it: "achieeeeevement." Feels good, doesn't it? Because we all love achievements so much, we bring you the full achievement list for Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, which arrives next month. The list comes to us courtesy of Achieve360Points and it's quite a list. It's refreshing to see that the bulk of the achievements are located in the single player campaign, as many games reserve the big points for multiplayer. Hopefully, this means everyone will be well versed in the game when they finally jump over to multiplayer. Of course, there are a handful of multiplayer achievements as well, including plenty of shame achievements worth 0 points. For example, lose a game to someone ranked 20 places below you and you'll net the "Losing Face" achievement. Hit the "read" link to see all 22 achievements.A demo of C&C3 should hit marketplace within the next few weeks.
Video: Command and Conquer 3 Vision gameplay
Not long ago, it was revealed that Command & Conquer 3 would feature Vision camera support on the Xbox 360. It was previously believed that players would only be able to see each other before and after a match, but this video shows video chat windows during the match as well. All in all, the video reveals two things. One, Vision cam support is perfect for a game like Command & Conquer. Two, this may be the most annoying feature ever conceived. The video goes out of its way to show us how annoying this feature could be, and we're not exactly sure that's good marketing strategy, but the feature is at least promising. Also, the video features actual 360 footage, giving us a look at the 360 control interface. It looks essentially like Battle for Middle Earth II, which we were expecting. It does, however, look much faster than BFMEII, which is definitely welcome.For now, C&C3 for the 360 is saddled with a nebulous spring 2007 release date. Anyone plan on picking it up? Watch the video and tell us what you think (you can also grab the HD version here).
Command and Conquer 3 bound for 360 [update 1]
In an interview with Louis Castle of EA, Gaming Steve confirmed that Command & Conquer 3 is indeed coming to Xbox 360. According to Steve, the game is being developed by the same team responsible for Battle for Middle Earth II. Unfortunately, there is no mention of a release date. If it's any consolation, the PC version of C&C 3 is expected sometime in 2007. The question remains: does anybody want to play an RTS with a 360 pad? [Via openXBOX360] Update 1: contributor Mike informs me that it was in fact Gaming Steve making the 360 C&C3 proclamation, not Mr. Castle. I guess official EA confirmation is still up in the air. Bummer.
Command & Conquer 3 coming to conquer your wallet
Can you say "sequelitis"? Several members of the 3D Realms forum have posted scans from the latest issue of PC Gamer which reveals that a third game in the Command & Conquer franchise is being worked on. The cover of the magazine features the words "Command & Conquer 3" in very large letters with a full preview inside the mag showing off pictures of units from the game. We're sure a lot of fans are very happy at this news, and that EA will be very happy to take their money! See you in ten years when Command & Conquer: The Second Decade is out.[Thanks Armin, Iced_Eagle and Russell Kinsella]
