Command & Conquer: Renegade Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I can still remember the final battle of the original Command and Conquer from back in the '90's. What I thought would take a few hours ended up taking an entire evening. Defeating those wicked NOD guys was the most mind-numbing experience ever - I could still feel my brain pounding long after the final cutscene played. Getting up for work the next day was almost as difficult!
So, of course when Westwood announced they were going to make a first-person shooter based on C&C, I had to get it. I can tell you C&C Renegade is a worthy first attempt yet it does fall short compared to the current crop of shooters out now.
PROS:
1. Graphics - I'm surprised at other reviewer's complaints. Not the best in terms of detail or graphic quality, but still very good for a game of this size and scope.
2. Action - Very engaging. It's not a one-man show - you're usually thrown into the heat of battle with explosions all around you. Plus you get to drive a lot of the vehicles too.
3. C&C Theme - all the goodies, GDI Cannons, Tiberium Harvesters, Obelisks, etc... The sound effects are very reminiscent of the early games, it even keeps track of the number of NOD soldiers you squish in your mammoth tank.
4. Cutscenes - very cool. Just when I think Westwood is slacking towards the later levels they throw in a nice epic movie to watch between levels.
5. Music - Awesome!! (as always) C&C games still have the best soundtracks.
NEUTRAL:
1. Level Design - Yeah, it's Westwood's first foray into level design and it shows. But quite frankly it shows just how accustomed gamers have gotten to having everything linear; we expect to follow a straight line to the goal and never have to backtrack once! At least in this game you can pretend this would be more like a real world assault. Besides, we're doing everything from beach assaults to desert sieges to sneak attacks in cities, submarines and snow covered mountain bases. What's wrong with that?
2. Voice Acting - Decent. Our hero Major Havoc sounds more like Duke Nukem. "You're going up against a whole squadron by yourself?" "Yeah, doesn't seem fair does it? Maybe I'll shoot left-handed." Am I the only one who gets a little creeped out by the way they move their lips?
3. Weapons - All nicely balanced with the exception of the grenade launcher. This worthless weapon makes huge explosions that seem to leave the enemy unfazed most of the time. Is this thing on?
CONS:
1. Load Times - Ugh. Over 2 min to load a level! If you're killed or even if you restart the same level it takes just as long! It's so annoying you'll end up playing the easier difficulty settings just to avoid dying. Minus one star for this annoyance.
2. Enemy AI - Atrocious! As much as I'd like to be biased I have to admit this is one of the worst ever. I can round a corner, see someone crouched behind a box, pump about ten rounds into him and while I stop to reload, he goes back to crouching behind the box... uhhh hello? I'll pick off someone with my sniper rifle and the guy next to him will just stand there and wait for his turn. I smirk when I'm warned of "elite" enemy forces approaching as these high-caliber opponents basically run into my line of fire and take maybe a few more hits to kill. Doom had better AI. Minus one star for this (and that's being nice!)
3. System Requirements - Considering a game like Wolfenstein runs on my system without a hitch, I'm disappointed I have to minimize all the detail settings using my (fairly new) Geforce 2 Pro and even then the frame rates choppy. You're gonna need a 1.4 gig system and a GF3 at the very least to run this game smoothly.
To sum it up - C&C fans (with sufficient hardware) will find enough to overlook the rather major annoyances in the game. Hardcore action fans, however, will find plenty to nitpick about but may realize that, in spite of it all, it's still a really fun game to play.
Hope my review helped!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Command & Conquer: Renegade

Command & Conquer: Renegade is a fast-paced, 3-D action game set in the gripping Command & Conquer universe. For the first time, you can experience a Command & Conquer game up close and personal as you fight it out on the ground among the structures, vehicles, and weapons made famous in the original. You assume the role of Havoc, an elite GDI commando who fights and explores from a first- or third-person viewpoint.
Battling through exotic indoor and outdoor environments, you're free to use both brute force and stealth in your mission objectives against the evil Brotherhood of Nod. No longer are you playing with just a top-down view of the battlefield. Now the action goes on around you and in full 3-D. Explore on, around, and inside all the popular structures and units from the original Command & Conquer. What's it like inside the ominous Hand of Nod? Now you'll know.
Fast, lethal, and effective, Havoc is an elite force of one who gets the job done, whatever it takes. Put yourself in the driver's seat of nearly every popular vehicle from the Command & Conquer series. Use powerful vehicles to your tactical advantage in hostile territory. If you need more firepower or horsepower, hijacking a Nod Flame Tank might be the key to mission success.Create your own tactics. How you tackle the multiple objectives within each of the 11 diverse missions is up to you. Seek out the perfect sniping spot for a stealthy assault, or drive a 75-ton tank straight through the frontlines. Use the environment for a critical edge in combat. Remember, you are a renegade. You make the rules. And show your stuff in multiplayer mode. Engage in chaotic deathmatches or cooperative team-based modes, such as C&C mode. Call up a friend to help battle through a challenging single-player mission. Prove you're the best through Westwood Online's tournaments and ladders system.

Get 40% OFF

Click here for more information about Command & Conquer: Renegade