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In the vast and populous real-time strategy genre, few games play up their storyline like the venerable Command & Conquer series. Part of what made the original game so cool was its (badly interlaced) full-motion video sequences with cheesy backdrops and overeager actors. Each clip helped to make the subsequent mission a little more immersive – despite most of the missions having the same simple objective: kill everyone. Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath delivers plenty of cinemas and more storyline but not an awful lot else; great if you’re a fan of the plot, but not so exciting if you’re looking for the typical new faction expansion pack.

No New Factions, Or Six New Factions?

It’s usually safe to assume that the first expansion released for any RTS will add at least one new faction to the fray, but Kane’s Revenge doesn’t really add any. Instead, what you get are six new splinter-factions, two new spinoffs for each of the three main factions (Nod, GDI, and Scrin) that each have slightly different looks and slightly different gameplay styles. There are a total of nine factions, each having only a handful of different units to really set it apart from the others.

For example, the basic Nod infantry unit is the Militant Squad; a bunch of dudes with machine guns and a penchant for the undersides of GDI tanks. The Black Hand faction, the first Nod spin-off, replaces that with a unit called the Confessor Cabal, similar but adding hallucinogenic grenades to its arsenal, capable of making opposing infantry forces turn on their allies. Finally, the Marked of Cane, the third Nod faction, gets primary infantry called the Awakened who pack EMP grenades to disable opposing machinery, along with a second infantry group called a Tiberium Trooper, able to burn the flesh of enemy forces with liquid tiberium.

These two splinter factions and the other four reveal themselves through the course of the new campaign, in which a resurrected Kane rises from the ashes of his defeat and starts going on a megalomaniacal bender. You, as his ever-present and always loyal first in command, help to spread his special blend of militaristic anarchy worldwide. Each mission is introduced by the same cheesy but entertaining videos as the earlier games, with some genuine quality acting on display, believe it or not. The campaign is a strong challenge right from the start and is a good way to spend a couple of hours … assuming you’re not the type who only likes to play in skirmish mode.

What Else is New?

The new sub-factions don’t add a lot of newness, which will be disappointing to some. Even the three stand-by factions get a little new life with some added units. Nod, for example, now has a piece of artillery that, combined with targeting beacons that the stealthy shadow squad can now drop, enables you to rain explosive shells down on your foes from anywhere on the map. Each faction also gets new “elite” units, like a giant snake-like thing from the Scrin that you can build up, segment-by-segment, into a custom killing machine. All-told, there’s probably a faction’s worth of new units here, all scattered across the three existing one rather than adding a fourth.

Wholly new is the so-called global conquest mode, which lives up to its name, offering you the opportunity to explore your tactics on a global scale rather than just a battlefield at a time. It’s another of the turn-based strategy modes that are trendy right now in the RTS field, and this one’s at least as good as the rest. You move a turn at a time across Earth, capturing cities as you go to earn resources. Resources are spent to build or level up your military installations, unlocking special attacks for use before battle. GDI’s ion cannon, for example, does a real good job of softening up the competition before a bout. Encounter an enemy force and it’s off to RTS mode you go, or you can click a button and let the AI resolve the battle for you if you’re so inclined. That’s no fun, of course, but is a lot quicker.

On the battlefield and throughout the rest of the game there’s the same polished presentation as seen in Tiberium Wars. Graphical effects are used effectively, units look great, and overall the game runs reasonably well, delivering consistent (if not particularly high) frame rates on the sort of hardware you’d expect an average PC gamer to have these days.

It’s All in the Details

If you’re the type who likes subtlety and doesn’t mind spending a few hours chasing leaves in the build trees of numerous factions to find the one that best suits you, you’ll certainly get your money’s worth in Kane’s Revenge. Likewise, if you always thought the story- and FMV-driven campaigns were the best parts of the earlier games, again you should have a lot of fun playing through this one. However, if you’re looking for some wholly new content to revolutionize the game for you, unfortunately this isn’t it. But, for $30, you can’t have everything.

Review by: Tim Stevens