WESTWOOD - E3 2000
Westwood has had a few bumps in the road with their last couple releases. They set the standard of quality with their blockbuster releases 'Command and Conquer' and 'Red Alert'. 'Tiberian Sun' was a different story though. After years of development many fans were disappointed with the final product, as it didn't have a cohesive feel and lacked that something special that Starcraft definitely had. Westwood is changing their tune and going with formulas that work this year. Renegade and Red Alert 2 are games within the Command and Conquer Universe, still a little early in development, but honestly have some excellent potential to be blockbuster games.
| Renegade - Renegade is a cool concept. You control a commando from the original Command and Conquer game. Controls are similar to a Quake style game, except your camera angle is set behind the character (ala Tomb Raider). Missions in the game include remakes of some of the original real time strategy game 'Command and Conquer', except you are part of the great war, only controlling your commando into the action. You'll see you own tanks and troops storm into NOD compounds. While your forces do their thing, you are responsible for completing your own missions. The commando can enter enemy buildings, where you can place bombs for detonation. Let's hope this game will feature a strong story element and character interaction, instead of just being another shooter. |
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Red Alert 2 - Westwood's fame belongs to the Command and conquer series. Rather than search for a new recipe, they are going back to their roots with the motto "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." Red Alert 2 is a sequel to the popular real time strategy game that took us back in the Command and Conquer universe, to the World War 2 era. This game continues the 'Red Alert' timeline, which is just after the defeat of Stalin. Weapons will be encompassing technologies of the cold war in addition to a few nifty fictional ones. After a somewhat dismal performance from 'Tiberian Sun', 'Red Alert 2' will look and act like 'Red Alert' original... classic 2D with sprite animated units. This is tried and true, as Starcraft, Command and Conquer, and Red Alert have raked in millions going with this recipe. 3D is the way of the future, but for now Westwood is going to play it safe. The game looks good, and there are new terrains, units, and structures to play around with. It will probably be better than the original Red Alert, but time will only tell if it is as good as Starcraft. |
