So,I decided to get my hands on this game which I participated in its Beta. Since it was first announced,it took a lot of negative comments from CnC commoners,including me after seeing the Level System which made me quit halfway through the Beta. STRIKER SPAMMER OMG!!!
Even through I'm primarly a Red Alert fan,I thought I could give the finished game a chance and it came out above my expectations. First of all,the tactics part is solid,meaning you actually have to do pincer attacks and flankings and stuff to win firefights. Your tank can do two shots worth of damage by just moving,while also exposing its side armor.
Second,with the base building gone and a more-fast paced,RTT style gameplay out there,the addition of solid counters is a very good choice. Mind you,not hard counters,as many stuff can hit everything. Its just that some stuff do it much better,i.e Laser weapons make heavy armor make a run of its money while cannons are better against medium armor.
Third,the unit designs aren't bad at all,the Stealth Tank looks awesome while the Widow is a nice,enlarged Beam Cannon. The Venom is very cute too. Above all else,atleast we no longer have the (even the word itself is enough to blow your mind off,so click the spoiler at your own risk) You have been warned. The Wormmando!!!
Fourth,the gameplay promotes teamplay a lot,so with the right people,you can have the best hour of your day.
On the other side through,the game lacks some major stuff that is supposed to be in an RTT, Terrain is very important in RTTs,and CnC4 doesn't really reflect that. It could have swamps to slow tanks down or asphalt roads to speed them up,craters or caves (not saying forests in a 2062 post-apocalyptic enviorement)
The leveling system isn't that bad,you can actually beat high-end stuff with lower tiers (like me winning a game for Nod with a group of ST coming from behind and capturing most nodes while Mastadons charging in our drop zone),it is not actually hard to level up and by the time you have everything,you are done with the learning curve anyway. The only problem is,Level 20 players often kick you from games for being a "noob",simply because you don't have the picture they want in your "Rank" section.
The storyline is awful,or as Dr.Zelinsky would put it,"catastrophic". It is THAT bad,it is total cheese and it is obviously rushed. Write this game a fast,crap storyline or YOU'RE FIRED Just skip it,you're better off not learning the end of Tiberium Universe,or that fanatism will turn into hatred. Yes,I'm serious.
Overall,this is a very nice and well-made RTT,just scrap the storyline and get over with the Leveling System. It is also pretty cheap now,so if you have some bucks to spare,this game is a good buy.
A great strategy game. It just didn't feel like a CnC game. The tactics are well done, the units looked great, but it just didn't hold true to my expectations. Why didn't EA have Crawlers AND bases, AND both resource mechanics? That'd have made many people happy; play any which way you choose!
For example; make the Crawler able to manufacture basic, or, indeed, class-specific units, and rely on your base for everything else.
And then have the option to make multiplayer games 'Crawlers only', or, 'Bases only'.
You pretty much covered the rest of my opinions. I don't even have the words to describe the way the storyline made my head asplode.