“Kane’s Wrath” is an expansion, as individuals can likely guess, to Command and Conquer 3. This review covers the PC version only, as the Xbox 360 version is set to be released on June 10th. The most interesting thing that individuals will immediately notice as a difference from Command and Conquer 3 to Kane’s Wrath is the Global Conquest mode, which changes up the real-time strategy (RTS) elements of the game into a more Risk type of game play. The addition of this feature immediately freshens up the game play and makes this expansion seem different than many other of its ilk, which simply act as another coat of paint on a worn-down game.
However, for individuals that liked the game play elements of the original game, the Brotherhood of Nod campaign that is present will keep individuals engrossed in “Kane’s Wrath” for hours, whether it be actually playing the missions or trying to fit in the events that take place during the campaign into the canon of Command and Conquer. For those individuals that want to create different tactics and strategies for their armies, the Global Defense Initiative, Scrin, and Brotherhood of Nod are all given two new combat units. The most interesting of these added units has to be the Brotherhood of Nod’s “Black Hand” unit, which throw hallucinogenic grenades, while their warmechs are automatically equipped with flamethrowers.
For those individuals that really want a bang for their buck, a purchase of Kane’s Wrath ensures that (if the individual registers the game) the individual will be entered into the beta test for Red Alert 3. With something for everyone, whether it be the new stories, new modes of game lay, or new combat units / Epic Units, Kane’s Wrath operates at a level which all expansions should operate at. While this will likely not be the case for 99% of the other expansions put out in 2008, EA has ensured that Command and Conquer 3 has quite a few months left in its life span. The story is open-ended enough, if EA so chooses, that they could even re-visit Command and Conquer 3 in another expansion. If you are a fan of the original game, make sure that Kane’s Wrath is at the top of your purchase list this spring and summer.
Rating: 8.5/10
Command and Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath (PC) / 2008 EA / http://www.commandandconquer.com / http://www.ea.com /