Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight

Ultimately, Tiberian Twilight is merely a C&C game by association; not the most terrible of fates for an otherwise solid RTS game, but certainly a bittersweet one for the franchise faithful expecting more.

A nasty catch to playing C&C4 is having to log into EA’s servers before launching the game, even for single-player. Considering that EA recently shut down servers for the less than two-year-old Mercenaries 2, I’m not enthusiastic about buying a product that depends on active servers to play. The multiplayer battles are good enough fun once you’ve ranked up, but a potentially short-lived service is a dagger dangling over our heads.

This game feels like a shadow of its predecessors and is only saved by the phenomenal impetus this series already has.

Online Tiberium Twilight can be a fantastic experience, but it comes at the expense of a shallow and dull single player game. Together with some draconian DRM protection these things work against what should have been the crowning achievement in the C&C saga, a game that was destined to go out in a blaze of glory, yet one that will end up causing a huge division of it’s numerous fans.

Jump straight into the multiplayer and you'll have a great time without having to wait around, but ignore the single player. [May 2010, p.96]

To developers all around the globe: This is how NOT to make innovations. From the role playing aspects to the online-only player profile – the feature list of Tiberian Twilight screams “We wanted to make it cool, but we failed!”. Though the multiplayer part delivers some fast and fun battles, Tiberian Twilight is overall a very sad ending for a once beloved RTS series.

By making the incomprehensible decision to change almost every aspect of the series’ classic gameplay, then serving it up in a lackluster campaign, the developers managed to alienate old fans and new fans alike.

From random crashes to the dramatic, yet at times frustrating gameplay shift from previous titles, to the storyline that never quite reached the nexus it appeared to be heading toward, Tiberian Twilight is a disappointing finale for one of my favorite video game characters. Kane deserved better than this.

I also really liked the way that the developers changed up the gameplay dynamics. I’ve never really been a fan of constant resource gathering in games overall but Tiberian Twilight’s new dynamics made it much more enjoyable.

Tiberian Twilight's online play and persistent unlocks make for short-term fun, but the mediocre campaign doesn't give Kane the send-off he deserved.

Ultimately, C&C4 is a curiosity, one that succeeds in moving the RTS genre forward and is at times brilliant fun, but it fails as a fitting finale to one of the most loved science fiction tales in gaming. In 1995, Westwood popularised the RTS genre with a landmark title. It seems unlikely that history will judge Tiberian Twilight quite so fondly.

The main issue of Command & Conquer 4 is its worthless single player campaigns, too short and just not fun as they were supposed to be. Multiplayer modes are a far better experience, both in cooperative and competitive, but the overall product remains inferior to other good strategy games out this year.

All C&C fans can be upset by rights. In spite of some interesting changes involving both the gameplay and the story, Command & Conquer 4 ends up being too much arcade and shallow, having focused so much of its structure only on combats.

A strange chapter for Command & Conquer. Strategical depth is guarantee, but the pseudo-rpg mechanics could disappoint RTS purists.

Tiberian Twilight is little more than a mish-mash of ideas from other RTS games, and looses C&C's identity in the process.

It could be a fun game for those who want to try something different. There’s a melting pot of DoTA and Dawn of War features than does provide an enjoyable multiplayer experience. But if you are a long time fan of the singleplayer campaigns, I must warn you that EA have unleashed a metaphorical Rodney Hide on the franchise you love.

Command & Conquer 4 will be subject to some heavy discussion. Although the multiplayer is entertaining, the radical change in gameplay will alienate old-time fans of the series with the game. Nevertheless the game offers enough to keep you playing, mainly because of the addicting level system.

It's a decent enough title, but unless you're a hardcore fan, you could easily live a happy life having not played this game.

The last of legendary series and offers an ending that is truly epic. Epic fail. Redesign for the sake of redesign is stupid and lobotomizing is triple stupid. [Apr 2010]

Delayed gratification of locked-out units dampens the enthusiasm of the new fast-paced class-based action. [May 2010, p.78]

There's a good amount of value in the single-player missions, especially considering there are branching paths to experience (only two branches, though). Add in the multiplayer action, and there is at least a good amount of content involved, though we weren't convinced that this game will enthrall strategy fans.

As a spin-off for a legendary series, Tiberian Twilight would have been an interesting experiment. But as the final chapter of a saga that’s been waiting for its epic conclusion for 15 years, it’s a slap on the face which I’m not sure how many fans will be willing to forgive.

Command & Conquer 4 is a "standard" RTS game because of its uninspired concept, boring campaign and unbalanced multiplayer.

Command & Conquer 4 will come as a disappointment to many. It’s basically a new game, with some old elements. A step in the right direction? Definitely not. It tries to include elements from other genres, but doesn’t manage to make them come together. The disappointing and short singlep layer is partially aided by a fun multiplayer, but we expected more from the end of the Tiberium-saga and its iconic figure Kane.

Command and Conquer 4 brings some major twists in the gameplay; a brave and admirable choice, sadly not supported with adequate testing and know-how. The battles feel too fast-paced, amassing big armies always wins over strategy and the overall magic of the saga feels lost. The big potential in what could’ve been a true tide-turner for the brand is thus gone, and this feels just as a mediocre RTS, unable to stand out on its own qualities.

The game falls midway between what it was and what it could have been.

It's nothing at all like Command & Conquer, but - eventually - it's a thoughtful and bombastic multiplayer RTS that's welcoming to everyone.

It is sad to see that with each game released this series loses some of its quality. Fans may not say the same, and may enjoy the game.

While it’s not a good ending, it is an ending, and given where the series has been headed in the most recent iterations I think we can all be thankful for that.

If it is indeed the last gasp of C&C as we know it, it's an incredibly sad way to go out. With a little more money, a little more time and a whole lot more reverence for what makes C&C C&C, the tiny exploding acorn underneath this confused, scrawny thing could have become a mighty oak of modern strategy.

As a single-player game Tiberian Twilight is a complete failure, though multiplayer is somewhat redeeming. Though long-term fans of the franchise would do better to crack out one of the older titles and reminisce over the series' glory days.

There's a lot of frantic back-and-forth; every scenario soon descends into little more than an exercise in plate-spinning. [Issue#95, p.116]

EA tried something different with the closure of the Tiberian saga, but the result is far from what was expected.

What a way to end such a reputable and generally good real-time strategy series... Both C&C 3 and Red Alert 3 were way better than this game.

Straight fights in C&C4 play a lot like a boxing match between two guys with iron jaws and teensy weensy hands. You and your opponent can pound away at each other till you're both spent like an addict's last dollar, but nobody's knocking anybody out.

An unexpectedly daring attempt to reinvent the series but one mired in technical and design flaws.

C&C4 is a slap in the face for longtime fans of the series. So many things have changed that it just doesn’t feel the same anymore. It tries to bring you the best of both worlds but it fails miserably on both sides.

Kane deserved better.

As a single player experience C&C 4 is a complete failure and should be avoided like the plague. If you enjoy RTS multiplayer then you might squeeze some fun out of this.

Tiberian Twilight finds the series at a crossroads, with its glory days gone and its future uncertain. [May 2010, p.100]

Stick to human-on-human multiplayer. There's simply no reason to engage with campaign mode or Skirmish at all. [May 2010, p.60]

Modernization of C&C series in the Electronic Arts way is mostly the extracting of all parts that were functional and entertaining. R.I.P. Command & Conquer. [Issue#190]