Command & Conquer: Renegade Preview

Westwood seems to be loaded with game-projects this year. In addition to developing the massive multiplayer online title, Earth and Beyond, they are also busy with the latest installment in the Command & Conquer series. True C&C devotees are probably slobbering at the notion of yet another RTS game from the famous serial. Sorry to disappoint you guys, but this title will be far from your classic C&C-type RTS. Command and Conquer: Renegade is coming with a completely different game-genre. A large portion of the game is set to be in first-person, although the player will have the possibility to change the perspective into third person at certain times during the game. Therefore, combining extreme first-person action with the captured moments from the former titles, Command and Conquer: Renegade will take you through massive and intense battle scenes, exciting single-player missions, and will give you the opportunity to, finally, try out some of the familiar vehicles.

Wow he looks serious, doesn't he?

With this baby you can never miss.

Everything, from key gameplay ingredients to the game's basic story, demanded a comprehensive and original design, which, at the same time, allowed players to experience Command and Conquer "up close and personal." Anyhow, the storyline now needed to be further enriched with elements that would increase the intrigue and elevate the suspense throughout the game.

The player assumes the role of the veteran GDI commando Captain Nick "Havoc" Parker, and takes part in several exciting missions. The story begins with the "infiltration of the Nod base; you take out the power with some C-4, grab some intel, and call in the Orca bombers to level whatever was left. The mission went off without a snag, except that Havoc got more intel than he bargained for. The files he downloaded from the Nod mainframe reveal a horrific plan. Kane's right-hand man, General Gideon Raveshaw, has kidnapped three key GDI research scientists and is using their knowledge of Tiberium for the mysterious Project: Re-Genesis." So, basically, your initial task is to recover these three significant individuals, confront the sinister Ravenshaw, and put a stop to his evil doings (watching your every step, cause there will be many dangers on the way including Raveshaw's deadly bodyguard Sakura Obata).

Havoc, the elite GDI Commando, has many responsibilities before him; 11 missions assignments, which won't be involving mere sabotage and reconnaissance duties - some of his jobs require precision and resourcefulness (And don't you worry about heaving "only" 11 mission assignments. Developers are promising that these mission will be rather huge both in terms of the size of the levels and the hours of gameplay they offer). Other operations are going to include tiptoeing into a hostile base and rescuing a number of hostages. But, one interesting feature takes you back to a well-known C&C assignment in which you have to demolish the Nod SAM Sites, thus providing safety for the GDI air-support.

You've probably all heard by now, that this game will give your main character, Havoc, a chance to operate several famous vehicles: the Mammoth Tank, the Light Tank, the Humm-Vee, and so on. These vessels won't be used for simple driving around and sightseeing; you can also utilize them for demolishing walls in order to discover hidden game areas. Besides that, Havoc also gets to use popular Command & Conquer weapon arsenal which contains many recognizable C&C items, such as the Flamethrower, Shotgun, Sniper rifle, Chaingun, and, of course, numerous special weapons like the 'Tiberium Flechette Rifle' and a 'Personal Ion Cannon.' The developers have promised that each weapon will have a set of unique features - for instance, the sniper rifle, besides allowing you to take out enemy units from afar is also going to contain a special microphone thanks to which you may overhear your foes chit-chat before you nail 'em. To hold your attention even further, the designers of Command and Conquer: Renegade gave Havoc a few amusing comments in accordance with his charming personality.