Tiberium First Look

As most of you should know, this won't be the first time C&C ventures into FPS territory. Back in 2002, Westwood Studios (now EA LA) offered a different take on the popular RTS license with Command & Conquer: Renegade, giving players a chance to experience the C&C universe from a grunt's perspective. Yes, it was a bold effort, but due to various drawbacks and lack of polish, Renegade failed to make an impact on the shooter market. Well, EA is obviously prepared to have another crack at it, this time with Tiberium, currently in development at EA LA for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.

The storyline in Tiberium continues after the tale told in Command & Conquer 3. The Third Tiberium War ended and the alien invaders, the Scrin, are defeated. Those of you who aren't familiar with earlier segments of the story, there's really not a lot to it. GDl (Global Defense Initiative) and the Brotherhood of Nod forces fought for ages to gain control over tiberium, a precious resource, which also caught the eye of the alien Scrin. When the Scrin were beaten, one of their gigantic towers lingered and was allegedly abandoned. The narrative in Tiberium places players in the role of Ricardo Vega, a GDI trooper who fought in the Third Tiberium War and greatly contributed to the first battles against the Scrin. After all this, Vega retreated to one of the yellow zones (sections of Earth with moderate tiberium infestation), but was summoned to fight eleven years later at Tower Omega. Vega is also in charge of Rapid Assault and Intercept Deployment or RAID, which are sort of like a special ops team. You'll be marching into action, calling in air, armor and infantry units as support.

Of course, apart from dispatching reinforcements and giving out orders, Vega goes into action himself. As he enters the fray, he'll get to wield a powerful weapon called the GD-10, which has the ability to transform into different guns on the spot. The GD-10 can change into a rocket launcher, grenade launcher, magnetic rail gun and energy canon. Choosing a specific type of weapon, naturally, depends on the kind of enemy you're facing. As a Forward Battle Commander, Vega has access to more cool gear, such as the advanced body armor, packed with a handy jetpack - a unit function already seen in C&C 3: Tiberium Wars. With the jetpack players will be able to jump on higher ground, leap on rooftops and such. This should, in turn, allow for greater tactical advantage during combat. Yes, by reaching higher spots, players gain a better vantage point and command troops more efficiently.

Commanding troops is fairly simple. You may command up to four squads, while making a decision which type of squad you want by your side. Again, that depends on the kind of foe you're up against. Squads are gained by capturing landing zones and tiberium fissure points. As soon as you've gained control of resources (tiberium) and a landing zone, you may call in reinforcements. Another important aspect is that during battle, you give your troops leadership bonus and that affects their performance in combat. It's been revealed that players will be able to summon two types of infantry - one is proficient at taking out air targets, while the other knows how to handle ground units. Armored units, such as Titan armored assault vehicles, can also be called in, as well as air support. Both have their advantages and weaknesses. Sending in armored vehicles is, for instance is obviously a good way of providing your soldiers with mobile cover.

EA says that the multiplayer in Tiberium is already functional, but is of course undergoing severe testing at this point. As you may have guessed, multiplayer matches involve fighting over tiberium spots and capture points on the map. Throughout the game players will, supposedly, have access to orbital weapons too. Sounds cool enough to warrant engaging multiplayer combat.

The game runs on a highly modified version of the latest Unreal Engine, though currently there's plenty of work to be done in the visual department. We do know for a fact that the game was designed to make way for huge outdoor areas, featuring massive landscapes and such, as well as a variety of indoor sections.

That's pretty much all there is to it for now, kids. EA explained that the development team still has a long way to go before release, which will likely take place some time in Q3 2008 (possibly 2009). They also went on to encourage C&C fans by uncovering that they'll get a chance to plunge deeper into the popular lore, as Tiberium explains a great deal about both the GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod.