Lighter Blue: Mini-Reviews

A Brief Look at C&C Tiberian Sun
If you're familiar at all with the mainstream RTS (real-time strategy) game genre, you're familiar with Westwood's Command and Conquer games. Tiberian Sun, jutting from my decaying Grievously Overdue Software Reviews pile, marked its return to the Command and Conquer series after four long years, generating much heat and discussion among fans and reviewers. After the truly groundbreaking Dune II, and then the major strides made with Command and Conquer, expectations for Westwood's RTS games seem to be stratospheric. Meanwhile, Westwood has been cranking out solid, balanced games that are disappointing only in that the RTS marketplace is very crowded and competitive, and Westwood's inventiveness does not shine as before.

Beginning an airborne attack in Tiberian Sun.

Click the thumbnail for full image. (94K)

Quality oozes from Tiberian Sun, with great cut-scenes and voices, tremendous gameplay, all the expected RTS interface features, solid but sluggish multi-player gaming, and some very involving campaigns. Within the all-new story and missions, you'll be pleased to find new Command & Conquer units to hurl at (or tunnel toward) your enemies, new defensive structures, as well as a more valuable resource: the volatile blue (versus green) tiberium. If you haven't played mainstream RTS games to death and you're looking to give one a try, Tiberian Sun is packed with value and appeal-if not innovation. Grade: B+.
Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun
[street: $40]
Westwood
ESRB rating: Teen ("T"), ages 13+, noting Mild Language, Realistic Blood, and Realistic Violence

A Brief Look at Tiberian Sun: Firestorm
Bringing our look at Tiberian Sun up to date, the brand-new Firestorm add-on pack brings some freshness to the Tiberian Sun setting. Since it's an add-on pack, it doesn't really update the Tiberian Sun software engine significantly, which is bad if you're frustrated with "more of the same", or good if you don't enjoy upgrading your PC hardware investment every few years.

Cyborg reapers expose an enemy base in Tiberian Sun: Firestorm.

Click the thumbnail for full image. (90K)

In Firestorm, the Nod and GDI forces each get a handful of new units to play with: mobile war factories, limpet drones, drop pods, the Fist of Nod, etc. Terrain maps can now include ion storms for that random dose of additional mayhem, and some new colors of tiberium. Random map generation has been improved with dynamic time of day effects and veinholes, among some other nifty features. And, perhaps most importantly, your on-line games can be part of a World Domination campaign, in which everybody's separate battles are fought and the outcomes combined as individual parts of a larger war scenario.

As an add-on pack, the new maps, campaign, and World Domination on-line provide enough value to earn Firestorm a B. But I'm sure you don't want my recommendation. If you still regard C&C Tiberian Sun with pleasure, this add-on pack is probably sounding pretty good right now. If, on the other hand, you're thirsting for an RTS game with eye-popping, desk-shaking, market-annihilating newness, just maybe Westwood will someday satisfy its fans' ravenous expectations.
Command and Conquer Tiberian Sun: Firestorm
[street: $25]
Westwood
ESRB rating: Teen ("T"), ages 13+, noting Mild Language, Realistic Blood, and Realistic Violence

A Brief Look at Army Men: Toys in Space
Imagine you're controlling a squadron of those little plastic soldiers-brought to life, but surrounded by gigantic appliances, flowerpots, etc. It's just like in the Toy Story films, though in the Army Men games they're also equipped with all kinds of real artillery and a few vehicles. It's not just the greens versus the tans this time, as you will encounter bug-eyed alien forces as well: larvae, spiders, drones, etc. Helpful galactic space troopers augment your troops: galactic gunners, stunners, and incinerators. Playing again as Sarge, in this follow-up to Army Men II, you bark orders to your men and grunt satisfied comments whenever you traipse across a power-up.

Green Sarge tries his 'deathmatch' skills in Army Men: Toys In Space.

Click the thumbnail for full image. (110K)

3DO must be selling more than a few of these Army Men games, given upcoming titles in the series as well as ports to the Playstation and other platforms. Hopefully by the next PC edition, they'll iron out some of these persistent little interface and AI problems that drain some of the enjoyment from a good gaming idea. RTS players in particular will be aggravated by the sheep-like behavior of Sarge's troops and problems with getting finer and faster control of Sarge. With adequate graphics and good sound effects, on balance it's a decent action game at a pretty low price. Now get out there, maggot, and rid the universe of alien vermin and those tan baddies. Grade: B-.
Army Men: Toys in Space
[street: $22]
3DO
ESRB rating: Everyone ("E"), noting Animated Violence

A Brief Look at Expert Pool
Every common sport seems to have its corresponding simulations in the game software marketplace, and pool is no exception. Psygnosis has joined the ranks of pool games with its challenging Expert Pool, a fairly admirable effort compared with much of the competition, and certainly more serious in tone than Dynamix's wild 3-D Ultra Cool Pool, reviewed here last November. One thing Psygnosis got right was modeling a 3-dimensional environment, so your ball can actually jump off the table-an important aspect of pool that is sometimes left off in the translation to software. On the other hand, their 3D graphics engine seems years out of date (which can be a bonus for gamers with older hardware).

Lining up a shot in Expert Pool.

Click the thumbnail for full image. (34K)

Another element of pool that's simulated to some degree in Expert Pool is the human factor. Your built-in software opponents have varying playing habits and animations, and for "wetware," Gamespy will allow you to connect to other players over the Net. Add to that a few dozen variations on types of pool games and a baker's dozen venues, from biker bars to tournament halls, to vary the background graphics, and you've got some enjoyable depth in the package. Besides all that, with a simple roll of the mouse you can swirl your viewpoint around the table like Martin Scorsese. Grade: B.
Expert Pool
[street: $20]
Psygnosis
ESRB rating: Everyone ("E")

A Brief Look at Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required
If you were an animal, what would you be? Let's pose that question to James Bond, and see if he says "a fox." In Humongous's adventure series for kids too old to enjoy Putt-Putt the talking car, Spy Fox provides sly commentary on his own silly animated adventures. He is always, of course, getting into some kind of adventure-game jam that requires the problem-solving skills of your 7 to 10 year old. His new adventure is Spy Fox 2: Some Assembly Required, and the dialogue will induce some serious groans. To a spy who's traveling incognito, Spy Fox corrects her: "No, you're traveling in the Alps."

Have skis, will travel. Spy Fox 2.

Click the thumbnail for full image. (95K)