Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is a real-time tactics video game and the latest installment of the popular Command & Conquer franchise, released March 16, 2010. It constitutes the final chapter in the Tiberian Dawn saga. Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is the first game in the series to implement a form of DRM that requires constant Internet access; this type of restrictive DRM is fairly new and was intended to stop piracy. Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight will also utilize EA's own servers for online play, rather than GameSpy Servers which EA has relied on for previous Command & Conquer games. A closed beta of the game was officially released by EA to contest winners on November 21, 2009.

Gameplay
The gameplay in Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight no longer follows the same resource-gathering dynamic as previous games in the series. In the main game mode, the player must capture control nodes scattered across a map, and retain more nodes than the enemy player, gaining enough points over time to win the match. Command & Conquer 4 utilizes class-based gameplay as well as some RPG elements.

There are two playable factions: the GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod. Each faction is split into three upgradeable classes: offence, defense and support, each with their own specialized focus. The classes consist mostly of their own unique units, with the only shared unit among classes being the engineer. The offence class is focused on tank-based, front-line combat, relying less on any kind of fortified emplacements or bases. The defence class is focused on infantry-based combat as well as utilization of rudimentary base defenses, and are also the only class to have access to superweapons. The support class is focused on air-combat and specialized vehicles to traverse the environment, and is also equipped with special support powers that are used to assist teammates. Command & Conquer 4 contains two non-playable factions from previous games in the Tiberium Universe: The Scrin (C&C3) and the Forgotten (Tiberian Sun), the latter of which returning as a minor part of the story as well as a neutral class on the map. Command & Conquer 4 includes a total of about 90 units, including many new units and updated versions of previous Command & Conquer units. The GDI utilizes walkers and powered armor infantry for its army whereas Nod primarily relies on cyborgs and treaded vehicles.

In Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, each faction features its own campaign with the story told and played out from their perspective, each resulting in an ultimate conclusion to the Kane saga. In addition to the two brief single player campaigns, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight features a cooperative campaign mode, which will allow multi-class play and integrated player progression. The difficulty in co-op campaign mode varies depending on the player's level, and objectives will be shared. Campaigns for both factions take place simultaneously.

Plot
Tiberian Twilight is the final game in the Tiberium Universe to feature Kane. The prologue to the game takes place in the year 2062, 15 years after the events of Tiberium Wars which led to the invasion and defeat of the Scrin, and 10 years after the final events of Kane's Wrath, where the prophet regained possession of the Tacitus. During this time period, Tiberium has evolved and is spreading at such a rate that the whole planet is expected to become uninhabitable by 2068. Humanity is on the brink of extinction.

At this time of crisis, the leader of the Brotherhood of Nod, Kane, heads straight for the headquarters of the Global Defense Initiative, in hopes of using the Tacitus and GDI's resources to construct a worldwide Tiberium Control Network, which would allow the spread of Tiberium to be controlled, as well as turn it into an inexpensive power source. Even though the idea of alliance was met with hostility by many (which sparked a brief Incursion War conflict), the two factions have nevertheless united. The campaign itself starts 15 years after the formation of the alliance between the two factions, as the Tiberium Control Network is nearing completion, and the spread of Tiberium is finally stopped, bringing the light of optimism to the world's remaining population. However, extremists from both factions cause unrest, which sparks the Fourth Tiberium War. The player takes the role of commander Parker, a GDI military officer who receives an optical implant after his battle wounds cause him to lose his sight. The player will be presented with the possibility to aid either Colonel Louise James' GDI extremists or Kane's Nod Loyalist forces during the Fourth Tiberium War. Both campaigns' events are considered canon, even though some details of characters' interactions are different.

The game's missions chronicle Kane's attempt to activate the Threshold 19, a tower constructed by Scrin aliens during the Third Tiberium War, which functions like an interstellar portal. Kane is revealed to be a being (of probably extraterrestrial origin) who was somehow stuck on Earth many thousands of years ago; his uncanny regenerative abilities are confirmed, as he is able to easily survive gunshot wounds. He is very anxious to leave Earth through the "ascension" that he plans to bring about using the tower, and claims to have used the Tacitus to help create both the Tiberium Control Network and the optical implants; these are, in fact, the keys to the activation of the tower. While the GDI and Nod are officially allied, two groups of separatists desperately try to spark a war to stop (or punish) Kane. The Nod separatists are led by the madman Gideon, while the GDI side is commanded by Colonel Louise James.

After the final battle for the Threshold 19, Kane is finally about to leave Earth using the Scrin tower. He convinces Commander Parker (the player) to activate it for him, as the other four implant recipients had been hunted down and killed by Gideon. However, before activating it with the optical implant, the player is mortally wounded by Colonel James, but succeeds in activating the portal nonetheless. Kane promptly thanks the player before entering it in both campaigns. After Kane traverses the portal, the commander succumbs to his wounds and dies. With Kane fulfilling his "ascension" and disappearing from Earth, the Tiberium growth recedes following the complete activation of Tiberium Control Network. In the ending cut-scene, news channels announce that all Nod followers have strangely disappeared as well after entering the Scrin tower, which leads to the conclusion that Kane's promises of ascension for all of the Brotherhood of Nod were, at least partially, real.

Development
Tiberian Twilight is the sequel to Tiberium Wars and had been developed at EA Los Angeles exclusively for the Windows platform. Currently, no console version is planned. It had been widely rumored to be in development after a series of surveys was sent out by Electronic Arts to fans asking about what they would like in Tiberian Twilight.

Raj Joshi announced in a BattleCast Primetime special report that the game has been in development for several months and he is one of the producers of the game with Samuel Bass being the Campaign Producer. Official Command and Conquer Community Manager, Aaron "APOC" Kaufman, later clarified that the game had been well into development for over a year.

Tiberian Twilight was first announced by EA UK's PR team via Twitter on July 8, 2009. The official announcement came the day after together with a Q&A on GameSpot which provided key details about the game. Electronic Arts held a contest in which they wanted fans to submit their propositions for a subtitle for the game. The winning subtitle was revealed at CommandCom, a private event held at GamesCom on August 21, 2009.

Motion comic
A promotional four-part motion comic was released on YouTube and the game's official site. The comic chronicles the Incursion War, a set of brief conflicts which were started by those who didn't like the idea of GDI and Nod alliance, most notably Gideon, a prominent Nod leader. The main character is Christian Pierce, a GDI commando whose task is to stop the forces which oppose the factions' alliance.

Reception
Tiberian Twilight was released to poor reviews, and received the lowest score compared to its Real Time Strategy predecessors. Tom Chick of 1UP.com criticized the game requiring several hours of single player gameplay before being able to unlock other units or arsenal - important to winning games in multiplayer. Adam Biessener of GameInformer highlights that the game is made especially for multiplayer, otherwise don't play it - as quoted "Play This With A Friend, Or Not At All". as do the reviews by GameSpot and by Alec Meer of Eurogamer. On the other hand, the single player campaign and the live action videos led to criticism from many reviewers. The digital rights management software included with the game, which requires the player to be online at all times and which will lead to a loss of progress if the connection is lost, has also been a source of criticism.
 * GameSpy gave the game the lowest score yet, 2.5 out of 5.
 * GamePro gave the game a 4 stars out of 5 stating that the mobile bases concept works well, online multi-player is consistently stable, persistent progression is available, but criticized the need for constant Internet connection and the "leveling" mechanic that can lead to some unbalanced multiplayer matches.
 * IGN gave it 7.4/10, labeling that it's great to see developers and publishers taking risks with franchises in danger of growing too stale and Command & Conquer's traditional mechanics were some of the most well known in the genre but that EA Los Angeles rewrote the entire gameplay formula instead of improving it, making for an experience that barely resembles previous Command & Conquer games.
 * GamesRadar gave Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight 7 out of 10: stating that on the whole, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is a graphical step back and as a single-player experience, C&C4 "is a bust".
 * GameSpot gave Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight 7 out of 10: Saying the single player was not worth it but the multiplayer matches make the game a fun experience.
 * X-play gave Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight a 4 out of 5: writing for "The Pros": "New gameplay dynamics level the playing field for newbs and veterans", "Extensive multiplayer (competitive & co-op) adds plenty of replay", "Stellar graphics and musical score". For "The Cons" they wrote "Gameplay tweaks will annoy series purists", and "Respawning in an RTS just feels wrong".