Games to Watch in 2010

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight

Platform: PC Exclusive
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release Date: March, 2010

It’s difficult to know where to stand on the recent changes to the Command & Conquer franchise, with purists bemoaning new features at the same time as newcomers lament the tired formula and limited FOV. That said, none of this stopped C&C 3 selling lots and lots of copies, thus helping make Electronic Arts' decision to make another game a lot easier, in the shape of C&C 4.

It's set to be the final chapter in the long-running Tiberium Saga, freeing Electronic Arts up to make wholly new titles in the C&C name, all of which is breeding a lot of tension and excitement for fans of the series and EA is pretty clear that the last game in the saga will break all the rules by introducing mobile bases and a storyline that has Kane’s rebel army teaming up with the GDI.

As Command & Conquer 4 begins the world is in an era of peace and prosperity, mainly thanks to the fact that Nod has shared technology and resources with GDI, creating a Tiberium Control Net which has saved the planet from the volatile crystal and provided everyone with cheap, renewable energy. It sounds to good to be true and, as usual, that’s exactly what it is. 15 years into the alliance of Nod and GDI extremists cause a split and a new war erupts as the GDI decide to uncover Kane’s secrets once and for all.


It’s that last point which has us so intrigued in Tiberian Twilight; the fact that the mysterious, ageless prophet who has so long been a part of the series may finally be exposed and that fans will discover who – or what – Kane is.

The massive changes to the story are mirrored by changes to the basic structure of the game, with the Tiberium Control Net meaning that players no longer have to gather resources for their armies. Instead, control nodes which constantly spew out Tiberium have to be controlled by massive, lumbering bases that can roam the map creating new units on the go.

As is fitting of the final game in the saga, Tiberium Twilight will pull together all the abandoned story threads of previous games, re-introducing the Scrin and the Forgotten, as non-player factions who you can either work with or fight against, affecting the storyline either way.

Metro 2033

Platform: PC, Xbox 360
Publisher: THQ
Release Date: March 2010

Clearly inspired by the likes of STALKER, Metro 2033 is being developed by 4A Games, which is itself founded by ex-STALKER developers, and was announced towards the tail-end of last year. It’s one of the games we know the least about, but also one of the titles we’re most excited about. Potentially, it could be STALKER with a proper storyline!

All we really have to go on at the moment is the announcement trailer and a bit of blurb which reveals Metro 2033 to be based on a Russian novel by web-experimenter Dmitry Glukhovsky that tells the story of a post-atomic dystopia where the last remnants of humanity live in the tunnels of the Moscow Metro.


Taking the role of one of these survivors, players will battle monsters and mutants as they try to save the last bastion of civilisation and lead humanity back to a life on the surface.

Just as in the book the game is based on, the political structure of the new subterranean society will be a major focal point of the game and in between battling baddies players will have to content with the various factions that control the tunnels. There’ll be fascist and totalitarian groups for you to work with or against, making you question whether society is really worth saving and a dark theme that permeates through the game like blood on cheesecloth.

Promising fierce combat and claustrophobic environments on top of the commentaries, Metro 2033 could be a great game for those who loved the setting of STALKER but were put off by the series’ many issues.

Is there a game we’ve missed? Let us know what games you’re looking forward to in the forums and keep an eye on the games channel for the latest news and reviews.