Command and Conquer 4 is riding on a a lot of proverbial coattails. It's the end of a storyline, and it's also a big change from the previous games made by EA. While Tiberium Wars and Red Alert 3 stayed mostly true to the Command and Conquer formula, Tiberium Twilight looks to shake things up quite a bit while providing closure to the story of Kane. Naturally, it needs to be examined critically, as this is the end of an era that started back in the mid-90s.

The first, and most concerning, part of Command and Conquer 4 is the removal of bases. There is no longer any base building. Rather, you are given a massive walker and must navigate the battlefield while producing units. The is arguably an imitation of games like Company of Heroes or Dawn of War 2. Command and Conquer has moved away from it's comfort zone between micro and macro-management, and seems to be moving straight towards the most popular (lately) trend of tactics over strategy. While we're sure it'll be fun, we can't really consider it as Command and Conquer. It's such a massive departure for the series, and that's including games like Sole Survivor and Renegade, which took Command and Conquer to completely different genres.

Another element that has seen some hype is the persistent stat system. This has both benefits and drawbacks. The coolest part of this system is that you will feel like you are always moving forward, no matter whether you are playing single-player or multiplayer. The more you play, the more units you unlock, and it makes skirmish more than a mode just for the bored. Along with this comes the different roles that you and your walker can be: Support, Offense, and Defense. Each role is best suited for a different playstyle. This is all well and good, but one of the things that hasn't been mentioned about the persistent character progression is that it forces you to be always online to get anywhere in the game. Ubisoft's always-online DRM protection for Assassin's Creed 2 has received a ton of negative attention, but Tiberium Twilight's has been mostly ignored thanks to how cool character progression in single-player sounds.

As Tiberium Twilight is moving away from the standard model of its predecessors, many of the endearing qualities of Command and Conquer are going away. Gone are the massive tank battles with shells and missiles flying everywhere, exploding spectacularly against enemy armor. Gone is the thrill of building a base, only to see your defenses and army tested against an overwhelming foe. Gone is pretty much every aspect players consider core to Command and Conquer's experience. All of the hype makes this sound like a good thing, but we're not so sure. After all, if you want to play a sublime tactical strategy game, Dawn of War 2 has been out longer and is getting its first expansion pack this month.

The one part of Tiberium Twilight that we are genuinely looking forward to is the story. Joe Kucan has always played a deliciously evil Kane in every game he's been in, and the conclusion to the Tiberium and Kane storyline will be a welcome one. We're hoping that something as goofy as Billy Dee Williams' hilarious campy portrayal won't be repeated, though. We do love silliness, but Red Alert 3 has that in spades, and the end of a series (even one as unintentionally campy as Command and Conquer) deserves a serious and well-thought send-off. Here's to the serious conclusion of a story arc that has lasted since the earlier days of PC gaming innovation.

Tiberium Twilight will no doubt be a polarizing game. It's stripping Command and Conquer down and giving it a brand new look and gameplay style. It's a big gamble on EA's part, as the fans are what have made Command and Conquer, and pissing them off might mean the death of the entire franchise. Conversely, it might please fans to see such an old formula get renewal and it could definitely attract new fans that never tried the game due to its older gameplay conventions. Tiberium Twilight hits shelves in two weeks. Look for our review, and our thoughts on how the series has changed, then!