Kane's Wrath - first look

PC Red Alerts
The PC version of Kane’s Wrath is scheduled to release on Mar 24. While no demo will be released, anyone who picks up a copywill receive a key, which grantsaccess to the multiplayer beta for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3.

C&Cfans would also do well tokeep their eyes peeled fortheApril issue of PC Gamer.It hits stands on Mar 4 and will feature detailed reports onRed Alert 3.

360 Goodies
Like the developers of the 360 version of Supreme Commander, EA’s been trying to figure out how to tweak the controls to make RTS titles more accessible on consoles. Kane’s Wrath’s answer to the problem is the Radial Interface.

Instead of using the thumbstick to laboriously mimic the movement of the mouse, you can bring up a circular menu by pulling on the right trigger at any time. From here, you can quickly select units, queue build orders and fire off commands.

For PC gamers who instinctively assign groups of units and buildings to ‘ctrl’ groups, this new fangled approach to controlling RTS’ with a controller looks like it may be just as frustrating. But as more high profile RTS’ start working towards a more standardized control scheme like the Radial Interface, we may see a new generation of RTS fans who were introduced to the genre with games like C&C 3 and Supreme Commander on the 360 instead of titles like Dune II or StarCraft on the PC. Boy do we feel old.

It’d be great if owners of C&C 3 for the 360 could take advantage of the new Radial Interface through a downloadable update. While that won’t be happening anytime soon, there are lots of extra goodies in store for 360 owners.

Kane’s Challenge is a new mode exclusive to the 360 version, which will pit the player against the computer in various skirmish battles. Also, unlike the PC version, Kane’s Wrath is a stand-alone expansion, meaning that you won’t need the original C&C 3 to play it. In fact, Kane’s Wrath will also ship with all the units, maps, and updates from C&C 3.

The PC version of Kane’s Wrath is scheduled to release on Mar 24 while the 360 version has a tentative release date slated for sometime this summer. In the meantime,click herefor the latest screenshots from Kane’s Wrath and check back for more news on the latest expansion to the C&C universe.

Feb 18, 2008