"Far from perfect, but a unique multi-player mode makes this game worth playing"

Well the long wait is over, and the game has finally arrived on store shelves. Was it worth the wait? If you have a broad band connection and can stand a bit of lag then yes. If you are stuck on dial-up then this is not the game for you.
The Graphics in this game are sub-par at best. The character models and animation are smooth and good looking, but I expect more from the terrain. The buildings look just as you remember them, as well as the GDI vehicles. NOD has a new Tiberian Sun style appearance, and it makes them look great. Sadly, the levels are huge, ugly, and boring. The textures are bland, unattractive and just aren't pleasing to the eye. The lighting affects are ok, but I've seen better. All in all if this game had been made 2 years ago, the graphics would have been great, now they are just tolerable.
Renegade also suffers from some of the most lackluster sound affects ever. Redundant, annoying, un-imaginative, un-appealing, un-inspired, un-original, boring, droll, pathetic sound affects ever. Fire off a few clips of the machine gun to see what I mean. They just grate on the nerves after a while. Still the voice acting is good, and the music great. This game could have done with some more range and originality in the sound effects department though.
The Single-player experience is....lacking at best. It's a big ugly world out there filled to the brim with NOD soldiers that makes Storm Troopers look like Navy Seals. If you haven't seen Star Wars then picture this: A man gets shot in the back and stands there, he gets shot in the back again and then crouches, all the while looking straight ahead. He gets shot in the back yet AGAIN and dies. Meanwhile this whole time, his buddy has been standing right next to him completely oblivious to what has gone on. Monsters from the old game Doom had more intelligence than this. At least when they got shot they would react appropriately. The AI in this game is in a word Crap-tastic. Still that doesn't completely deter the single-player experience. Being able to explore the inside of the C&C buildings is an exciting experience to any long time fan. Shooting brain-dead soldiers for the first few levels is tolerable simply because of the new level of immersion into the C&C world. After the first few levels, it because a tire and bore. Shooting fish in a barrel can only be entertaining for so long. That's when you get a Westwood online account and get ready for the reason to buy this game.
C&C Mode is without a doubt the only reason to even consider buying this game. It's simply a blast too hard to describe in words. Despite everything the game has against it, this makes it all worth it. The only complaint about the multi-player is the fact that there is a considerable amount of lag. Don't start smirking because you have a cable modem or DSL. You'll be laggin' with the rest of them pal, just watch. It can really be frustrating at times, but the multi-player game is just too fun for the lag to be a big bother.
The Bottom Line: If you have a broadband connection and are into multi-player gaming, grab this now. You like playing solo? Look elsewhere, unless you really enjoy gunning down hordes of brain-dead look alike soldiers.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 03/13/02, Updated 03/13/02