Command & Conquer Renegade

"The Neglected Soldier"

This game is a pioneer in my opinion. It shows how a strategy game can fit so well into the first person shooter world. Both the single player missions and the multi-player co-op are great in their own aspects.

Single Player:
You take the role of a commando. Your mission is to stop Nod from taking the scientists and developing weapons and technology of mass-destruction. Your missions will range from exotic islands to the Cathedral of Nod itself. In the game you get a lot of weapons, from Sniper rifles to rocket launchers. In your fight against Nod you'll fight Chem-Troopers, Infantry, Officers, Stealth Troopers, and more. Each level you play has multiple objectives. These range from rescue to killing the right guard to get his key.
Not all is good though, there are very important problems. A major problem is the A.I, it is very stupid. You can shoot them a couple times before they respond. Using a sniper rifle guarantees success, in which the enemy just stands there and watches their fellow man die. Sometimes your character will fall through the ground, and you die.

Multi Player:
This mode is where it shines. Players join servers to fight in giant battles where teamplayers shine and the renegade dies. In this mode you have multiple ways to play. One way is that you take your infantry and go help fight the other team. If you save up enough credits, you can try and take up special classes, such as the sniper or the rocket-launcher trooper. During play you can even buy vehicles. These range from light buggies to tanks. Nod has flame tanks and stealth tanks, while GDI has medium tanks and Mammoth tanks. There are more vehicles than that, but they aren't anything special to mention. After releasing the game, Westwood released a patch that added plains. This includes an attack plane and a transport plane.
Not all is good in the land of Renegade. Westwood has given the game no support. All they have done is release a beta patch or two, which didn't really add anything. Many of the planned modes didn't even make it into the game. Only Command and Conquer made it officially. Deathmatch can be made in a map with coding, but there are no official maps. Support pales in comparison to a game such as Half-Life.

Overall:
Graphics : Good, but not great
Gameplay : Loads of fun
Story : So so
Mulitplayer : Awesome hardcore action
Needs... : Some support

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/13/02, Updated 09/13/02