COMMAND AND CONQUER: TIBERIAN DAWN

Reviewed By: Matt Quinn
VOLUNTEER GUEST REVIEWER

GAME TECH INFO

Computer Platform: PC
Produced by: Westwood
Price Range: $20-50
Learning curve time: 20 mins.
Age level: 12+
ESRB Rating: none
Patches / Upgrades: Covert Operations
System Requirements: 486, VGA

Genre: Real-Time Strategy (RTS)
Christian Rating: 3 of 5
   (some objectionable elements)
Gameplay: 5 of 5
   (excellent)
Violence: 2 of 5
   (heavy)
Adult Content: 5 of 5
   (none)

"Command and Conquer: Tiberian Dawn" takes place in the near future when a mysterious meteor crashes in the Tiber Valley in Italy. This meteorite is composed of tiberium, an alien mineral/plant that absorbs minerals from the ground and forms them into crystals. These crystals can be gathered and sold for profit. Apparently they represent a new natural resource.

However, this resource has its problem. A mysterious cult known as the Brotherhood of Nod, led by the charismatic Kane, has taken advantage of the easy-to-access wealth of tiberium to raise a huge army and attempt world takeover. In the game, you can play as a minion of Nod or as an officer in the Global Defense Iniative (GDI), a worldwide NATO-equivalent created to fight global terrorism. The GDI campaign is in Europe, the Nod's is in Africa.

The gameplay is really fun. You typically start the missions with a Mobile Construction Vehicle and a few other units and set up a base. You then proceed to mine the rapidly-spreading (and lethal to infantry and civilians) tiberium to get money. After that, the goal is to seek out and destroy the enemy. In many missions, particularly for the Nod, you get a commando team to perform a particular objective (usually assassination, but sometimes to take over an enemy base and use their technology) and do no base-building at all. The AI is intelligent and provides many challenges. This game is argubly one of the better games that Westwood has put out.

The violence in the game is heavy due to its war-based plot and gameplay. When a soldier dies, they scream and they turn into a mass of blood on the screen, which quickly disappears. When an individual is crushed by a tank or other heavy vehicle, the only effect is a 'squoosh' sound. There is some profanity in the game (a few 'damns' and one 'bastards'). There is no 'adult' content at all.

In conclusion, "Command and Conquer: Tiberian Dawn" is a really fun game. However, this writer does not believe that it is particularly appropriate for those under ten due to the blood and profanity. If you're looking for a fun strategy game without extreme system requirements, this is it!

Year of Release—1995

Negative—The excessive profanity and the graphic violence in some of the movie footage of the game should give parents reason to keep this game out of your house. I have no problem with games that have a war theme but the problem arises when they are made to depict war as realistically as possible (i.e. blood, gore, death screams, etc.). I love RTS games and I think Westwood really had a winner going here. The objectionable elements could have been totally left out of this game and it still would have been a great RTS game. My Ratings: [2/4]
—Bob Nurnberger, age 43

Negative—A cool game but there is some set backs: takes 3-5 hours to get on the Internet / the editor crashes your computer after a while / the missions are so hard, but I say it a is a good game. My Ratings: [3/4]
—Nathan, age 20

Comments from Young People…
Neutral—Re: Tiberian Sun. I don't know whether or not anyone else has caught onto this but there is actually a biblical reference in it. In the book of Genesis, Cane is banished to the land of… Nod! Ok, this doesn't really make it a Christian game, not by a long way, but it is interesting to note. My Ratings: [2/4]
   —Nick Rossell, age 16

Negative—Re: Tiberian Sun. I don't see how the violence in Tiberian Sun is on the same level as the violence in Halflife. Half life's violence is WAY more realistic, yet they give the SAME rating to Tiberian Sun: Where the “violence” amounts to the colour red being blood and many shades of orange being explosions. The profanity is a bit heavy, for people who are used to NONE that is… All in all, this game's content is WAY more tame than what you'd see on a typical prime time TV show. The game itself was a letdown though. It was just more of the same from Westwood. GDI's missions were FEW and lacked any kind of challenge. The Nod missions were a LOT tougher. The AI is, as in every Westwood RTS I've played to date, STUPID! You'd think they could at LEAST get it up to par with Starcraft; A game that came out YEARS before and yet still manages to be a MAJOR challenge in the AI department. My Ratings: [5/2]
   —Simon, age 16

Positive—Re: Tiberian Sun. I thought this was a good game. The play control is very good. There is profanity, in the first couple of scenes alone, there is three cuss words. I think kids ten and up should play this game. Their is blood and screams of pain. You can get run over, but when you do, their is only a “squish.” Over all, this a good game. My Ratings: [4/4]
   —Kyle, age 12

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this Christian Spotlight review are those of the reviewer (both ratings and recommendations), and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Films for Christ or the Christian Answers Network.