CommandCom Round-Up Page 3

02 Sep 2009 at 10:35:28 by Tim McDonald

Louis Castle was an early highlight and there was plenty of discussion on every entry of the series, but time marches on and space runs short. The appearance of Castle was followed by a presentation on Command & Conquer 4 as given by EA's Big Mike - Mike Glosecki - which has been previously detailed in our preview a few weeks back. Next came the reveal of the full C&C4 subtitle: Tiberian Twilight. This reveal was made through the high-tech (but surprisingly effective) method of removing a piece of paper from a brand new poster stuck at the back of the hall. After this, though, was something that every fan in the room had been waiting for: hands-on with a mission from C&C4's single-player campaign on those computers that had the monitors cunningly switched off.

Our impressions will be up elsewhere on IncGamers later today, but early feedback was promising. I spoke to a few of the fans in attendance and asked for their thoughts: “It seems fun,” said one, “but it's the multiplayer I want to see.”

These thoughts were echoed several times, but when you're in a room with a good number of pro gamers, that's probably to be expected. And for the rest? “[It] feels like C&C. I want to see more before I pass judgment, but maybe that's a good sign,” laughed an attendee.

Next up was a special, secret guest back in the presentation room: Joe Kucan, the actor who portrays messianic lunatic Kane throughout the Tiberium saga. Kucan was his usual incorrigible self and again, the full Q&A session will be up in transcript form later today on IncGamers, so stay tuned if you want to know about Kane's hair-care tips. No, I'm not joking.

Which brought the day towards its inevitable end. The finale, though, was a boat cruise – EA staff and the attendees on a ferry as it travelled down the Rhine and back, with beautiful German scenery floating past as we ate and drank and laughed. A solid end to a solid day.

While this was the end of my experience at CommandCom, for the fans, it went on: the following day promised more Kucan, as he would be hosting the first public experience of the multiplayer beta.

The message is clear. Command & Conquer fans are treated as seriously as the series is treated, and while the direction C&C4 is taking may be a risk, feedback is as desperately important now as it was then, and those who've fallen head-over-heels for the series are still hugely appreciated. People renting out boats for you makes that clear, but rooms bedecked in posters and art from the past fifteen years of a series also makes a point. With fan reaction to developers like Louis Castle and actors like Joe Kucan rivalling the reception rock stars receive, it's clear that we have superstars in this industry, and that fiercely loyal fans are very much deserving of attention. Command and Conquer has never been small – the Battlecast has certainly proven that it's larger than life outside of the game world – but even with a relatively small number around, it's a series very much beloved, and EA should be applauded for doing something like this: not for the press, but for the fans.

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