Third person 3D action in the Command and Conquer universe.   Screenshot Gallery

Command and Conquer: Renegade
Developer: Westwood
Publisher: EA Games

With the third person 3D shooter market being one of the most competitive genres on the PC, we were a tad worried when Westwood Studios first announced it was going to create a third person C&C game, Renegade.  Last year's E3 technical demo showed some promise, but at the same time we remained skeptical whether Westwood was biting off more than it could chew by trying to do such an ambitious single and multi-player game that would have to go up against the likes of Unreal Tournament and Tribes 2.

That being said, we were pleasantly surprised with how far C&C: Renegade has come in the past year.  What Westwood had on display at this year's E3 quelled most of our fears.  The proprietary 3D engine seemed robust and fast, and the little C&C touches have translated well to a fully 3D environment.

While there wasn't much on display to help us understand how the story will unfold, the game is supposed to tell the tale of how Dr. Mobius is kidnapped by the Nod and it's up to you, an elite commando, to go in and rescue them.  The only unfortunate aspect of the story is your character's name -- Captain Nick Parker -- which we think sounds more like Clark Kent than the "I've got a present for you" image of the chain-smoking Commando from the first C&C. 

Gripes about the name aside, Renegade surprised us at E3 because there were quite a few jaw-dropping features in the demo, including a sniper mode and great in-game explosions and character animation.  All in all, transitioning Command and Conquer to the third-person 3D shooter market is one of Westwood's biggest challenges this year, but so far it looks like the game is on track to be a worthwhile competitor in a very cluttered genre.