The Best Command & Conquer 3 Mods

I'd like to take the time to write about three special mods for C&C3 that I've found highly entertaining.

These mods are purely for C&C3: Tiberium Wars. As far as I know, there aren't any mods for C&C3: Kane's Wrath, which is unfortunate, since Kane's Wrath kicks so much ass. I don't know why EA won't release the Kane's Wrath SDK. But in the mean-time...

These mods have helped make Tiberium Wars so much more enjoyable, that I've enjoyed playing through the campaigns with them. Consider them to be more highly recommended than Mila Kunis in a bikini...

... what?

I'm straight.

Seriously.

Anyway, they are as follows:

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COLORATIONS

This mod simply allows you to select from 32 new multiplayer colours. It also gets rid of that slightly frustrating EA intro which is normally unskippable.

Other than that, nothing else is altered. Everything else in the game is left as is.

Still, if you hate that annoying intro, then you'll probably want this. Consider the 32 new colours a bonus.
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TIBERIUM ESSENCE

You know how in some maps you could see the wreckage of old vehicles from the First and Second Tiberium Wars (read: Tiberian Dawn and Tiberian Sun)? Remember how you felt when you first saw that derelict Mammoth Mk. II lying there on its side, lonely and no longer useful?

Now you can have those classic units at your disposal!

Frankly, I thought the GDI had lost some of their aesthetic edge by getting rid of all their walkers apart from the Juggernaut. It was this as well as considerable nostalgia that makes this Tiberium Wars mod so enjoyable. I love the fact that this mod makes you feel like you're playing Tiberian Sun but with C&C3 visuals. GDI and Nod once again get that awesome Tiberian Sun feel to them, and the unit models look very well done - in fact I'd go so far as to say that they're on par with EA's work.

And when you realize that this mod actually works very well with the campaign, it's easy to see why this is easily my favourite Tiberium Wars mod right now.

What I'm trying to say is that you can now fight with all those Tiberian Sun units that you missed, including Cyborgs and Disruptors. As one would expect, some of them are replacements for several stock C&C3 units, such as the Devil's Tongue replacing the Flame Tank, and the Disc Throwers replacing the Grenadiers. I love how the Disc Throwers make short, devastating work of enemy infantry, it's almost delicious. As for the Pitbull, it's been removed from the GDI arsenal completely. I never really liked them anyway.

This is quite seriously a must-download for anyone who got bored of Kane's Wrath or just wanted to add some longevity to vanilla C&C3.

The following screenshots don't do it justice:

(CLICK IMAGES FOR FULL SIZE)

Now THIS is what a real Wolverine looks like. The ones in Kane's Wrath just didn't seem to resemble one-man armoured walkers like the ones in the Second Tiberium War.


Yes, these Predators have working mini-guns strapped to their main weapons, so they're surprisingly effective against both vehicles and infantry. The catch is that they're only available by way of a support power which air-drops three of them by V-35 Ox at the location of your choosing, so you'd be wise to protect them mid-transit.

The Titans from the Second Tiberium War make a triumphant return to the battlefield.

I'd rather my infantry were shredded down by these things than the tall, skinny Watchtowers of vanilla C&C3.

I got tired of looking at tiberium chasms sitting in the middle of tiberium fields instead of the tiberium trees of old.

More mutant mercenaries are available, including the infamous Ghost Stalker. As you can see, the mutant rocket squads borrow the look of the Nod missile soldiers, who get a different look themselves.

Once again, the Cyborg Reapers are at your command. They retain their tiberium healing factor as well as their net launchers which compliment their dual rocket launchers. Shown here with Tiberium Infusion upgrade.

I'd rather make use of Orca Bombers than the Firehawks we were expected to use in vanilla C&C3. However, the latter are still an option for those who still prefer to use them. Shown here with mini-gun upgrade.

You've seen them lying decrepit on the battlefield, as forgotten relics of a previous Tiberium War. Now it returns to fight evil - I assume Nick "Havoc" Parker would be overjoyed. If you think it looks massive here, imagine how much screen real estate it takes up in-game. Seriously.

Instead of Tick Tanks as in Tiberian Sun, we get these. They're still capable of burrowing into the ground in order to increase their survivability, however. Shown here with laser upgrade.

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TIBERIUM WARS ADVANCED

I've been playing this one for a while now.

Basically, this mod makes some aesthetic changes to some units and effects, making them look more suitable for their roles, as well as adding both custom and Kane's Wrath avatars to some of the units. It also allows you to build units similar to those found in Kane's Wrath, such as the Centurion (Slingshot), Reckoner Transport, and Novice infantry (Militants). The latter have been given a nice overhaul, making them about as combat effective as your standard GDI Riflemen. They also look a LOT better than the updated Militants in Kane's Wrath, on which their appearance is based.

It's nearly bug-less, having just two bugs I have discovered, one of which I can remember. They're so trivial that they don't even affect game-play whatsoever, unless you're perpetually distracted by Nod Fanatics continuously rolling around in mid-air instead of disappearing after they've blown themselves up for Alla-- I mean, Kane. And somehow I doubt that you'd be distracted by inert Visceroids that sit there not doing anything.

There is one very minor issue I have with it though: a few of the changed infantry unit avatars (not the units themselves, of course), most notably the GDI Sniper Team, quite frankly look like shit.

SCREENSHOTS:

(CLICK IMAGES FOR FULL SIZE)

The Mammoth Tank got a slight visual change, as far as I can tell. The Predators, on the other hand, received something far more noticeable. Shown here with railgun and (for the Predators) missile launcher upgrades.

Nod Militants have been replaced by Novices (front) and Disciples (back). Obviously, they look a whole lot better now - much better than even the updated Militants in Kane's Wrath. Disciples come in groups of four rather than the standard two-man units as in vanilla C&C3. Also, the Novices are on par with GDI Riflemen in terms of firepower and survivability, even before they get the Confessor upgrade.

Nod Black Hand troops have had an aesthetic overhaul for the better. They've gone from silver armour and bright red capes to their current ensemble of black and red armour with either a black or a dark red cape. This look fits them perfectly.

Just as in Tiberium Essence, the mutants in TW Advanced gain more units for you to recruit from them. All mutant units are capable of healing and hiding in tiberium fields. The stock, minigun-wielding Mutant Marauders are still available, as are a new rendition of the Mutant Hijacker. Shown here are the Mutant Sentinels and the much-loved Tiberian Fiend.

To be perfectly honest with you, I prefer this GDI anti-air unit, the Centurion, over the Slingshot it borrows its look from. Watching it take down enemy aircraft is nothing short of awesome (note: this is a very MASSIVE under-statement).

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Special mention goes to PROJECT REGENESIS!

In simple terms, the guy behind it was attempting to bring all the C&C: Renegade content onto Tiberium Wars in the form of a mod, and having played version 0.5, I have to say it's looking really great. As would be expected, the infantry, vehicles, and a few buildings have all been converted to perfectly resemble their C&C: Renegade counterparts. He made an intelligent decision by turning the GDI Commando into... you guessed it, Havoc. Sniper teams were also reduced to one-man squads and now use the Deadeye model as well.

I say 'he was' because he stopped working on it well over a year ago, in favour of other projects. It's a huge shame, really.

Some unit screenshots:

(CLICK IMAGES FOR FULL SIZE)