Metascore
64 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 71 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 71
  2. Negative: 11 out of 71
  1. C&C4 feels much more refined as a result of these changes - as though great pains have been made to nudge the series into new territory. It's all the better for it, feeling like a breath of fresh air. [May 2010, p.77]
  2. Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is an appropriate ending for such a huge franchise. You get some good old stories and a number of new refreshing features.
  3. Tiberian Twilight plays like a mix between Supreme Commander and Dawn of War - only that with C&C the video sequences and Joseph D. Kucan aka Kane the story has to offer a lot more.
  4. In the fourth and presumed final entry in the Command & Conquer saga EA chose to stir things up a bit. We're still treated to the cheesy tongue in cheek full motion video of series fame, but everything related to the actual gameplay has been modified into a much more action oriented formula. The simplified nature of the campaign is no home run, and only one multiplayer mode feels a bit on the cheap side, but co-op support in the main campaign makes this a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
  5. Brings some innovations to the genre, but loses some strategic hear to become more accessible. [Issue#31, p.40]
  6. Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is a good strategy game. But brilliant gameplay is foiled by poor cut scenes and a mediocre story.
  7. We love the year 2062. It's full of great battles between the archrivals GDI and NOD and we get to control both of them. Thank you EA for both being innovative and true to the franchises roots.
  8. The single-player campaign is fairly short, but excellent multiplayer makes up for it. Lots of variation and solid RTS gameplay for anyone who makes it past the embarrassingly bad first act. A return to form for the series.
  9. 80
    The developers are trying to take the franchise in an interesting new direction, and the fruit of their labor is worth checking out.
  10. C&C 4 is not without redeeming qualities, and in the right situation it offers something truly unique to the RTS genre. I have no doubt that there will be gamers who fall head-over-heels for its tightly engineered co-op design. The binding dependence on teammates can be a pain, though, and legacy issues like bad keyboard shortcuts and unit AI persist. I can recommend the game, but only to a certain style of gamer and only with a handful of caveats.
  11. The Tiberium saga ends while hitting rock bottom, being just a fast-food game without any depth. It’s not a bad game, but feels like any other game of the genre.
  12. The completely revamped gameplay might turn off some fans of the series and the story isn’t quite what it should be for the end of a chapter in the Command & Conquer universe, but there is a lot of perks and upgrades to be found here for those that stick with this radical departure from the series’ mechanics.
  13. 75
    It's clear that EA are onto something with their new-age C&C formula but, as it stands, the core needs a little work. The series, once the most explosive game of the medium, looks like it's going out with a whimper.
  14. C&C4 tries to deliver on all its features, but only does the multiplayer and online functionality well. Playing the game on your own exposes an experience that isn't well put together and screams to be played in co-op or online with friends.
  15. Once embraced and understood, I actually enjoyed the multiplayer more than SupCom 2, RUSE, and yes, even the Starcraft 2 beta. But singleplayer was like a tour of the worst parts of strategy games in the '90s, and hardly a fitting end to the Tiberium saga.
  16. In conclusion, it’s good to see EA move away from resource gathering and try something different and although it does take a little time getting use to, it’s a refreshing change of pace for an RTS game.
  17. 74
    But the inconsistent and ultimately disappointing campaign and awkward unlock system restricts the game to the realm of the good but non-essential.
  18. Ultimately, Tiberian Twilight is merely a C&C game by association; not the most terrible of fates for an otherwise solid RTS game, but certainly a bittersweet one for the franchise faithful expecting more.
  19. A nasty catch to playing C&C4 is having to log into EA’s servers before launching the game, even for single-player. Considering that EA recently shut down servers for the less than two-year-old Mercenaries 2, I’m not enthusiastic about buying a product that depends on active servers to play. The multiplayer battles are good enough fun once you’ve ranked up, but a potentially short-lived service is a dagger dangling over our heads.
  20. Online Tiberium Twilight can be a fantastic experience, but it comes at the expense of a shallow and dull single player game. Together with some draconian DRM protection these things work against what should have been the crowning achievement in the C&C saga, a game that was destined to go out in a blaze of glory, yet one that will end up causing a huge division of it’s numerous fans.
  21. Jump straight into the multiplayer and you'll have a great time without having to wait around, but ignore the single player. [May 2010, p.96]
  22. 72
    This game feels like a shadow of its predecessors and is only saved by the phenomenal impetus this series already has.
  23. To developers all around the globe: This is how NOT to make innovations. From the role playing aspects to the online-only player profile – the feature list of Tiberian Twilight screams “We wanted to make it cool, but we failed!”. Though the multiplayer part delivers some fast and fun battles, Tiberian Twilight is overall a very sad ending for a once beloved RTS series.
  24. By making the incomprehensible decision to change almost every aspect of the series’ classic gameplay, then serving it up in a lackluster campaign, the developers managed to alienate old fans and new fans alike.
  25. I also really liked the way that the developers changed up the gameplay dynamics. I’ve never really been a fan of constant resource gathering in games overall but Tiberian Twilight’s new dynamics made it much more enjoyable.
  26. From random crashes to the dramatic, yet at times frustrating gameplay shift from previous titles, to the storyline that never quite reached the nexus it appeared to be heading toward, Tiberian Twilight is a disappointing finale for one of my favorite video game characters. Kane deserved better than this.
  27. Ultimately, C&C4 is a curiosity, one that succeeds in moving the RTS genre forward and is at times brilliant fun, but it fails as a fitting finale to one of the most loved science fiction tales in gaming. In 1995, Westwood popularised the RTS genre with a landmark title. It seems unlikely that history will judge Tiberian Twilight quite so fondly.
  28. Command & Conquer 4 will be subject to some heavy discussion. Although the multiplayer is entertaining, the radical change in gameplay will alienate old-time fans of the series with the game. Nevertheless the game offers enough to keep you playing, mainly because of the addicting level system.
  29. Tiberian Twilight is little more than a mish-mash of ideas from other RTS games, and looses C&C's identity in the process.
  30. Tiberian Twilight's online play and persistent unlocks make for short-term fun, but the mediocre campaign doesn't give Kane the send-off he deserved.
User Score

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 546 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 134
  1. Purely and simply this is NOT Command and Conquer. No base building, no resource management, and no strategy at all. Just pump out a bunch of cannon fodder and if they die just pump out a few more at no cost. Joe Kucan is the only noteworthy actor and even he phones it in. The cutscenes are just bad and not in the usual so cheesy its good way. The DRM is just the cherry on this giant **** sundae. As a strategy game it's below average at best, and as a C&C game it's EA taking the franchise behind the shed and putting both barrels between it's eyes. Full Review »
  2. BenM.
    5
    Removing the title, and analysing this as a gaming concept in it's own right, CNC4 does have a few new and interesting things to offer. The skirmish mode, while rigid in some areas does allow for some new and interesting tactical decisions with a much greater emphasis on teamwork and larger battles. The crawler idea in itself in interesting and the option are relatively fresh to keep me interested in playing this. All I have to tell myself is that EA accidentally named this a CNC game instead of a brand new franchise. Taking it as a CNC, the game is riddled with faults. The fact that you have to be online to play is extremely frustrating if you're more of a single player person who's in it for the conclusion of the epic Tiberium arc, which, to be honest was a complete and utter let down. The campaigns for both side are horrendously short and fail to meet the standards set by CNC games past. Even Kane himself seem to only be pulling out a half arsed job. So much for an epic conclusion. In addition, the unlocking mechanic is brutal on newer players, who don't have the arsenal at their disposal to take on two other NPCs with essentially a Tier 1 unit spam, almost to the point of forcing co-op play. Indeed, for Skirmish mission, the lack of level matching means that a completely new player and his lvl 1 GDI offense crawler gets his ass handed to him by the lvl 20 Nod player. The fact that in Skirmish you can no longer be GDI vs GDI etc. is also a major ball ache. While I can appreciate what the devs were trying to pull off, something new and relatively innovative, they should have left the last of the Tiberium saga alone with the old mechanics. The story explains why all the tib is receding, but that doesn't mean you couldn't have used a RA3 style mechanic of having tib mines or something. The lack of a proper harvester in a CNC RTS game? Come on guys, seriously? If you're new to the franchise, I'd suggest giving it a look and renting it, as there are some good ideas, but if you're a die hard, probably best to stay away. As a game: 7 As the ending to an epic story arc or a well established franchise: 2. Full Review »
  3. AlisonR
    3
    The game plays nothing like a Command and Conquer game. I have come to expect certain things from a C&C game, and all of them were neglected in this game. There is no base building, no real micro managing, no economy or reason to protect one's base. The entire game just becomes a unit spam with 1 large army that moves from node to node. Once your army begins to be countered, you just kill all of them and spawn the counter for the counter. Losing your MCV has absolutely no effect in the game play either, since it can be respawned soon after. Full Review »