TIBERIAN SON

TEMPEST RISING is a rollicking RTS just like mama Westwood used to make

- By Rick Lane

Calling Tempest Rising a spiritual successor to Command & Conquer would undersell just how fiercely this game wants to be a part of the Westwood dynasty. From the thinly veiled faction analogues to the thundering synth-metal soundtrack, right down to the mission interludes in which your faction's influence bleeds through the countries of Europe on the campaign map, Slipgate Ironworks' mimicry of Westwood's 1995 RTS is utterly brazen.

Yet Tempest Rising does more than sneak into Command & Conquer's room and prance about in its clothes. It understands what made Westwood's RTS such a timeless classic, enriching those elements to suit a modern audience. Its RTS action is pacey and spectacular, its dual factions are tactically divergent and demonstrate surprising strategic depth. Most importantly of all, its twin campaigns are meticulously crafted pressure-cookers that spin out the strategic fundamentals in thrilling, imaginative ways.

Tempest Rising takes the premise of C&C, switches out a few proper nouns and chucks in a nuclear war for good measure. Set in 1997 in the wake of World War IIT, the world has become afflicted by a strange new growth called Tempest, a russet, flowery structure that looks like a plant but isn't. Tempest is hazardous to human health and spreads rapaciously, but it's also an abundant energy resource. This makes it the primary catalyst of a war between Earth's two dominant factions, the Global Defence Force (GDF) and the Tempest Dynasty.

Likewise, the basic play of