Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath

One of the key factors for any expansion pack is that it brings a genuinely new game experience, while still integrating smoothly with past iterations. And KW does both in spades: The turn-based Global Conquest Mode and the 30 new multiplayer maps alone would be enough content for most expansions to call it a day. But KW goes on to throw in a full 13-mission Nod campaign, new "epic" units for each side, and six subfactions à la C&C: Generals: Zero Hour.

"Kane's Wrath brings the challenge of C&C 3 to a new level with new over-the-top units and an equally overblown campaign. The expansion improves on C&C 3 in every critical area while keeping up the game's fast and furious pace. The Global Conquest is disappointing, but not enough to ruin the game. Those looking to step up their game with gigantic units and incredible power should unleash Kane's Wrath."

It's more of a good thing, but a second-rate campaign and an underwhelming new gameplay mode keep this expansion from soaring.

This is a pretty well-constructed expansion; it adds a fair amount of new stuff at the right price point. It won't make you a C&C convert if you preferred other RTS games, but for fans of the old-school, superfast, almost action-y pace of C&C3, this is a welcome addition. Sure, some problems persist (pathfinding and defensive AI still needs some tweaking), and it doesn't necessarily add anything "new" to the genre. But as a new installment of a refined formula, this is a damn solid investment.

"It isn't until you hit the global conquest campaign mode that you encounter something very new and different for the series. This is basically an overarching strategic layer to tie real-time battles together, but unlike the campaign modes found in earlier EALA real-time strategy games, the one in Kane's Wrath does away with the idea of distinct provinces or territories. Instead, the global map allows for very fluid battle lines as factions struggle to carve out territory or corrupt cities and so on."