When rumours started floating around that EA were working on a Command and Conquer: Generals sequel, I got a little excited. Generals was my pick of all the C&C games. The factions were perfectly balanced, the strategy was sublime and the setting was much more realistic than the other games in the series. Well, Generals 2 has finally been announced and with it some info that took my level of anticipation to new heights.
The first little tidbit is that the game is running on the Frostbite 2 engine (the same tech that powered the incredibly sexy Battlefield 3) and as you can see from the trailer things are looking good. The second piece of info is that a new studio under the BioWare name will be handling development duties. BioWare is one of my favourite developers and has a well earned reputation for quality (I’m purposely forgetting Dragon Age 2 – it didn’t happen) so I feel confident that the classic strategy franchise is in safe hands.
The trailer doesn’t show much, just a teaser of gameplay with what seems to be the classic factions of the USA and GLA in action. What it does show is that the game will keep the general aesthetic of the original Generals and not adopt the futuristic/crazy style of the other branches in the C&C multiverse. I for one am glad. If I want killer bears and walking boats I can go back to Red Alert 3. Hopefully the traditional C&C cheesy FMV cut scenes make a return though.
Command & Conquer: Generals 2 is coming to the PC in 2012.