Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars Review (Kastrenzo)
This is my favorite CNC Game. Bar none. and I will die on that hill.
Its a game from 2007, so yes now its old. But at the time, it had very good looking graphics, the color palette made it look better than RA3 which came after it, too.
The gameplay was quick yet not so fast that it felt like you needed to macro spam. it also had that CNC Generals layer where you would build structures to unlock support and upgrade abilities. There were 3 factions which all had a very nice, and unique lineup of units and abilities. Every faction felt fun in its own way. There are lots of satisfying units that mostly have clear purposes, strengths and weaknesses, there's lots of tech structures to capture to change the dynamics of the battlefield, they encourage base expansion with the mobile outposts. and there's still plenty of little micro-managing things to do with infantry. CNC3 was the peak of the series as far as playing combined arms was concerned, even squishy infantry had a role and a use. I recall many fights that basically turned into quick paced urban battles with all sides furiously trying to occupy and flush out buildings with different troop types.
production wise, Westwood may have been gone, but its roots remained, they were still doing the live action stuff and it honestly wasn't bad. the worldbuilding of this game was also excellent. They do an excellent job of convincing the player that the planet is slowly dying from the tiberium infestation, and it portrays the world as an absolute hellscape with small islands of civilization still remaining.
one weird design choice that I actually adored this game for was the fact that most infantry units come in little squads. and many units had their apperance change when you upgraded them. it was attention to detail like that that made me adore this game. And there's a couple of really good mods out there too.
CNC3 was the peak of the series. I loved Tiberian Sun, RA2 and Generals but Tiberium Wars and its expansion will always be my favorite. It was one last hurrah before the series went off a cliff.