When Khan came back he ended up obliterating himself in the U.S.S. Reliant. Unfortunately for GDI -- but fortunately for us because we get more games -- Kane is proving a bit more resilient. The bald-headed leader of NOD is back once again in Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath. We were treated to a demo showcasing many of the new units that will be available to armchair commanders in this upcoming expansion pack and everything we've seen has got us roaring to continue the war over Tiberium. New Toys for Everyone
Expansion packs are generally about new maps and new units to play with and Kane's Wrath should have plenty. Every new unit we've seen has plenty of potential to turn the gameplay of C&C 3 on its head, but without sacrificing balance.
One area that we were happy to see addressed was GDI's lack of an air unit that could stay in combat for a long time and not have to return to base to be refueled. The solution is the GDI Hammerhead, a heavy helicopter gunship that are armed with machineguns that have unlimited ammo. These guys are great for ground support and can stay in an area and hose down infantry from above; however, they have no anti-aircraft capabilities so are vulnerable to other air units.
Ground support isn't all the Hammerhead is good for. You can also load up infantry units inside it and when you do it'll acquire the attributes of the type of soldiers it's carrying, much like the GDI APC. This makes the Hammerhead an incredibly versatile unit, and you can even address its air-to-air weakness by loading it up with rocket infantry.
Another GDI shortcoming from C&C 3 was ground-based anti-aircraft units. This is being addressed with the GDI Slingshot, a quad-barreled anti-aircraft hover tank. The Slingshot can decimate air units but has no ground defense abilities, so you'll have to keep them safe from other land-based vehicles and infantry. Other new GDI units include a Sonic Tank that takes the powerful Sonic Cannon that was used for base defense in C&C 3 and puts it on treads. This powerful unit can destroy multiple targets at once if you line them up correctly.
Sub-Factions and the Benefits of Membership
There are also two sub-factions for all the armies in the game, giving you a choice of 9 different sides to choose from. Each of these sub-factions will have exclusive upgraded units. For example, one sub-faction will allow you to upgrade your Orca gunships with sonic grenades, making them very effective at taking out infantry mobs. There are also new powers such as GDI's Orbital Strike, which is a space-based kinetic energy weapon that is basically like an artillery strike from space. The effect is devastating and a spectacular sight to see. There is also a new female Zone Raider, which is basically a zone trooper upgraded with sonic grenades and shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft rockets.
