Speak no evil

After gum surgery I found myself under orders to avoid speaking, smiling or anything else that leads to facial movement. That pretty much ruled out human interaction for a few days so I relinquished a Tahoe trip for Brian Glover's birthday and the TNT triathlon team post-spring-season party to sequester myself at home with some new Xbox 360 games. I didn't have very high expectations but I was pleasantly surprised.

• Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars
  
  The original games offered some classic moments and it's great to revisit live action cut-scenes. This time round they're a more polished (and slightly bigger budget I suspect) presentation but still offer generous helpings of pig and dairy based produce. TV/movie sci-fi fans will recognize much of the cast (and the series that inspired much of the game's effects). There are even some interesting twists in the storyline(s) (although it doesn't take much searching to find spoilers).
  
  In game, difficulty levels can be frustratingly unbalanced (why no "Restart?" option when a mission is failed??). Building placement could be a little less fiddly too; trying to find a valid spot when only a few pixels make the difference is a little frustrating (especially when the buildings in question are base defenses and your forces are being crushed while you wrestle with the thumbsticks).
  
  To be truly appreciated I suspect it requires a large screen to play on; even sitting just a few feet from the TV I frequently caught myself leaning forward, subconsciously straining to see what individual units were doing or to read text or both. However zooming does reveal an impressive amount of detail. Some later GDI campaign missions in particular are hotbeds of frantic mayhem and movie-esque action. The frame rate tanked in some (later) levels (maybe because there were two AI opponents?) but overall it was pretty solid.
  
  I haven't taken it online yet...Will it be good? Time vill tell...



• Lord of The Rings: Battle For Middle Earth II
  
  aka LOTR BFME II, this was the predecessor to C&C 3 so the control scheme is very similar. It boasts high production values; something it shares with Square Enix's collaboration with Disney for Kingdom Hearts I and II. Perhaps movie studios working with game developers on titles not directly related to movies might be a better idea than direct movie to game ports? At any rate EA and New Line continue to deliver on the Lord Of The Rings franchise (Tolkien just did a somersault on the f-word methinks). Transitions from animated cut scenes to (what looks like) static concept art and back again is a very nice touch.
  
  Sea battles suck - you cannot see enough of the ocean to locate units. However the land based combat (which is the vast majority of the game) works well; units are larger and smaller in number than in C&C3 so it is easier to see what's going on. If you like fantasy-real-time-strategy and enjoyed Tolkien's written work, then you should definitely get a copy. (A new copy only cost me $30 too!)
  
  The online experience was surprisingly good. Finding opponents was quick and painless. Lag was a little problematic but tolerable in bigger battles. After being caught by a few rushes and losing two epic struggles I finally gave in and rushed; it works in Middle Earth too.