Two popular gaming franchises are heading back to the PC: Command & Conquer and MechWarrior. As for the former franchise, EA Los Angeles announced earlier today that the upcoming Command & Conquer 4 will take place after C&C3: Tiberium Wars, and is scheduled to ship in 2010.
According to the company, the new game will conclude the "award-winning" Tiberium series, taking place in the year 2062 where humanity is at the brink of extinction.
"With only six years left until the mysterious crystalline structure Tiberium renders the earth entirely uninhabitable, the two opposing factions--Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod--inevitably find themselves in desperation for the same cause: to stop Tiberium from extinguishing mankind," reads the game's overview. "The unthinkable becomes reality and Nod’s enigmatic leader Kane takes off for GDI headquarters. What is Kane planning in the heart of his enemies’ base? Command & Conquer 4 draws the epic conclusion to the beloved Tiberium universe, where fans will learn the fate of Earth, Nod, Tiberium, GDI and most importantly, Kane’s motivations behind his decade-long plan."
EA also said that C&C4 will offer two campaigns "on the epic battles of GDI and Nod," both available in single-player mode and cooperative mode. The game will also provide a new 5 vs 5 objective-based multiplayer mode that should add a new social real-time strategy experience not seen in C&C games in the past. Additionally, C&C4 will introduce new class-based gameplay, mobile bases and persistent player progression throughout all game modes.
Fans can follow the community and development team on Twitter here.
In other PC gaming news, Smith and Tinker and Piranha Games are literally rebooting the MechWarrior series for the PC and Xbox 260. According to IGN, the last expansion released was back in 2002, however 7 years later, both companies have decided to follow the re-booting trend and start the MechWarrior series over from scratch rather than develop the official 5th installment. However, based on a recent video, the game is shaping up to be the best MechWarrior yet.
Set in the year 3015, the new MechWarrior title takes place on the planet Deshler. Players assume the role of Adrian Khol, "a wayward nobleman who prefers partying and shirking responsibility over his training and studies." This changes, however, after House Kurita launches a massive invasion to conquer Deshler and obliterates his entire family in the process. Naturally, he takes the usual route of seeking vengeance.
Currently the developers are seeking potential publishers; Microsoft "shuttered" FASA Interactive--the developer behind the BattleTech universe that MechWarrior is based upon-- back in 2007 (Jordon Weisman, co-founder of FASA, moved on to form the current Smith and Tinker). With new technologies, both developers have huge plans for the new game, and based on the eventual budget provided by the interested publisher(s), they hope to include support for a four-player co-op campaign, a full multiplayer suite, and an ambitious single-player campaign that will make full use of today's technology.
But because no publishers have signed on and the game is still in the middle of development, the developers could not provide an expected street date. According to the provided video, at least four mechs will be available in the game: the Jenner (light class), Warhammer and Rifleman (heavy class), and an Atlas Prime (assault class).
To find out more, check out IGN's full article here.
