I've never hidden the fact I'm not quite an advocate for real-time strategy games. I tend to steer clear of them, and to return the favour, they steer clear of me. As a young boy the ethical concepts and financial planning that is involved in these types of games never sat well with me as I'd tend to go too hard too soon; never to be successful. Well, I'm older now and I've decided to try for a genre that's given countless hours across countless games; Kane's Wrath would be the game to pop my strategy cherry. One could argue that it wouldn't be fair to judge an entire genre from a mere expansion pack; though, I did my research - and in contrast, Kane's Wrath does more than just any mere expansion pack of old.

In terms of narrative, who really understands the plot in the Command and Conquer series? I see it as a red herring, there to distract you from the raid-the-base action the gameplay dishes up. Though for those who are in tune with the Tiberium Wars mythos, Kane's Wrath is comprised of a disjointed series of events that, at various stages, either precede, or follow the events of the third game, Tiberium Wars. Mind-blowing? Perhaps. Though, as I said, fans of the series won't find themselves as lost as I was in my early stages of Kane's Wrath. The focus in this installation is on Kane and his ambition to rebuild the Brotherhood after his death had been assumed, and self-righteous leaders emerged in his absence. Typical twists and turns unravel as the plot uncoils throughout the game's three lengthy acts.

With Kane's Wrath being a stand-alone expansion title, it's a great platform for EA to debut riveting new gameplay features fans used to only dare dream of. Many a nerdgasm was had when it was announced this game would include all-new epic units; obviously far advanced beyond standard militia. Not to mention Kane's Wrath marks the first sightings of sub-factions, these act as divisions of the larger organizations such as GDI, Nod or even the recently introduced Scrin. Each of the nine sub-factions has their own unique attributes that give them all advantages and, of course, disadvantages when it comes time to rumble. Unlike the PC version, the Global Conquest mode is oddly omitted; however the silver lining is in Kane's Challenge, an all new mode exclusive to our fine console that certainly does the trick in filling that void left. And of course, you've got the standard Skirmish mode at your disposal.

Kane's Challenge bares resemblance to General's Challenge from Zero Hour, an expansion pack from the Generals series. You pick your preferred faction and proceed to run the gauntlet against the remaining armies across ten varied challenges. While this mode is a change-up from the campaign, it's still very much same old, same old. It should also be noted that the game can be hard as nails, but of course that may be simply attributed to my rookie mistakes! But I found even on the easiest of settings, Kane's Wrath offers up quite stiff competition; I even dared attempt Brutal, and it's safe to say that only the veterans of many hours experience should be tackling it.

The gameplay hasn't undergone any drastic changes, but why would it? ‘Why mess with success', I believe that old saying goes. It's no secret that this particular genre, along with many others, is better suited to PC-play, as awkward control schemes have a habit of rendering these games broken. Luckily, EA rolled the dice with the Command-stick radial interface that allows the player quick access to construction options not only conveniently, but effectively. It's hardly as simple and intuitive as what PC gamers are treated to, but it's a step in the right direction for console RTS games. So with the controls all in working order, the rest of the Command and Conquer puzzle pieces fall into place, with ruining your opposition to the point of oblivion playing heavily on the cards; and it's not hard for me to see why the series has run for as long as it has. It's damn fun.

The online functionality of Kane's Wrath is nothing short of impressive. With an impressive gamut of maps to choose from, and a selection of game modes such as King of the Hill, Capture and Hold and of course Siege. You're able to go it solo against a lone opponent, or you can go the group approach by participating in a two-versus-two battle royal. Heck, you can even use the Xbox Live camera to allow your opponent a prime view of your over-confident visage as you seek and destroy his chances of victory; or in my case, you can allow your foe to view your shattering despair. Either result is its own experience, ultimately. It's a shame EA's online support is so unreliable, as finding games is much harder than it need be.

There was only one episode of slowdown I had, though incongruously it was not during only play. During a simple skirmish my frame rate dropped to what felt like single-digits, as the game became unplayable. It's the only time it's happened, and the cause is a mystery to me. It only took a console reboot to remedy, but it was still an inconvenience as it was the odd occasion I was kicking ass!

Rounding out the experience of Kane's Wrath is the aesthetic and audio aspects. And the developers have delivered on both fronts. The loveable Joe Kucan reprises his role as the clairvoyant Kane, and as always, is a highlight of the casted actors. The game also maintains the series trademark live-action cut-scenes that not only make the experience seem personal, but far more intense. The acting is rather B-Grade movie, though it all plays its part in being a corny, overplayed joyride. The soundtrack seems to be quite a flop, as it never did much to steal my attention; it does its job, but that's it really. Though, if you're a fan of sci-fi sound effects, there's plenty on offer here from simple mercenary firepower all the way up to your super weapons which can devastate armies with their sheer force.