The Third Tiberium War ended with the GDI forces successfully repelling the alien Scrin invasion while Nod forces went underground after the sudden disappearance of their leader Kane. However, the intergalactic war over the green crystal has just begun. After players retrace Kane's path to ascension in the upcoming Command & Conquer 3 expansion, Kane's Wrath, they can look forward to an entirely new perspective to the C&C universe with the upcoming tactical shooter, Tiberium.

Tiberium won't be the first time the C&C universe tries to make the transition from real-time strategy to first-person shooter. That title goes to the generally unsuccessful Renegade. However, the developers at EALA hope the transition will work much better this time, especially since Tiberium will involve team-based tactical elements similar to games like Ghost Recon.

The game takes place eleven years after the Third War and players assume the role of a battle commander named Ricardo Vega, an ex-GDI soldier who decides to help rebuild the war-torn parts of the world. GDI convinces him to come out of retirement and investigate the previously inert Scrin tower left in the uninhabitable red zone region formerly known as the Mediterranean Sea. Vega will also be responsible for securing Tiberium refineries around the area while battling against the new wave of Scrin forces coming through an interplanetary portal.

Vega will have a squad of soldiers at his command, but he's capable of handling himself. Armed with the latest technology, his multi-function assault rifle transforms to suit different situations. The standard mag rail mode fires high velocity projectiles and can handle most situations. It changes into an energy cannon to fire a beam and deal massive damage from a long distance, but tends to overheat when overused. Other modes include the grenade launcher, great for taking out groups (especially when used in conjunction with the jump pack), and the MLS, which locks onto multiple targets and fires tracking missiles.

Tiberium maintains some of the aspects that made the C&C strategy series popular by being a tactical shooter. In the C&C tradition, the troops under Vega's command are infinitely replaceable. Gamers can replace a fallen soldier with another that better suits the situation, such as calling in missile infantry in place of a machine gunner to counter armor. However, the battle commander has a limited number of slots for squad mates. Capturing key control points like tiberium refineries opens up new spots, but players must defend them. Enemies will try to recapture key areas, but players won't have to worry about their soldiers suddenly dropping when they lose a refinery. Instead, no new soldiers will come in to take its place. So, players will need to decide between spreading out their forces and concentrating them all on a single objective.

Scenarios determine the maximum number of soldiers Vega has at his side. Some missions require him to go solo, up to two squads a time in other situation, while large-scale battles may require coordinating up to six squads. Given the right circumstances, Vega can also call in some big guns like Titan walkers or Orca gunships to destroy guard towers.

With the chance to go toe-to-toe with never before seen Scrin units and a chance to experience the Tiberium war from the ground, C&C fans will have a lot to look forward to in 2008. Battles will wage on, since wherever there's tiberium, there's conflict.