EA recently released the C&C3 demo online. It weighs in at a huge 1.17GB, so I suggest you get it off bittorrent. On the flip side, it is a most gloriously excellent 1.17GB, totally worth the download.

The graphics are superlative. The attention to small details is incredible. Special effects like explosions and the Ion Cannon are rendered in such exquisite detail you just want to wait another 6 minutes for the Ion Cannon to charge.

The UI has been improved tremendously – you can now access your entire production queue from the keyboard, something Warcraft has had for some time. It’s also very unobtrusive, giving you more space to survey the battlefield. A cool twist is that when you build multiple production structures like a barracks or a war factory, you don’t build twice as fast as you used to; instead, you can build two different units at the same time. Same goes for the construction yard.

Other than that, the game is very true to the original C&C, much more so than Tiberian Sun was. Stealth tanks, recon bikes and flame tanks are all back. So are the deadly mammoth tanks and grenadiers (!), both of whom were sorely missed.

Unfortunately, the demo only allows you to play as GDI. Followers of Kane will have to go through the circuitous route of capturing an enemy construction facility to make NOD units. Don’t try capturing the NOD construction yard, the computer will just sell it and the infantry that emerge will cut your engineer to pieces. Instead, capture the crane; for some reason, the computer doesn’t put that as a high priority defence.

Once captured, you have full access to NOD’s deadly, sexy arsenal. Flame tanks, I missed you so…

I cannot wait to play the full version of the game online. C&C3 comes out March 28th. See you on the battlefield!

Update

According to this article, you can play as NOD in a much simpler way:

Goto Skirmish:
Click the race selection tab, but do not select any. Move your mouse over the Nod selection and at the same time press N and click the mouse. It may take a few tries but it does work! Can also make the enemy GDI.(G + Mouse Click)

I’m definitely trying this later.