Command & Conquer: Generals was the last game that Westwood Studios developed as the company was liquidated by Electronic Arts (EA) shortly before this game was released. The game came out at the height of Bush's War on Terror. At the time the game was heavily criticized due to the similarities between the fictional GLA (Global Liberation Army) and the Iraqi terrorist group known as Al-Qaeda, this even cause a temporary ban in Germany as well as a full scale ban in China as the Chinese in the game are depicted as a brutal army that use heavy-handed tactics such as leveling the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre and destroying the three gorges dam. Which I find somewhat Ironic seeing how this is the only western game I can think of where the Chinese are actually the good guys in the game. Fun Fact: Command & Conquer: Generals came out in Australia just a week after the US led Invasion of Iraq.
Playing it now I can't help but think that somehow this game predicted the future seeing how alike the GLA is to ISIS, the game itself is also base in the not too distant future where the Global Liberation Army a large well-organized terrorist organization declares war on the two main superpowers of the world, the United States and the People's Republic of China. In response the two Nations form a Coalition against the GLA whom controls most of the Middle East, parts of China along with Central Asia and the whole of Kazakhstan. You play as one of three the Chinese, the United States or the GLA and that's really about it. There are no Cut scenes or any story behind the missions you are given and very little backstory on how the GLA came to power in the first place. Similar to the first Command and Conquer game (nickname Tiberian Dawn) is set in a divergent reality, however done in a more realistic setting and style.
Now that the game is 12 years old I found it to be limited compared to its predecessors like Red Alert 2 and Tiberian Sun which had more depth and detail with both the game mechanics and plot. It is no means a bad game but it is somewhat lackluster and compared to Red Alert 2 (release in 2000) it hasn't really age that well.
All in all it's an alright game and I give it a 5 out of 10
