Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances

The Good
The good? Well, there's not much to go on. The 2D graphics look very neat and are worthy of using in mods for prope... I mean, other C&C games. Familiar tunes from C&C 3: Tiberium Wars fit the theme and setting, and the sound effects aren't bad. The world size is handled reasonably, and Forgotten bases around you slowly level up the more you attack them, which is approximately the same rate your base and units do, so the challenge level is appropriate for PvE.

The Bad
The game does not seem to decide what its audience is supposed to be. The casual players might be attracted by the short per-day gameplay involving resource gathering, leveling up base buildings and units, and bashing the AI-controlled Forgotten bases. However, casuals don't seem to be the people who are supposed to join alliances that are supposed to wage wars on each other in PvP and move towards the center of the map for new challenges and endgame content. That's more designed for competitive players - players who already play rea... I mean, other C&C titles and generally other, more substantial games, so Tiberium Alliances will bore them.

The gameplay is shallow and doesn't resemble anything other than a senseless grind. You gain resources by placing the appropriate buildings (power plants, refineries, harvesters, accumulators etc.), but the income is very slow. So, your only true alternative (other than paying up real money) is raiding other bases, either the Forgotten ones or those owned by other players. You're also a target for raids, so you need to defend yourself. Seems nice on paper, but as soon as you play past the initial few levels, you'll be thinking, "wait a minute, what do I get after I build up all this stuff?" There are no set missions, battles are short and ungratifying, and your objective is build-attack-signoff, repeat. With a dash of defense setup and alliances of other players.

You want to attack more than a handful of bases? Wait for a long time or pay with real money. You want to have more resources? Wait for a long time or pay with real money. You want to have fun playing Tiberium Alliances? Play five minutes a day or pay with real money.

The Bottom Line
If you want a free C&C experience, get the freeware classics (the original Command & Conquer, Red Alert and Tiberian Sun/Firestorm), they will let you play for more than a few minutes and will deliver solid gameplay.