C&C3 blasts down factory

One of gaming's biggest franchises is one step closer to making its return to the limelight this month. The PC version of Electronic Arts' Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars has gone gold and is expected to be in stores on March 26.

Tiberium Wars is the first game in the series since 2003's Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour and brings back one of the trademarks of the early games in the franchise--live-action video. Full-motion video cutscenes return with a bang, sporting the acting talent of sci-fi vets Josh Holloway (Lost), Billy Dee Williams (The Empire Strikes Back), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), and Joe Kucan, who reprises his role as the archvillain Kane. Also appearing is Michael Ironside (pictured), the voice of Sam Fisher in the Splinter Cell games and star of sci-fi classics such as Starship Troopers and Total Recall.

EA also announced that several PC gamers have already done a few tours of Tiberium Wars--the demo for the game was downloaded more than 1 million times in its first week. The demo, which includes a tutorial and two single-player missions, is currently available from GameSpot Downloads.

Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars is rated T for Teen and will retail for $49.99. An Xbox 360 version is also in the works and will be released later this year. For more information, read GameSpot's previous coverage.