When comparing StarCraft II vs Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, the Slant community recommends StarCraft II for most people. In the question“What are the best RTS games for PC?” StarCraft II is ranked 2nd while Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun is ranked 20th. The most important reason people chose StarCraft II is:
With the Starter Edition, players can start the beginning of the campaign, compete in ranked ladder matches, and play anything in the Arcade (a mode that offers a huge selection community-created games and mods).
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro A free starter edition is available
With the Starter Edition, players can start the beginning of the campaign, compete in ranked ladder matches, and play anything in the Arcade (a mode that offers a huge selection community-created games and mods).
Pro Big player base
Has a very big player base and everyone will be able to find a suitable opponent whether you are a rookie or an experienced player.
Pro Well balanced, asymmetrical gameplay
Opposing teams will have completely different skillsets allowing players to take wholly different approaches toward completing the same goal. This makes for asymmetrical gameplay that has been painstakingly balanced.
Pro Campaign features an engaging story and acts as a tutorial
StarCraft II tells a very concise and cohesive story, exclusively featuring the Terran, with some exceptions during optional missions. During the campaign, the player is asked to make several choices which partially alter the storyline, as well as give access to some units, while making other completely unavailable. With a new unit unlocked nearly every mission, these levels utilize unique gameplay mechanics that highlight the specific uses of each new unit that is unlocked, thus allowing players to familiar with them. For example, one mission highlights the maneuverability of the Viking, an aircraft that can quickly fly across the map, killing other aerial units, and transforming to become a walking vehicle that can annihilate ground-based enemies.
Pro Gives in-game access to a wide variety of community created games/mods
Users can publish their mods to the game so that other players may then apply them in-game. This makes for easy access to a wide variety of mods and games.
Pro Has an active eSports scene
With a 1.6 million dollar prize pool for the world championships in 2015, StarCraft II has a very large and supported eSports scene that is participated in throughout the world.
Pro Tiberian Sun's well-filmed FMV aid in atmosphere and immersion
With other iterations in the Command & Conquer series, the direction and acting in Tiberian Sun is one of the best of the series. Tiberian Suns includes and all-star cast, with Michael Biehn (Aliens, Terminator) and James Earl Jones (Conan the Barbarian, Star Wars) as members of GDI, and Joseph Kucan returning as Kane, NOD's maniacal and religious figurehead.
The filming style and lighting prevalent in each FMV helps paint the perfect picture of a future, post-apocalyptic dystopia. This helps aid the game in conveying the dark atmosphere that is featured in each mission or multiplayer match. With the FMV and gameplay matching each other with such perfection, players can find themselves easily getting immersed in this title.
Pro Forethought of base defense required due to burrowing units
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun features burrowing units that can wreak havoc upon bases. As these units can only be seen if players have built sensor vehicles, they can unburrow directly inside bases virtually undetected. This allows players to sneak infantry transports and flame tanks into compounds, completely decimating undefended buildings. Due to this, players must think ahead of these threats and act accordingly; building defensive structures inside their bases, or leave a token force to protect the area.
Pro It's free
Tiberian Sun was licensed as freeware by Eletronic Arts in 2010.
Cons
Con Starcraft I units are unavailable
They removed/replaced some of the units with new units. As of 2021 several mods of SC2 engine feat SC1 units are freely available
Con Difficult for beginners
Con Slow-paced construction and gathering times add unnecessary length to matches
Unfortunately for Tiberian Sun, the game suffers from a massive slowdown when it comes to building and amassing an army. With Barracks and War Factories only training one unit at a time, players must build more of those facilities in order to train those units faster. This makes it imperative to spend resources on multiple builds just to make an army faster.
Resource gathering is also a slow endeavor that impedes player progress. Tiberium Harvesters, your resource gathering unit, have both slow movement and gather speeds. These units can take over a minute to bring back additional resources, which usually give players only a few hundred tiberium. This slows down the pace of the game even further, as players will need to build more Tiberium Refineries in order to gain money faster. Thus, this requires players give a large focus on economy over army to start each match.