14/OCT/09

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Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC)

GENERAL INFORMATION

GENRE/STYLE

Strategy/2D Real-Time Strategy

RELEASE DATE

--/--/96

ESRB RATING

TEEN, Realistic Violence

DEVELOPER

Westwood Studios

PUBLISHER

Virgin Interactive Entertainment

ALSO AVAILABLE ON

PlayStation

TRAITS (member-attributed "LIKES")

THE SETTING #USES

PLAYING AS #USES

PLAYING AGAINST #USES

HOW IT'S PLAYED #USES

RTS 196
campaign 72
Fast-paced 44

GENERAL TONE #USES

DESCRIPTION

Command & Conquer: Red Alert is the sequel to Westwood Studios' real-time strategy war game Command & Conquer. Although a sequel, the game itself deals with the world as it was leading up to conditions relevant to and introduced by the original title. Pertaining to a timeline, then, one should view Command & Conquer: Red Alert as a prequel.

In the "what if" alternate-history universe portrayed in Command & Conquer: Red Alert, World War II was not initiated by Germany under the leadership of Adolph Hitler but was a blight on mankind authored by the rise of Russia's Joseph Stalin instead. The war itself happens but the driving factor is the invasion of Europe by Soviet forces, thus the significance of the title "Red Alert".

As in the original game, Command & Conquer: Red Alert supports multi-player action but doubles the number of possible players (from four to eight) via a LAN or the Internet. The game features many new enhancements including a much more detailed level of unit command on land, in the air or at sea, a practice option (Skirmish Mode) and a choice of playing as either Soviet or Allied forces, each with 13 specific missions. Additionally, the game introduces a large number of new units and structures ranging from attack dogs to Chronosphere Generators.

The game's real-time aspect is preserved and gameplay includes appearances of both famous and infamous historical figures. Command & Conquer: Red Alert has a dedicated web site containing such extras as a "War Factory" for learning about the various vehicles (helicopters, mine layers, tanks, submarines, missile launchers and more) available during gameplay and a "Research Archive" that offers information on weaponry. Special software designed for chatting with other fans of the game can also be found at the site. ~ Michael L. House, All Game Guide

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC)

GENRE/STYLE:

Strategy/2D Real-Time Strategy
RELEASE DATE:

--/--/96
TOP TRAITS:

Alternate history, Command and Conquer universe, tactical
DESCRIPTION:

Command & Conquer: Red Alert is the sequel to Westwood Studios' real-time strategy war game Command & Conquer. Althou... more

players 357

followers 0

#645

POPULARITY: PC PLATFORM

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Past 14 days

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: SuperKiller

“good”

created 28/OCT/2009

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: Raltar

“The last C&C game I really liked. This series is acceptable as an RTS game but each additional sequel has done very little to innovate the genre while other games have actually branced out and tried new things. ”

created 24/OCT/2009

Supreme Commander vs C&C - PART 2 by: Raven85

“Okay, after a long break i finally found the time to write the second half of my rant :). After i got fed up with new C&C games i've been playing other RTS titles such as CoH, DOW and WIC. Then...”

created 17/SEP/2009

Torinir was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Never played SupCom. Might have to locate a copy somewhere...”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“try it. I don't think you'd regret it.”

Torinir was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Assuming I can locate a copy of it, I will. :o”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“nzone would have digital downloads i think. Also check d2d”

Torinir was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“DRM2D is not high on my favourites list right now. NZone... never heard of those guys.”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“NZONE is run by NVIDIA”

Wormy was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“First off, Great Post!

Supreme Commander, and its Predecessor, Total Annihilation, are among the best RTSs ever made IMHO. I also count Company of Heroes in that group. All of them had a level of DEEP strategy that went so far beyond simply point n click with a bunch of units (C&C). And while I love the flavor and fun of a C&C or a Red Alert, you just cannot beat the strategic depth, and the amazing design of those others.

”

Wormy was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“If you haven't played it, I also highly recommend the Total War games. Start with Rome: Total War, and then try Empire: Total War. They add in the truly strategic side with the world map level game, but the RTS is also extremely well done. Combat will obviously slow down as compared to a standard RTS, but your decisions about tactics, formations, and what units to bring to bear when are truly fantastic. You can read some of my Empire: Total War Adventures here to get a flavor of the game: http://wormy.gamerdna.com/game/empire-total-war-ibm-pc-compatible ”

Wormy was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Use this link instead: Better overall story:
http://wormy.gamerdna.com/game/empire-total-war-ibm-pc-compatible?current_page=1&objects=activities”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Well, i have played CoH and DOW games and i think both those series have something unique that we all love. I did not consider them in my post because they are different from either C&C or supcom games.

I heard total war is good. I played it once but i found it too slow for my liking. But i know lot of people who love it :).”

Francuzzz1010 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“CnC forever !
but i dont think that SC is crap just in my top list CnC is on 4th but SC is on 8th”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“You mean starcraft or supcom by referring as SC?”

korncob was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“@Raven85 or supreme commander, wow acronyms just aren't going to work in the future are they? xD gonna be like 5 different WoW's and whatnot eventually.”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago... show previous hide previous

“yep...too many games now :D”

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: Tjuhl

“That's the one taking place in the Cold War setting, right?”

created 13/SEP/2009

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: Lainfan

“Definitely one of the best RTS games ever. In it's own time the best by far!”

created 07/SEP/2009

Supreme Commander vs C&C - PART 1 by: Raven85

“I thought of writing my thoughts about these 2 franchises because of the huge ongoing debate about whether EA has ruined the C&C franchise. The reason i chose to compare this with supcom is...”

created 24/AUG/2009

wastelander75 was the last to comment - 3 months ago...

“You should give Sins of a Solar Empire a try. As for me, I've always been partial to C&C mainly because it's got a good history of quality.

we just won't discuss the campy live-action acting scenes though.............

As far as the quality goes, yes it has as a series gotten considerably better. graphichally speaking excellent, interface good, recent storylines fair. So yeah, in that department, I can see your argument and agree that since EA bought the franchise and did it's own thing with it, it makes me sweat the future releases of some games I'm looking forward to (Mass Effect 2 mainly).”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“hmm i have been recommended to Solar Empire by several ppl, but i do not a huge fan of space strategies.

What i see wrong with EA is they are not giving enough time for game C&C development cycles. All their recent titles seem to be rushed and poorly balanced. We still play these games because we are die hard fans of the C&C franchise rather than to their quality.

The problem is with their business plan. I also feel that they don't have a good game designer. ”

wastelander75 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“I think it was a shame and mistake they went and canceled Tiberuim, the FPS. that game looked solid from the brief demo shots they gave of it. ”

AlazarRamir was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“I have to agree to some point that with C&C (Tiberium saga) they kept the story going. They have so far not disappointed me on that branch. However with RA, when the second one came out, yes it was fun but it was no longer the same. The first RA was serious and dark. The follow up was funny and introduced weird units. The third was blatantly exaggerated.

And as for the canceled Tiberium FPS, that would have been fun to play. I have Renegade, which was fun to play and immerse yourself in the old C&C world, but it would have been better if we got a glimpse of the later world.”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“I think tiberium was canceled due to quality issues. It was supposed to have AI bots as squad members for the first time in online play. Maybe that didn't go well. But i think EA is developing a new FPS on the tiberium universe. C&C4 is the last C&C game in tiberium universe but they said there would be other products as well. This was hinted in the first interview that came with the C&C 4 announcement.

I agree with Alazar, C&C3 is ok story wise. But gameplay wise it could have been better. RA3 is not replayable at all. Its quite dissapointing. ”

AlazarRamir was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“I really hope they don't butcher C&C4. As it being the last one in that story I want it to go down with a BANG! Yet sometimes some companies try to hard and can destroy it beyond recovery. So PLEASE I am begging thee!!!”

Torinir was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Agreed on all counts. C&C3's story was OK, but the gameplay was flaky. The KW expansion made things worse for gameplay, and tried to recycle the global conquest game style from WH40K:DOW, but filled in some holes in the C&C story between C&C:TS and C&C3.

RA3 is just silly. I was ashamed to have picked that game up. Although it came with a beta invite for "the next C&C game" so we'll see whether that pans out or not. And I *am* interested in what C&C4 looks like and plays like.”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“I have a feeling that C&C4 would be better in terms of gameplay, but the way they are designing is not C&C. Thats the biggest criticism i have. We don't need DOW2/WIC style games. We already have them. When you have a trademark product, you don't do drastic changes unless the design is flawed. Usually you tweak it and make it a bit better. The bad design and spamming of C&C games of late and the lack of imagination has forced EA to change the game style completely and take out gameplay concepts from other well established genre defining games which is very sad :(.

A C&C game should be like the old C&C games with bases, tiberium harvesting, large tank battles ,commandos and more importantly unique and varying missions and a balanced multiplayer. An in every release they should keep these things an do minor updates and tweaks and make them feel fresh and better. To do that you need imagination and creativity which EA seems to lack.”

SwordFish95 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“It feels like they've turned C&C into more of a rusher's game, aiming for fast action while still hanging on to some base-building.

I played the first C&C, oddly enough, on the N64. I guess I never really got into the series because I didn't have a worthy computer at that point. Before C&C my favorite strategy game was Age of Empires II. I got back into C&C with Generals and ZH. I enjoyed them so much that I got into making maps for them, and won EA's Zero Hour map making contest.

Next I tried C&C 3, but it just didn't feel right. RA3 looked pretty much like more of the same, and I'm still iffy about C&C 4. I have since turned to CoH, SupCom, WiC, and DoW2 to satisfy my RTS cravings. I say go all out with little to no base-building with a focus on intense battles, or make it worthwhile for the player to make a base that functions well with traditional resource gathering. I'm still waiting for a sequel to Battlezone II...the unmatched FPS/RTS hybrid.”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“ah yes...i remember battlezone 2 very well. Its one of the best, i agree :)”

Butano was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Haha. My first C&C game started with the N64, but I never got real interested in them, hence why I haven't played any of them except for the C&C3 demo, which was OK in my opinion.

As with Sins? It's not for everyone. I personally wasn't a fan of it. While its large area of space is super neat, it just felt really really slow and I couldn't really get past the first mission without getting bored.

I remember growing up with AoE I and II (amazing games), Warcraft 2, and also Lords of the Realm 2, which was kinduva smaller version of the Total War games, whereas, it's a turn based Civ-style game up until you go into combat, which then turns to RTS.

I didn't really play many RTS games for the next few years until Rise of Nations came out, which had me hooked for a while, as well as Battle for Middle-Earth 2.

I haven't tried SupCom yet, but yes, CoH, WiC, and DoW2 have me as well :)”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“DOW2 is really good and a novel concept. I played the campaign twice, but after that it felt very repetitive. My point is that CoH had more replay value than DOW2. But DOW2 is simply a great game. The squad customizations and wargear and the brutal combat make it awesome. Maybe its my taste, but i don't have the urge to play it again and again. Only RTS that i have been playing atleast on a daily or weekly basis is Zero Hour and not because ZH it self is great, but because of some great mods, especially Shockwave and Rise of the Reds.”

wastelander75 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Guys ever tried any of the Sid Meier's Civilization games? I got to admit I'm hooked on Revolutions. ”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“I haven't. But i've heard about it :). Maybe should give it a try when i get some extra free time.”

wastelander75 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“oh it's great fun. it's hard as hell to get anywhere on Deity level. especially if you're trying for a domination victory. Cultural victories are pretty easy, so are technological victories. Economic Victory can be a little iffy at times.

But the plain and simple fact that they give you so many different ways to win, it's awsome. ”

Imran was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“I really hated C&C 3, and Red Alert 3 was great, but it was missing something.

I was totally spoiled with Generals, and I don't think I'll ever have as much fun with an RTS as I did with that game. ”

Raven85 was the last to comment - 2 months ago...

“Yes generals is one of the most enjoyable games. It does not have a deep story or good background setup, but in terms of gameplay its great!!!!”

a2nt was the last to comment - 2 months ago... show previous hide previous

“C&C has a special place in my gaming heart. sniff. Check out:http://a2nt.gamerdna.com/game_post/86W9J5y/why-bumping-with-bulldozers-is-a-bad-thing-for-a-5-year-old
”

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: TheCroMagnonMan

“The game that started it all.”

created 08/AUG/2009

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: searanox

“Classic RTS that expands on the original C&C by offering more diverse units and play-styles. Although it's fun, and the single-player mode is worth a play, the game is extremely unbalanced, with Soviets easily trumping Allies. Freeware, so...”

created 17/JUL/2009

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: NotU

“This is my favourite game in one of my favourite genres, bar none.”

created 04/JUL/2009

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: kimny1

“SOVJET”

created 03/MAY/2009

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: Crushi

“What would have happened if Hitler had to die earlier? Right. The west powers fight the soviets. So take a look who wins. Tanja ftw”

created 01/MAY/2009

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (PC) by: Karr

“Chew on 'dis - cha ching! Who can forget Tanya, Tesla Coils and Mammoth Tanks - seriously? This was my first RTS suggested from a friend; totally enjoyed SP, Skrimish, and head-to-head with my brother.”

created 12/MAR/2009

Command and Capture! by: XyberDAWG

“Everytime I play an RTS I have this issue. Anything that can be Captured I will try and Capture. I try not to build many buildings except one main base. After that It is capture every possible...”

created 11/MAR/2009