FanBoy vs FanGirl: December 2012

***Note: This review is for the complete version found in the Command & Conquer The First Decade compilation and will include the Counterstrike and The Aftermath expansion packs***

After my review of GrimGrimoire i decided to continue with reviewing RTS games for a while, starting with my absolute favorite RTS franchises, Command & Conquer! Specifically the Red Alert saga first!

While not the first game in the Command & Conquer universe Red Alert is most certainly one of the most beloved in the series! Released in 1996 for the PC, Command & Conquer Red Alert took elements from it's predecessor and refined them to near perfection and introduced fans to a new realm of alternate history warfare in the C&C franchise!

The story opens in 1946 New Mexico. Albert Einstein has finished creating a time machine. With one goal in mind he travels back to Landsberg, Germany in 1924 just as a young Adolf Hitler was being released from Landsberg Prison. Einstein then shakes Hitler's hand, removing the would be dictator from existance and preventing the rise of Nazi Germany and ensuring there would be no World War II or Holocaust. This plan backfires however as without Nazi Germany to stand in his way, Joseph Stalin and his Soviet Union emerge as a threat to world peace. Stalin begins a massive conquest to stretch the USSR across all of Europe and Asia. To stop the Soviets all the European nations unite to form the Allies. In the 1950s, an alternate version of World War II erupts.

Characters from the Allies

General Nikos Stavros

Albert Einstein

General Gunter von Esling

Vladimir Kosygin(defected Soviet commander)

Tanya Adams

Characters from the Soviets

Georgi Kukov

Nadia Zelenkov(Stalin's wench)

Joseph Stalin(boooooooo!)

Radik Gradenko

Kane(the bald guy), Stalin's advisor and future enemy of the world(hint hint)

The premise may seem a bit campy at first but the developers did an amazing job bringing this alternate reality to life both in the cutscenes and especially in the gameplay! Even though tons of RTS games were released in the wake of the extreme popularity of the original C&C, Red Alert stood high and mighty above all the rest and with good reason! Using this alternate reality premise, developer Westwood Studios created two very distinct and highly balanced factions with tons of units to play around with. Some units and structures are more true to real world counterparts while other were clearly designed to make use of there respective factions personality. Some units and structures like rifle infantry and the construction yard are shared between the two sides with the only difference being the color scheme: Blue for the Allies and Red(shocker) for the Soviet Union.

Examples of Shared Units and Structure

Tech Center

Ore Refinery and Ore Truck

Rifle Infantry

War Factory

Construction Yard

The Allies are naturally the heroes in this game. Yet despite having the backing of multiple major world powers like Great Britain, Germany, and France the Allies tend to lean more towards the use of stealth, overpowering numbers, or highly advanced prototype technology in the fight against the Soviets. Allied defense structures tend to be a bit more sturdy than the Soviet's, like the camo-pillbox and turret. The Allies also make use of Einstein's brains to make some crazy technology to defend and attack like the Gap Generator(towers that cloak portions of your base) and the iconic Chronosphere(device that allows you to teleport one vehicle to a position of your choosing). The allies also have a varied arsenal of infantry and vehicles at there disposal. Rifle and bazooka infantry come standard but the Allies also have the field medic(heals all allied infantry) and the spy(infiltrates enemy bases disguised as enemy soldiers). And yes the spy does sound like Sean Connery :P. The Allies also have special ops soldier Tanya Adams(sexy) who can kill enemy soldiers in one shot and can destroy structures with C4. Allied vehicles are also quite varied but tend to go for more creative uses than straight up fighting. Allied units like the Light and Medium tanks are very reliable and useful but can' stand up to the nearest Soviet equivalent one-on-one. The off-set is that Allied units are cheaper than Soviet units and it can be very easy to mass produce huge armies in less time than the Soviet Union. Where as the Soviets tend to rule land based warfare the Allies rule the seas by having the most diverse group of naval units of the two factions. The Allied naval units are able to strike at sea, land and air based units and in the case of the Cruiser they can do some major damage!

Example of Allied Structures and Units

Apache Longbow

Rocket Soldier

Spy

Chrono Tank

Chronosphere

Gunboat

Gap Generator

Naval Yard

Mobile Artillery

Cruiser

Destroyer

Light Tank

Medic

Medium Tank

On the other hand, the Soviet Union uses overpowering weapons and violent tactics to achieve victory. Soviet infantry reflects Stalin's desire to dominate his enemies. Flamethrower infantry can kill groups of enemy soldiers in a single burst of fire, attack dogs kill infantry in a single lunge and can sniff out Allied spies. Soviet vehicles like the double-barreled Heavy Tank overpower weaker Allied vehicles and structures but cost more to make. The best unit for the Soviets however is the Mammoth Tank, able to overpower most other units and able to attack aircraft, nothing tops the Mammoth in my opinion! >D The Soviets make good use of aircraft as well with the use of the anti-infantry Yak plane and the anti-vehicle MiG fighter jet. Sadly the Soviets only have two naval units. The amphibious transport and the stealthy attack submarine. Soviet structures also make creative use of real world Russian inventions and weapons. The deadly and iconic Tesla Coil defends bases from attack, able to destroy infantry and light vehicles in one shot and causing massive damage to other units. the two super weapons used by the Soviets include the Iron Curtain(renders one building or vehicle invulnerable for a short period of time) and the Missile Silo(launches a nuclear warhead, I'm sure i don't need to explain what happens when it hits :P).

Example of Soviet Units and Structures

Submarine Pen

Attack Dog

Iron Curtain

MiG

Missile Silo

Mammoth Tank

Tesla Tank

Heavy Tank

Submarine

V2 Launcher

Tesla Coil

Naturally with there being two distinct factions, there are also two separate campaigns for each side. The mission design for each faction makes good use of each side's strengths and weaknesses. Allies tend to have hit and run missions as well as stealth and infiltration. Soviets tend to have missions involving destroying everything in sight. No matter what though the missions involving basic base and army building are still the most common and the most fun. Red Alert perfectly captures the feeling of being a commander as you build structures and units, scout the maps for enemy bases and formations, and collect ore. Battles can pop up just about anywhere and for any reason and it's the battles you least expect that can be the most exciting as you scramble to figure out what is going on and how to deal with the situation. The level design for the campaigns and multiplayer are quite good even by today's standards. Generally you fight in European forests and coastal areas or even island chains. Usually most areas are have simple forest green color schemes but some maps will include snow. Simple but effective. At max settings you really notice all the small details that went into the design of these maps. From ripples in the water against bridges and rocks to trees that will catch fire from any battles in the area, its these small things that help sell the atmosphere. Perhaps the most notable level design comes from Red Alert's indoor missions. While both sides have there own indoor levels the Allies have the most, keeping true to there hide and infiltrate style of warfare. While good and creative, definitely intense , these mission can be VERY annoying! Many involve stopping nuclear reactors or missiles from going off, meaning a timer is involved. For me I can't stand these missions! Not too good with timed missions. Overall though each campaign is insanely fun and filled with intense strategic action! The extra missions from The Aftermath and Counterattack expansion packs also add a great deal of fun with tons of brand new missions and units/structures to use for each side! Sadly the multiplayer is practically useless now and can only be really used in single player skirmish matches against the game's AI.

The games graphics, while showing it's age, still has a distinct 1990's charm to them and are still a blast to look at. Mostly sprite based, infantry tend to look....meh. But vehicles and structures still look great especially stuff like the Mammoth Tank and Chronosphere. Visual effects still look good as well whether your using the Chronosphere to teleport a unit or activating the Iron Curtain's ability there are fun little effects that liven up the feel of the game. Seeing the rings of a Tesla Coil light up and the whole screen flash for an instant when it strikes a tank with lightning never gets old! The graphics for the cut scenes are also pretty detailed even if they are showing there age a little. These scenes include showing the power of secret weapons to action packed battle scenes of Allied tanks rolling into Moscow. They definitely do a good job of showing pitched battles between two enemies! Perhaps the most distinct thing about Red Alert's cut scenes(and the cut scenes of the whole C&C universe for that matter) is the use of real actors and actresses for the game's major characters and adding them to computer generated backgrounds. This has become a staple of the series with the original C&C and still continues today and Red Alert was no exception. To be honest I find a sort of charm to the use of real people in these scenes and it surely carries with it a sort of campy '90's charm to it all. But that is not to say that the actors are bad at it. Most of them actually do a good job in there rolls especially the ones for Tanya, Nadia, Stalin and Kane. Everyone does a good job in there respective roles. It's a damn shame though that Kane did not get a more major role in these scenes.

As good as the graphics are, the sound design also delivers on all fronts! All your weapons sound as they should from machine gun fire, to the heavy boom of tank bursts, and the static sound of a Tesla Coil firing, every sound packs a punch and immerses you in the experience! Even better though is Red Alert's soundtrack! Red Alert includes some of the best music in the series and it is a blast to hear your favorite tunes while building bases and commanding armies! Units even have some fun and charming voice bits to them from the James Bond sounding Allied spy to the corny(but funny) sounding Russian accents to the Soviet units! Nothing was left out in ensuring Red Alert was an amazing game in all departments!

Command & Conquer Red Alert is pretty much everything a real-time strategy game NEEDS to be. Fun and full of intense action and great design! The two lengthy and fun campaigns will have you hooked as well as the interesting alternate history storyline!(Note: The ending to the Allied campaign is the true cannon end) Throw in tons of bonus missions and new units with Red Alerts two expansion packs and you have a strategy game that begs to be played time and time again! This is a classic of PC gaming!