A Review: Command And Conquer: Red Alert, PC 1996

Command and Conquer: Red Alert is an RTS game developed by the once-great Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive. Set in an alternate timeline where Adolf Hitler is erased from history and the USSR takes control of most of the Eurasian landmass. The player takes command of either the Allied forces trying to stop Joseph Stalin or the forces of the USSR and attempts to take over the last remaining countries in Europe. The player can directly command a variety of units and must build bases and complete a series of missions for their chosen faction in a real-time style of gameplay.
 

I have completed this game more than five times now across the PC and PlayStation ports, and I can say that I have enjoyed the hours I spent. I can remember playing the expansion packs too many years ago and also found those to be fun and enjoyable. Yet I am also aware that this game has its flaws and issues, and while I really like it, I can't let those problems go. The first and most annoying problem for me was the AI. It was either sharp and precise and made completing the various missions fun and engaging, or it was an ass that punished even the slightest mistake. If you weren't quite quick enough to get those all-important defences down, the computer would delete you from the map with a handful of units and a dirty smile. More than I care to remember, I also found the amount of resources on a map lacking, forcing me to rush the computer opponent much earlier than I would have liked. I recognise that the limited unit count missions were implemented to change up gameplay, but I found them to be stupidly hard at times. Meaning that I would have to get things perfectly right or restart the mission over and over, and this hurt my experience. I understand and accept that these missions were put into the game to diversify play, but did they need to be quite that hard? I also found that once you had a working strategy to deal with the computer, it offered little in the way of a challenge. Letting you copy and paste the same tactics to win got a little boring after a while. However, I really did enjoy the various units, and the inclusion of an actual navy and air force was a brilliant addition to the first game. I loved the Westwood vintage cheese in the acting for the FMV mission briefing sequences and was delighted that they were retained from the first game. The plot for each campaign was interesting and had some good twists and turns at the end, especially given that the plot was not the main reason for playing this game. I honestly felt that this series became my gold standard or yardstick for what an RTS should be.
 

The visuals are much improved from Command and Conquer, with fewer repeating textures and much more terrain variations. The rivers and seas looked great, and I really liked the amount of detail given to the mountains and hills that were on the maps. The objects and various structures looked good, and I liked that this game was a little less heavy with buildings on the maps. In some cases, I would have liked more, but it was nice to have larger areas to build into without getting hemmed in by an errant hut or house. The units looked awesome, and I loved the little animations given to the soldiers, tanks, and other crafts. The flying vehicles were nicely rendered, and each had their own shadows and perspective changes, which is something to take note of in a game from 1996. The snowy maps were nicely done and weren't just a blank eyesore, with texture and different compositions. The base buildings looked great, and the animations for the various turrets were very nice. I can remember being awestruck by the Tesla Towers the first time that I saw them go off. The menus and interface were very clean and retained that smooth functionality from the first game, and I liked the simple yet accurate minimap. This game really is a step up from the first.
 

Overall, I really liked this game, but I found that the issues that I mentioned earlier were far too persistent and that the game suffered from poor balancing. Still, I would wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone who loves a good RTS.




6/10 – Good Fun! 

Signed Off – Leonardo – PSJ


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