Command & Conquer: Red Alert

I believe Red Alert is one of the few games of the mid-nineties that stood the test of time and that is still immensely enjoyable so many years after it's release.

Red Alert was released only year after the original C&C, having started out as a expansion pack but somewhere along the line Westwood decided to convert it into a full sequel. This shows because the 2 games have similar game-play, graphics and most of the units in Red Alert are exact copies from C&C. However where Red Alert manages to surpass it's predecessor is with the addition of much more interesting story lines, campaigns with lots of twists and turns, improved cinematic sequences and also a few interesting air and sea units which improves game-play.

The player can choose between the Soviets and Allied campaign, each side have different strengths and weaknesses, requiring the player to adjust his strategy to the suit his side's particular strength and weaknesses. The Soviet units are generally stronger, but more expensive and slower than the Allied units. The Allied units are quicker and cheaper, but lack the firepower of the Soviet units. The game is difficult enough to challenge the casual gamer and keep you entertained for hours without being frustratingly difficult.

An area where I believe the developers got it wrong was with the balance of strengths and weaknesses of the Allied and Soviet sides, the Allied units are simply not cheap nor fast enough to make up for their lack of firepower, a large Soviet tank rush would usually easily wipe their Allied opponents off the map. The dumb AI is also not much of an improvement from the previous game, and is actually quite easy to beat once you've got the hang of the game.

Criticisms aside, If you are a RTS game fan and never got round to play this game (which is highly unlikely) or just want to go for a trip down memory lane, this game will still be worth your money and time.

Rated T for Violence.

I played Command And Conquer Red Alert a couple of times at my neighbors house.THe game is very good for its time.It has top-down graphics like Postal and Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2 and the gameplay is awesome.This is the only command and conquer game I ever played.I'm not much of a strategy game fan.I'm more of a fighting and shooting game fan so I have not played much games like this.The game is very hard.You have some money to start with and you must choose things like battle stations,electricity stuff you will need to defeat your enemies.You send trucks to find gold as well.This game requires lots of thinking and strategy.Command And Conquer Red Alert is a fun but hard game and I recommend it to any strategy game fan.

8/10

The cutscenes in this game aren't anything to write home about. Unfortunately, given the limitations of technology and what could fit on a CD at the time, the film quality isn't the best. But none of that could stop the brilliant writing and performances.

The story is set in an alternative Soviet world- splicing futuristic war with history. It's amazingly done and quite gritty AND witty at the same time. In a way, this kind of storytelling was pioneering for its time as we are seeing more and more of this kind of narrative enter our screens.

Would recommend finding the cutscenes somewhere and watching, even if you aren't a gamer.

Red Alert was not just an incredible continuation to a great game but the underlying concept, of the Soviet Union under Stalin fighting against the European Forces was an important revolution in gaming history. The cinematics are of higher resolution and even better than what you saw in the previous game. While several units such as the Mammoth Tank made a reappearance, there are also plenty of new units including full compliments of maritime and air elements. The level design is even better than before. The best part of this game is however, the difficulty. Even under normal difficulty, it is very challenging.

This game is the prequel to the acclaimed Real Time Strategy game of 1995, Command & Conquer: Tiberium Dawn, it details the forming of the GDI and NOD forces and an alternate reality in which Hitler never rose to power, a more sinister force emerged, Stalin, and now he is marching across Europe.

I love the series and if we are talking about the movie sequnces, then it's great, the acting is spectacular and all fits in well in the story, even though it won't mean nothing to you if you are not playing.

Joseph Kucan is a great actor and I hope he won't turn to the big screen because there are Places to go, Buildings to raze.