I prefer the Command & Conquer: Red Alert games to the mainline series. It doesn’t follow one timeline, as each entry feels like the developers are saying, “Or Maybe this is how it could’ve gone. While it would’ve been nice to see how the first game would be incorporated with the main series, I like the multiple-timeline approach.
I love the story. In some ways, it introduced me to the alternate history genre. It isn’t an amazing story, but at the time, it blew me away; I was 12 years old when I first played the game.
TLDR: I like the Command & Conquer: Red Alert games more than the mainline series.
Narrative
This is an alternate history story. This means that there was a point of divergence that split the timelines. In this case, Adolf Hitler is killed by a time-traveling Albert Einstein. It is a pretty cool idea, and at the time, I had no idea that stories like this existed. In a way, this game introduced me to the genre.
This action prevented WWII but set the stage for the Soviet Union to invade Europe. So, we have a similar two-faction story in which The Soviets are fighting an Alliance of European countries. Throughout the game, there are hints that the Alliance turns into GDI and that the conflict was started by Kane from the Brotherhood of NOD.
Like the other Command & Conquer games, the story is told through live-action and CGI cutscenes. I love these campy cutscenes. They won’t win any awards, but they add a lot of charm to the game.
There are two endings to the game. For this playthrough, I was the Allies. This meant that the game ended with the siege of Moscow and Stalin dying. In the Soviet ending, the player learns that Kane planned everything. Nothing comes of this, but it is a terrific way to tie the two games together.
I like the story a lot. The first time I beat the game was as the Soviets. I’ll talk more about my memories later, but this is one of the more iconic games from the 90s for me.
Gameplay
I like the gameplay a lot. It is almost identical to the first Command & Conquer, but the units have been slightly shuffled around. This doesn’t mean the game has been balanced, and I think there are some issues with the units.
I want to bring up one thing. There is some talk of poison gas at the beginning of the Soviet campaign, but this never comes up during gameplay. I don’t think the game needed it, but it could’ve made for an interesting super weapon.
The buildings in the game are mostly the same for both factions. They have different looks, and a few faction-specific buildings and units appear as you progress in the game. Here is a list of the buildings (Faction Specific in Parenthesis):
- Power Plant
- Advanced Power Plant
- Ore Refinery
- Barracks
- War Factory
- Radar Dome
- Silo
- Tech Center
- Service Depot
- Naval Yard (Allies)
- Submarine Pen (Soviet)
- Flame Tower (Soviet)
- Pillbox (Allies)
- Camo Pillbox (Allies)
- Turret
- Tesla Coil (Soviet)
- Kennel (Soviet)
- Chronosphere (Allies)
- Iron Curtain (Soviet)
- Nuclear Missile Silo
- Anti-Aircraft Gun (Allies)
- SAM site (Soviet)
- Gap Generator (Allies)
- Barbed Wire (Soviet)
- Sandbags (Allies)
- Concrete Wall
The Allies were given an extra defensive structure. However, the Soviets have the stronger one in the Tesla Coil. This is one of the examples of a tit-for-tat system where the two sides have advantages and trade-offs. The Allies have a gap generator that hides what is happening in their base, and the Soviets have a Tesla Coil that is highly effective against all land-based units.
The units are similarly balanced. There are faction-specific units as well. Here is a list (Faction Specific in parenthesis):
- Rifle Infantry
- Rocket Soldier (Allies)
- Grenadier (Soviet)
- Engineer
- Attack Dog (Soviet)
- Spy (Allies)
- Flamethrower Infantry (Soviet)
- Shock Trooper (Soviet but only in Aftermath Expansion)
- Thief (Allies)
- Tanya Adams (Allies)
- Field Mechanic (Allies but only in Aftermath Expansion)
- Ore Truck
- Ranger (Allies)
- Light Tank (Allies)
- Medium Tank (Allies)
- Heavy Tank (Soviet)
- APC
- Artillery (Soviet)
- V-2 Rocket Launcher (Soviet)
- Mobile Radar Jammer
- Mine Layer (Anti-Tank for the Allies and Anti-Infantry for the Soviets)
- MCV
- Mobile Gap Generator (Allies)
- Chrono Tank (Allies but only in Aftermath Expansion)
- Demolition Truck (Only in Aftermath Expansion)
- Phase Transport (Allies but only in Aftermath Expansion)
- Mammoth Tank (Soviet)
- Tesla Tank (Soviet but only in Aftermath Expansion)
- M.A.D. Tank (Soviet but only in Aftermath Expansion)
- Chinook Transport
- Hind (Soviet)
- Longbow (Allies)
- Yak (Soviet)
- Mig (Soviet)
- Transport
- Gunboat (Allies)
- Destroyer (Allies)
- Cruiser (Allies)
- Submarine (Soviet)
- Missile Submarine (Soviet but only in Aftermath Expansion)
The Soviets have better air units, while the Allies have better naval units. This would change a bit with the Aftermath expansion, but things were still unbalanced. Some units were available to both sides in multiplayer.
The focus of this game is ground combat. While there are naval and air units, they are limited and unbalanced. The Allies have better naval units, which are rarely needed, and the Soviets have more effective air units.
This is still a step in the right direction, but retrospectively, it is a little disappointing. At the time, I didn’t think anything of this. It was a fun game to play back then and is still awesome today.
Things would change a lot from this game to its sequel. I’ll save that for another time. For now, I like the gameplay a lot. I’m not all that great at the game, but it is a ton of fun to play.
Visuals
The game looks almost exactly like the first Command & Conquer. I don’t think this is a big deal. I loved how the first game looked, and this is awesome. If there is one fault with the game’s graphics, it would be the camouflaged pill boxes.
I know, whining about something that has “camouflaged” in the name is ridiculous, but it occasionally became a problem for me. You need to destroy all enemy units and buildings to win most of these missions, and the visuals sometimes don’t help you out.
I remember the above being an issue when I was younger, but I didn’t have an issue with it during this playthrough. It only comes up when you reach the end of a mission and must take out all the enemies on the map. Thankfully, the computer will usually sell all of its buildings and rush units to you, including its Ore Harvester.
There isn’t too much variety in the environments. The campaign takes place in Europe, mostly consisting of snow-covered maps and grassland. There are no mountainous or dense forest environments. There are also very few neutral units like in the first Command & Conquer.
The Soviet Units are in red, and the Allies are in blue. This seems like a simple thing, but it makes a big difference. You immediately know who is on your side and who isn’t. The only exception is the civilian/technician units. These rarely show up, are useless, and can’t be recruited.
Memories
This is one of the few games I remember playing online. It was a rarity for me when I was little; few people could or wanted to play online. Just describing it sounds like insanity when you compare it to today.
I used to play online with two friends. It didn’t happen often because it would tie up the phone line. This was in the mid-90s when the internet used to scream in pain as you logged on, and no one could call your house. I like how we use the internet today a lot more.
This was another game where you had to swap disks to play a specific campaign. Thankfully, this isn’t a problem anymore. However, like the first game, I remember being stuck with the Soviet campaign because that was the CD my brother borrowed.
It feels weird to describe this sort of thing. Nowadays, none of this is necessary. It is easy to play online, and you can download the full game without disc swapping. While I like the games of the 80s and 90s, it is a little ridiculous to pretend that everything from that period was excellent.
9/10. Command & Conquer: Red Alert has several minor flaws that reflect the slow evolution of the RTS genre. However, it is a big step forward from the first Command & Conquer game.
Pros
- Great Story
- Simple controls
- Great Gameplay
Cons
- Only Two Factions
- Weak Selection of Air Units
- Limited Naval Units
- Annoying Unit Recruitment
Conclusion
This is the start of my favorite part of the Command & Conquer universe. I played the Red Alert games more than the mainline series. I missed the second game in the mainline series because I was obsessed with Red Alert 2.
Thankfully, EA didn’t ruin this part of the series. Each one is campy and fun. I don’t like the third game as much, but it is still fun. The first Red Alert game is fantastic! It was a natural evolution of the first Command & Conquer game.
While I have many memories of this game, I like the second Red Alert game more. I also like the first game more than Warcraft, Warcraft 2, and Command & Conquer. Dune 2 is awesome, but most of the reason that I like that game is because of the books.
The First Command & Conquer game is worth revisiting today. Although many other strategy games have come out since 1996, the Command & Conquer series has had an extensive influence and is critical for the RTS genre.