![]() Even better was the simple-to-use interface, which allowed for queued commands, as well as control of multiple units simultaneously.Ĭommand & Conquer: Red Alert's sales numbers didn't quite match what its predecessor did, but they were still nothing to sneeze at. The pros and cons broke down further when split between countries, offering a deeper meta than anything seen in the typical strategy game at that time. This led to some exciting skirmishes when playing online, especially since players selected individual countries. However, their units are significantly more expensive, their vehicles are slower, and they have a much weaker naval presence. Meanwhile, the Soviets had greater defensive units, more powerful vehicles, and greater recon forces. In exchange, they had fewer aerial unit options, but more importantly, were at a distinct disadvantage when going toe-to-toe with the Soviets. The Allies were quicker, had more resourceful units, and could bolster their forces at lower costs. The game also gave both sides their own distinct strengths and weaknesses. In terms of gameplay, Red Alert further built on what Westwood Studios had put in place with the original Command & Conquer. However, it set the continuing standard for what full motion cutscenes should look like. It wasn't quite Tim Curry's time to shine yet. It's a fascinating plot, one that's bolstered once again by the Command & Conquer series' innovative cutscenes. World War II still took place, but now with Allied Powers banding together against Stalinist Russia. In Command & Conquer: Red Alert, the answer is that the Soviet Union rose to power much sooner under Joseph Stalin, seizing China, India, and Eastern Europe. This is where Westwood Studios would really cement the idea of an alternate future by posing the question: What if Hitler never came into power following the Great War? Red Alert explored the origins of the first game's conflict, centering around a clash between the Allied Forces and the Soviet Union. To go forward meant to go backwards when it came to Command & Conquer. So what did the team have lined up next? Seeing 'Red' With interesting new mechanics and a story bolstered by state-of-the-art cutscenes, this looked to be the start of a new franchise. The original Command & Conquer became a big hit on PC, selling one million copies in less than a year. "But Brett felt strongly that a contemporary war environment would be more accessible for most people so the game moved into 'modern war' and the C&C fiction began to take shape." "Command & Conquer was originally a fantasy game with wizards and warriors," Westwood Studios co-founder Louis Castle added. ![]() "We weren't exactly sure it would work at first, but when we had so much fun playing it in the office, we knew we were on to something." "I think the appeal was the combination of plausible sci-fi military units melded with the real-time aspects of Populous with a light splash of the unit progression found in Civilization," said Lead Programmer Joe Bostic (via CVG). The original C&C built on the foundation of many of the concepts established in Dune 2 and proved to be an exciting new endeavor for Westwood Studios. This led to the birth of Command & Conquer, which explored an alternate world devastated by two warring factions competing over control of a resource called Tiberium. ![]() Instead, the development team wanted to explore something new. Westwood wanted to build on those ideas further, but not through the Dune license. It utilized unit-based combat, resource management, and an isometric viewpoint. Dune 2, specifically, featured some mechanics that are taken for granted by some of today's RTS userbase. Prior to that year, Westwood was recognized for creating a pair of games based on the Dune license, which released on the Sega Megadrive. However, it didn't start off life as an original title. Westwood Studios released the original C&C back in 1995. The sands of timeīefore diving into Red Alert, let's look at the Command & Conquer series as a whole. Today, we're looking back at Command & Conquer: Red Alert. While there are many wonderful RTS games to be found in 2021, there was one title in the genre that stood out above its contemporaries in 1996. For today, we're taking the focus off of shooters and platformers and shifting gears to real-time strategy. We've looked back at how games like Quake, Super Mario RPG, Crash Bandicoot, Super Mario 64, Wave Race 64, and several other 1996 releases have impacted this great hobby. Gaming was being revolutionized in a number of ways 25 years ago. ![]()
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