Command and Conquer: Red alert was the 1996 sequel to the real-time strategy game Command and Conquer developed by Westwood studios. While more successful on the PC due to its modding and multiplayer accessibility, the PlayStation version was still a reputable port, keeping the core elements intact.
The game takes place in an alternate 1940s where the united states army enlists Albert Einstein to create the Chronosphere, A time traveling device conceived to assassinate Hitler in 1924, after He is released from Landsburg prison. While doing so succeeds to circumvent the rise of the Nazi regime, one detail is overlooked: The Nazi’s influence on the Soviet’s military expansion. Now living in 1940s even further than the original visions of World War II, the Allied forces must now contend with the incessant assault of the Soviet Union, a now inconceivably stronger threat than the Nazis.
The game contains two disks that both represent a respective team; Allied or soviet. Allied are the token protagonists of the game and utilise a wider array of arsenal, while not as outwardly strong as soviet, are better for tactical endeavours as well as cheaper for fast economic deployment. The Soviets, while less varied and more expensive, have a fierce and robust arsenal that gives no quarter in disposing the opposition; make them ideal for newer players.
One of the major improvements over the prior RTS franchises from Westwood would be the interface. The interface is so neatly packaged it makes the game very accessible to newer players. The single window tab in the right hand corner of the screen consolidates all gameplay options very clearly.
The variety of units available are plentiful and each with its unique function to serve a particular role. They vary from turrets placements to hold off enemy assaults, foot soldiers for economic deployment, as well as heavy duty vehicles to transport troops or provide heavy artillery. Each unit have their own varying strength and weakness as well as being effective for situational use.
The main story line has various mission styles that vary from search and destroy, rescue a key figure or destroy an enemy transport routes. The mission lengths can vary, some lasting five minutes while others can effectively last for over an hour.
For the most part the gameplay is solid but has a few problems. AI can be suspect at times, where positioning your troops can be troublesome if they get confused on traversing through map layouts and instead get lost.
The Difficulty in the storyline missions is also very jarring, as missions vary from being way too easy to being mercilessly hard. While trial and error is encouraged for these missions, a steady gradient of difficulty would have been preferable as opposed to an erratic flux that can take a player off-guard.
While other games have since advanced the formula, Red Alert sets the standard that heavily influences RTS games today and is enjoyable with simple yet with tightly packaged gameplay.
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