Red Alert was an amazing game, and I also loved the original on DOS, as well as Dune 2. I am a huge fan of Westwood Studios, who began with Dune 2 and then created the Command & Conquer franchise.
A Look Back at Westwood Studios and Command & Conquer
Unfortunately, they were bought out by Virgin and then later by Electronic Arts, which led to the creation of Renegade, which was awful. After that, Generals was made, which I thought was fantastic. However, things went downhill from there, with Tiberium Wars and Red Alert 3 being particularly disappointing for me. Zero Hour and Generals, however, are the games I want to talk about.
The Standout Features of Generals and Zero Hour
Many people have their favorite Command & Conquer games, with Red Alert 2 and Command & Conquer Covert Operations being particularly great real-time strategy games. However, what I loved about Generals was that you played as a general, rather than just a country. The game featured the USA, China, and a terrorist Middle Eastern faction, with characters behind the armies who had different strategies. For example, in the China campaign, there were new generals with nuclear capabilities, nuclear tanks, and dragon tanks with flamethrowers.
Exploring the Arsenal and Units in Generals.
The game had a variety of things that were fun to play with, such as a good arsenal, ground and air units, and strong turrets with Gatling guns. The tanks in the game were formidable and had add-ons that could be researched to enhance their defensive or offensive capabilities. The Chinese tanks, in particular, had an add-on that was either a Gatling tower or a machine gun nest where troops could be placed. The enemy tanks, including those of the USA, also had add-ons. Overall, playing with these features was a great experience.
The Mammoth Tank was a powerful weapon to have. Its destructive force was comparable to that of a massive stone, equally devastating.
Zero Hour Maps and Multiplayer Mode
However, what I enjoyed the most about Zero Hour were the maps. They were fantastic, especially in skirmish mode. Looking back at the entire Command & Conquer series, I was always amazed by the first game as it was such a significant improvement from June 2. Once I got used to the concept of Command & Conquer, Generals gave me an ultimate rush, especially in multiplayer. I played it almost every night with other gamers, and it was incredible to limit nukes and super weapons.
The USA had some impressive capabilities in the game, such as the big ion cannon. There was also a terrorist organization that dealt in poison and other deadly substances. The game featured invisibility and general stealth, which were both significant strategic elements. In multiplayer mode, players could swap resources, assist one another, and play co-op against the AI. Although the multiplayer aspect of the game is almost non-existent now, the AI is formidable and challenging to beat. You need to be careful and use different strategies to counter its tactics. In skirmish mode, you can assign different leaders to change the gameplay.
The Importance of Strategy and Stealth in Gameplay
In the game, there were different types of strategic commanders, such as a tank commander, a new commander, or a stealth commander. You could mix and match these commanders and even have up to four players in co-op mode against the AI. I’m not sure if co-op mode still works, but I used to play it all the time when the game first came out.
Memorable Campaigns and the Chinese Faction
The campaign itself was about 15 hours long, and each faction had its own campaign, which was really cool. Personally, I loved the Chinese campaign because of their fantastic arsenal. Although the terrorists were incredibly powerful, I don’t think they were the most overpowered faction. I just enjoyed playing as the Chinese, and I liked their voices in the game.
The Charm of Classic RTS Games:
The polish to this game is brilliant, and it is still available in the vault. I’m not sure if it’s on GOG as well, but I think many gamers have played it. When I play modern RTS games, I feel they are lacking depth. However, when you play this game, you realize how much more profound these games used to be. Although the game is quite old now, it still has a lot of charm. I’m playing it in 4:3 aspect ratio, and it’s great to experience the classic feel of the game. However, I did find some parts of the game a bit odd, like putting tanks on a train. It makes me wonder how that could happen in real life.
Putting a tank in a cattle cart seems unrealistic to me, as the tank is bigger than the tree. It’s almost like a TARDIS trend! However, when it comes to the battles and sound effects, this game is excellent. You have to build a base like you do in every RTS game and manage your power levels. I particularly enjoyed that aspect of the game. You could sabotage your opponent’s power to shut down their turrets and then charge into their base. There were many ways to do this, such as sending sneaky stealth troops or talking to the guy in charge.
To defend against stealth attacks, you can have stealth detection towers around the base. If you see an enemy taking down the towers, you know what’s coming. Alternatively, you could go in through the air. What I used to do is use the Air Force to soften up the base. You get more than just an Air Force, you get bombers and petrol air bombs that were developed by the US. These huge bombs go off above ground and are devastating. You can also use carpet bombing like the Chinese, or send in multiple nukes. I usually turtle up and make a whole bunch of nukes.
Exciting Multiplayer Experiences and the Art of Betrayal
I remember one winter when we played a multiplayer game with four guys. I didn’t know three of them, but we were on the same team, facing four enemies. We were winning and they only had one guy left. It was exciting to see us all charging in, with me holding back a bit to mop up any stragglers.
They committed their entire force and I knew they would probably take out the last guy who had formidable defenses. And then, we just fumbled through the winter and leveled their base. It was a great feeling!
Although the enemy had formidable defenses, I decided to launch a tank rush with all of my tanks, including a large number of mammoths. Once I saw that they had taken out one of our enemies, I turned all of my tanks towards my ally’s base.
Using all of my nukes, I destroyed the enemy’s ability to make troops and vehicles. I reminded my allies that there can be only one winner, and then sent all of my tanks into their base.
Despite the abuse I received, my skill paid off and I was able to take out their base as well. It was a satisfying victory!
The other guy and I were the only ones left in the game, and the letters kept spamming ‘there can be only one, there can be only one.’ It was a fun experience, and I would love to do it again, but I don’t know if it still has co-op play.
Compatibility with Windows 10
However, if you’re looking for something to play over Christmas, this game works on Windows 10.
I’ve noticed that on certain maps, if you have a lot of tanks, the game can slow down a bit, but most maps run really well. It’s still a great game and a worthy addition to your collection if you enjoy RTS-style gameplay. You can build up your base, create units, and take over the map with a great campaign. There are three campaigns to choose from, and they all offer different challenges.
The Command & Conquer Ultimate Collection:
By the way, I’ll give you a rundown of the whole pack. If you want to buy the whole Command & Conquer pack, it includes Command & Conquer, Covert Operations, Command & Conquer Red Alert, Red Alert Counterstrike, Red Alert Aftermath, Tiberian Sun, Tiberian Sun Firestorm, Command & Conquer Red Alert 2, Red Alert 2 Yuri’s Revenge, Command & Conquer Renegade, Generals, Generals Zero Hour, Tiberium Wars, Kane’s Wrath, Red Alert 3, Red Alert Uprising, and Commander & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight.
It has every single one of them, and while we’re on the subject of Command & Conquer, it’s kind of safe to say that EA destroyed Westwood Studios. I don’t like giving bad reviews, but this is definitely worth a buy. It’s called Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection, and you can get it on Origin. It’s well worth the buy, and you might be able to get it cheaper elsewhere. It’s a game that I had to go back to for my retro reviews, and I couldn’t miss out on the Command & Conquer series. It’s just that good for real-time strategy.
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