Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Review

For PC

By Contributing Writer Chris George

Rating: Good
   After the major disappointment that was Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, 
I wondered how Westwood Studios could possibly get out of the hole it dug 
for itself.  Fortunately, Westwood did things right this time with Red 
Alert 2, which returns the Command & Conquer series to its former position 
of glory.
   Given how pathetic the cut scenes were in Tiberian Sun, the most 
surprising thing in Red Alert 2 is the story line, which is the best I have 
seen in any real-time strategy game since StarCraft.  The game sucks you in 
with a perfectly-done introduction, followed by a plot that will keep you 
captivated until the very end.  The only thing I don't like about the story 
is that some of the actors (especially Tanya) seem to be having way too much
fun with their parts and often ruin an otherwise great cut scene.
   This game doesn't bring anything new to the genre in terms of gameplay,
but it tweaks the units and controls of past C&C titles to make it the best 
game in the series thus far.  The missions start out incredibly easy, but by
the end of the game they will have you grinding your teeth as they force you
to plan out every step of your strategy.  Even though the difficulty level 
can seem impossible at times, it never gets to the point that the game is no
longer fun.
   One of the most important things in any real-time strategy game is that
the units are balanced, and Red Alert 2 performs admirably in this area.  
Each side has its own original units, some of which are fairly basic and 
some of which are ingenious.  For example, the Soviets can utilize the 
familiar but still impressive nuke, while the Allies have the awesome 
weather generator.  It's also nice that you're given a chance to defend 
yourself from these two devastating attacks (thanks to a counter that starts
as soon as construction of them is complete).
   When you're done with the single-player campaigns, the best part of the 
game awaits you in multi-player.  What makes this game's multi-player modes 
stand above the rest is the huge amount of options and play modes.  One mode
that I enjoy in particular is the World Domination Tour, which shows you a 
map of North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia along with the territory 
that you control.  You and all of the other Allies (or Soviets) must fight 
for non-controlled territories in order to gain world domination.
   Even though Red Alert 2 appears to use the same graphics engine as 
Tiberian Sun, it has been tweaked and refined so much that it's far from a 
problem.  The graphics are actually fairly attractive, with impressive storm
and explosion effects to go along with solid-looking tanks and other units.
   Red Alert 2 has given me a lot of great memories, but it has also given 
me a few painful Tiberian Sun flashbacks.  If your units are being attacked 
by enemies that are fairly far away, they might stand there doing nothing 
unless you tell them to fight back.  Also, enemy units sometimes ignore you 
as you pass by them rather than trying to kill you.  Thankfully, these 
problems only happen occasionally and are the exception rather than the 
norm.
   For the first time since Red Alert's release in 1996, Westwood Studios 
has something to truly be proud of.  Red Alert 2 doesn't break any new 
ground in the real-time strategy genre, but it's still remarkably fun and 
the best RTS game released so far this year.

Send your thoughts on this review to chris@mastergamer.com

    
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