Customer Reviews

Command & Conquer: Red Alert (Jewel Case)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This isn't the first, or latest or even the best Real Time Strategy game ever made, but it's perhaps the best first game for those new to the genre. In RTS, you build up both an army and the industrial base with which to create the army. There is some valuable resource (here, the famed "Tiberium") which fuels your war mchine and that of your opponent. The inherent unrealism of RTS - you build the base and the army not only in real time, but in a rather short amount of it - is more than compensated by the tenacity and resourcefulness of your enemy, the obstacles you face and the myriad strategies you must quickly use to overcome both. "Red Alert" is actually a prequel to "Command and Concquer" which pit the noble - if militaristic - Global Defense Initiative against the insidious cultish Brotherhood of Nod. In RA, we find the younger GDI facing a massive war machine fielded by Josef Stalin's USSR. How did that happen? What about WWII? Never took place - Hitler was some out of work painter and Austrian army vet when he died under mysterious circumstances after a 1924 meeting with somebody named Einstein. Now the Soviets and the GDI fight using weapons that vary between conventional and (by our standards) exotic.

In addition to your tanks, planes and ships, you must also contend with Tesla Coils (artificial lighting generators), chronospheres (remember the "Philadelphia Experiment"?) and the "Iron Curtain". You get to play each side, and must deal with each one's respective weakenesses - the allies are better represented on sea where their cruisers and gunboats annhilate russian subs; Russian MiG's, however, dominate the sky). Anybody whose RTS experience goes no further than "Dune II" (1992) best be warned - this is more than about tank-rushing. simply cranking out a dozen or so of your heaviest and most fearsome mechanized armored assets and sending them headlong at your enemy's weakest point is not the single strategy. As an exmple - one mission may have you decimate the GDI base on the other side of the river. However, there are no bridges (at least none that last very long). So you've got to build marine transports to carry your army across - but that requires a subpen. To protect your subpen (which is built on the water) and the transports when they're built, you'll need to crank out subs (which are inferior to the enemy's surface fleet, but remain the only real option). Also, your transports can only load and offload their cargoes on sandy stretches of shoreline - and the only non-rocky coastline just happens to be occupied by the enemy. The allies may also have spies - who can walk past tanls and soldiers without being spotted (only your canine units know when they're around), and the feared "Tanya", a sexy "Rambette" who can pick off scores of infantry like pigeons and responds with the appropriate "Ka-chinG!!!" with every kill. Red Alert is incredibly challenging, not infrequently frustrating and quite addictive. An extensive internet community exists for those with questions or those hungering for new missions. I ran the game on my P-166MMX with no problems. Those with more powerful systems may want to consider "Red Alert-2", but they'd be missing an excellent intro to the genre.

Red Alert Is a very good games, while the graphics may not be so good, but hey, its a old game.
Red Alert Is a very good RTS, where you build buildings for more units, war factories, yaks, Cruisers, Mammoth tanks, Light tanks, Helipad.... Very kool. In the game you collect ore by using ore miners, ore is your money. The more you collect and have, the better you can afford to build buildings and units. There is a good variety of units, yup. The gameplay is very fast, and exciting.. You have to use strategies. You can play the game on Westwood online with real people, though in online games its very vulnerable to fall by people "rushing" you with tanks. The story is interesting, though the mission briefings the actors and script is a little funny, cheesy. And the gameplay is not as balanced as other games, and it has its own small faults like every game does. So, I rate it 4 stars

...I have this game, it's a classic, and while I have played Starcraft, Warcraft I, Warcraft II, Red Alert 2, Tiberian Sun, the original Command & Conquer, Empire Earth, Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, all of these games' expansion packs, clones of these games, alterations of the genre like Myth I-III, Battlezone (but not Battlezone II, that wasn't as good as the original) I'd still have to say that I had the most fun playing this game of all of those other games. The focus now, sadly, seems to be on unit tactics. While fun, it never ever approached the level of fun or the need for nostalgia either(!) that was so well captured in this game.

The previous reviewer who said that today's RTS games are too slow was correct. Red Alert really was about fast-paced battles, and the computer AI was one of the best and perhaps the most fun to play. One on one skirmishes against the computer, if played correctly, could be over in 10 minutes. The speed of the battles and the huge armies that you could create were amazing. The huge armies were only so much fun back then because they were actually hard to get. Now they are so easy. You build base defense, wait for your queues to finish, assign teams to numbers 1-0, and then move in to destroy player x. I play Red Alert 2 on the fastest speed setting and even then, the games always last twice and even three times as long as old Red Alert games. The acting and the stories in the movies was even better. The allied side had more character to it, unlike the RA 2 allies, who seem as deep as a sheet of paper. I especially missed the soviet side, which had more sense of story to it and Nadia's "Thanks... I made it myself," line. It was also nice to be in an actual briefing room with your other commanders as it gave a sense of urgency and made you actually fear for your life at times, not knowing what was going to happen in the movies. In short, the movies had more story to them, they were longer, and the characters were so much more memorable and at times believable.

Superweapons were fun in the original RA, but now they seem corny in RA 2. As for unit tactics, you won't find them in this game but you'll find much more than that. You'll find battle tactics. Unit tactics, I think, were an effort to improve micromangement by making it more fun. And to some degree, it is, but it tires easily. That first big rush by the computer is something I miss a lot. The computer just keeps sending tank after tank after tank and you can never have good enough base defense. I also remember playing modem games allied with a friend of mine against the computer, and they were much more fun than any online games of Starcraft (which is separated into about 5 main categories: rush, normal game with limited resources, BGH with unlimited resources, role-playing game, and survive for x minutes while defending x structure) and much better than any game of C&C tiberian sun, red alert 2, etc.

Build queues, making individual units have special functions, and other things such as formation and unit behaviors are really quite crappy in comparison to the gameplay in this game. I still appreciate that stuff but I liked the urgency and fast-paced battles in this game.

I know it's not nostalgia either. The first RTS game I played was Warcraft II, and I played lots of modem games with that as well. I don't think a game developer has to do more than create a solid game for it to have an audience. The only other game I could place in this "holy category" would have to be half-life. Prior to buying half-life, I had played Quake, Quake II, Wolfenstein, Doom, Doom 2, Duke Nukem 3d, etc. These two games weren't the first, but they're definitely the most polished. If someone made a Red Alert with updated graphics, I'd buy it right away. That's probably the only thing that made me stop playing. Other games had better graphics...

If you don't play games on the internet, this review is pretty much useless, but if you do, please read on, since I have some (maybe you didn't know before) inside scoop on Red Alert with the great expansion back Aftermath.

Ok, you may ask yourself what I am thinking for writing the headline. But ask yourself this. What combat strategy games do we have today?
Yes, StarCraft is a great game, and surpasses this game in the mere fact that you have more options there. But, then again, the Westwood Tournament System is a delight, and free of charge. I have never really gotten Blizzards tournament system to work, and have found it complicated to get to grips with.

The follow up to Red Alert (2) is of course a lot better graphic-wise. The music in my opinion, is actually a step backwards since I think much of the music in that game is pretty annoying in the long-run.

BUT, that is just me mumbling about the cons, and odds of each of the games. WHAT MAKES RED ALERT SO MUCH BETTER? Well for starters, it is so well balanced. The Soviets have their might and power, while the Allies have their speed and agility. Have you tried this game on the internet? What a treat it is! If you haven't experienced it, you should. It really wakes a new adrenaline hormone inside the body, you know.. I've played the game on the internet for about two years, and never really gotten bored with it. Using the Q button to control tanks while shooting is a real must-learn if you want to get good at it, since using the X button really doesn't help much since all the tanks do is scatter instead of shoot. I am mentioning this, because they removed the fun Q button option in the second game, something I think is a bummer. Because then it's really just about building the biggest army, and attacking. Nothing about skill in the mouse control department: No dodging shots, like in the original beautiful Red Alert.

Oh, before I let you off, there is one more thing you SHOULD know. Aftermath is the expansion pack to Red Alert, and if you want to try it out on the internet, you really shouldn't be without it. It adds some nice new music to Red Alert, some great new units, and some more tweaking of the weapons and armour, balancing out the two sides even more!
THE ALLIES
* Gets a great Chrono Tank which can blow out any building within three to four shots.
* The field Mechanic repairs units!! So you don't have to drive your units to the repair bay each time. He also can take a few hits, but protect him just in case.
* Probably most importantly, the allied guns now do double the damage of what they did before.

THE SOVIETS
* Gets a Tesla Tank. These are really the teslas you are used to, but a little less powerful version on wheels. Pretty neat.
* Tesla Troopers, has an even smaller version of the same tech. Have many of these, and start a grill party.
* The Missile Sub is probably the most talked about addition since it makes the Soviets more capable on waters. Some say it ruins the balance of the game somewhat. I don't think so, but its up to you to decide for yourself on that subject.
* And last but not least the M.A.D tank. This one carries a shock wave dispenser which when activated does 1/3 damage to everything around it (on-screen.) This means, that if you have three of them, and activate them all at once. Whoops.. 100% (3/3) devastation man!

Plus, there are tons of new maps to use on the internet here too.

That was about it I had to say about Red Alert (with Aftermath.) I really can't recommend it enough. It truly is an amazing game! I play on the Westwood Tournament System as "Xanitra" so if you see me on the ladder, why not play me:) If you say you bought the game because you did read my review of the game here on amazon.com, I might just go easy on you, or even let you win:D hehehehe.. Well, why is Red Alert so much better internet-wise than all the other new ones I've played? The answer probably is; they don't make em like they used to I guess..Well, good luck with your choice in games.
Have fun

After the excellent Command & Conquer, I'd hoped Westwood would come out with something just as good as the original. As usual, I was wrong. While the story and FMVs are as good as ever, and there are plenty of units to choose from (including welcome sea and air units). There's just one problem to the game: IT'S A TANK RUSH. Prepare to test your "strategy" by seeing who can get more resources to fund medium tank production, because nothing else is worth building for the first 20 minutes. Unless you and your buddy are at the same skill level or you're playing a premade mission where the computer starts out with enough defenses to trash basic tanks, all you'll see is hordes and hordes of them. If you're not going to play this online and just want to try out cool missions, go ahead and buy Red Alert. Otherwise, get something worthwhile like Total Annihilation.

A truly quality game, RA has survived for years because of its gameplay and resale value. The second in the CNC series, it provides some WWII mayhem with a twist. That twisted NOD dog Kane has gone back in time, and from the opening screens you know you will be in your seat for a long time. It offers a skirmish mode, which the first one didn't, along with a map editor and two vastly divergent campaigns, Soviet or Allied. The cutscenes are of remarkable quality (the Stalin actor is dead-on). The story goes: Einstein's time research has led to the development of a time machine. He goes back in time and kills Hitler, but makes history worse, as Stalin and the Red Army now want their breathing room. A momentous game that spawned an entire genre of copycats, this game holds up still, and now it is being packaged with RA2, also a very fun game. Just get this game, it is great.

This is a good game but without the new vehicles it's a little tougher. If your a beginner, it takes a lot of practice to start getting it. The graphics aren't super great, but it's a great game. I would recommend checking out the expansion packs Aftermath and Counterstrike so you get new maps and vehicles. Or look at Worldwide Warfare which has all of these and it has C&C gold too.

This game is great it has good graphic. It is not like the boxy graphic. But it could be a little harsh for kids under 8 years of age. There is some killing and blood. It is war where you have to kill and destroy the other base. Tons a guns and rockets which can scare kids. I would recommand this game to all kids over 8 years of age. You must also have a good strategy and must think alot(so it is alittle educational). But it is a all around good game. so please consider this game.

If you are looking for an awesome strategy games with lots of action, Red Alert is the way to go. It has over 30 different levels of intense bunker-bustin', enemy whoopin', tank-shockin' action! This is a must own for all military and strategy gamers alike!

This Game Rocks!!!!IT rocks because when i played the Campaign it was hard and easy. Skirmishes are fun for Prcaticing aganst real people on the internet.