I haven't played many of
the Command & Conquer titles released since the
first. In fact, this is the only C&C title I've
bothered to play since the original. But now that I'm
beginning to play more in this genre, the C&C brand
has more appeal than any other. Not only in gameplay
depth, but the presentation and brilliant storylines as
well. While not the best place to start if you're new to
the genre, Red Alert 2 is perfect for anybody weaned on
Starcraft, AoE or Total Annihilation. Read on...
RA2's story happens right after World War II, when
Premier Romanov of the Soviet Union and his right hand
man/psychic co-coordinator Yuri attempt to overtake
America. Their attempts are about half successful,
because it isn't until they reach more than halfway
through the country that they meet any serious
resistance. The Allies, commandeered by a secret general
(you), build up a strong fleet attempting to thwart
Soviet efforts. The Soviets, also commanded by a secret
general (well, Vladmir too, but he's overshadowed by
you) attempt to overtake America and use their Psychic
beacon to brainwash every American into fighting for
their cause.
Both sides have their own campaign, each with thirteen
or so missions. Most of them involve killing every
single enemy unit, although there are other tasks like
protecting a unit or structure. Certain missions limit
you to a small number of units and ask completion with
those, while others may allow you to set up a base and
broaden the options.
No matter the limits, the game is still incredibly fun,
and even (somewhat) challenging if the proper difficulty
setting is chosen. While it won't test your skills as
much as some of the online opponents will, the CPU still
provides a solid challenge through its constant swarms
of enemy units. Heck, sometimes the AI will even take
the time to build up a decent force before attacking.
The package is separated into Single Player and
Internet. There's also a LAN option, but I haven't tried
it so I won't comment there.
Single Player is where the two Campaigns (and a Skirmish
mode for trying out online maps) can be found. It's
self-explanatory. Then there's the Internet option that
has the Custom Match and Quick Match. If you've ever
played an RTS before, Custom Match will feel right at
home. Its the bulk of online play, allowing you to fully
customize a match, although it won't count in terms of
rank. Quick Match on the other hand is for building up
rank. QM is entirely randomized. Here, you and a random
opponent fight on a randomized map, with no starting
units, and the sides are also randomized. The winner,
which is usually decided within a few small moments
(unless you have the sense to build a pill box) moves up
in rank depending on the player he defeated's rank and
his own, and the points accrued in battle.
It all boils down to what kind of player you are with QM
and CM. Some players prefer longer games, on bigger
maps, with more ore/oil, with some starting units. If
you're like that, Custom Match is for you. Rushing is
really an option in either mode, but I find it's more
prevalent in Quick Match. This is probably because the
maps are smaller and most players don't make any defense
at the start.
One of the best aspects of RA 2 is the units. Before I
get to the good, however, I'll address the one flaw here
regarding the balance between both sides' units. The
Soviets have a definite advantage, at least in Red Alert
2 (it's different in Yuri's Revenge) over the Allies.
Their Conscripts are more powerful than the Allied GI,
Rhino Tanks make Grizzly's look like a joke, one
Apocalypse Tank could tear through four or five Allied
Prism Tanks, etc. Seapower isn't much different. Allied
Destroyers, while their Airplane bombing is pretty good
against a Typhoon sub, it takes forever to reload. The
small advantage here is that Destroyers can attack land,
but their ability to do so is limited to a small area
from the shore. Really a pointless feature of this unit.
A mass of Destroyers could not take a mass of Typhoon
subs, and sadly what most scenarios involving the two
sides on sea look like. Also, the Allied Aegis Cruiser,
which is easily the best overall anti-air unit in the
game, can't attack enemy sea or land units, unlike the
Soviet Sea Scorpion which can, leaving it vulnerable to
death by even the weakest opposition unit.
Although that definitely does not mean that the Allies
can't stand up to the Soviets. They have a slight
disadvantage, but is only slight. I've seen far worse.
It should be noted this problem is rectified (or should
I say, reversed) in the expansion pack.
One really cool thing about the environment maps in RA 2
is the level of interactivity. You can garrison
buildings with basic infantry units, hypnotize
pedestrian vehicles with the Soviet Psi-Corps Troopers
allowing you to safely explore the Allied base, and of
course, destroy almost anything you want. Some natural
barriers can even be made this way. Needless to say,
there's far more to do on these maps than in the barren
maps of Starcraft.
It would be kind of hard, much like in an RPG, to mess
up the controls in a Real Time Strategy title, which is
what Red Alert 2 is. That said, I've had no problems
commanding, selecting or otherwise controlling anything
that goes on on the map.
RA2 looks good for a game that almost never encounters
any slowdown. The game is entirely 2D except the CG FMVs
and live action shown in the intermissions. This and
Yuri's Revenge will probably be the last 2D C&C
titles, as Generals is going to be a 3D 3/4th RTS, so
enjoy this while you can.
Anyway, the level of detail is unprecedented. The
simplest and smallest of things are given a high level
of detail, and the units look amazing. This high level
of detail comes at a price - no unit has more than maybe
20 or 30 unique frames of animation, but I bet 99% of
players won't even notice that.
Red Alert 2 also features FMVs both in and between the
missions. These FMVs are live-action for the most part.
There's a few CG FMVs towards the end of the Allied
campaign but that's about it. The live-action is a mix
of campy B-acting and endless sexual innuendo along with
some jokes about Canada. Eh, we can take it. The thing
is, the producers were aware that they had no talent for
creating serious film, so they went with something that,
however bad it might be, is still charming, and even
better than the numerous attempts by other studios to
give games live action segments (RE).
On to the sound. Well, Red Alert 2 is great in this
regard as well. The rock music with those men shouting
opening the game matches the war setting almost too
well. Elsewhere, the music is okay, but you won't
remember it for any longer than you'll hear it. That's
not too bad - the unit voices make up for it. Not unlike
the intermissions, they good in that B-Movie way.
Overall: 9.3 / 10
What do I think of it overall? I'm not what anybody
should call a big PC gamer, but based on the many RTS
I've played, Red Alert 2 is second best behind
Starcraft, but number 1 in depth and presentation. I
suggest buying the Red Strike package, however. It has
the original and the Yuri's Revenge expansion pack.
Yuri's is in many ways a big improvement over Red Alert
2, and considering the score I'm giving this game, that
should say something.
9.3
