Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (PC) > Reviews > WW3 possibly

Author's product rating:   

Playability & Enjoyment	A good game - playable and enjoyable
Graphics	Good
Sound	Not bad - needs improving
Difficulty & Complexity	Average - suitable for most

Advantages:	Some improvements over the older ones
Disadvantages:	Just another rehash of C&C

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Command and Conquer Red Alert 2 is a real time tactical combat game. You control units on a battle field and establish bases to build and support those units. You can play on one of two sides. You can play on either the Allied Side or the Soviet Side. Each side has their own weapons and units and each side has a different strategy that is needed to win the game.

The story line is that the Soviet’s launch a massive and I mean massive attack against America, it is all controlled by a character called Yuri (probably spelt different) who is mind controlling the Soviet premier. The game takes place in America and later Europe as you push the Soviets out of America and peruse them across Europe.

The Soviet have very powerful weapons but the Allied have access to more information, such as a Spy Satellite which reveals the entire map so they can see enemy bases. Once you select your side, you begin your campaign. A campaign consists of many different missions, each with a different objective. In one mission you may have to destroy all enemy presence in an area, but in another you may have to just spy or get a special unit to the enemy base. Each side has different missions. The single player game is limited to doing each mission after another. You will find that there is not much effort needed to win the game.

Command and Conquer Red Alert 2 also has a multiplayer mode, in which players can battle each other. When you are playing a multiplayer game, you select a country instead of a side. Some countries are on the Allied side and some are on the Soviet side. Each country has its own special weapon. France has the Grand Cannon which is a giant defensive gun that takes down incoming units easily. Russia has the Telsa Tank which zaps bolts of lightning at enemy units, best of all England has snipers that kill infantry with out breaking a sweat, a couple of these sitting there can desecrate any infantry offensive. Red Alert 2 also has different game modes, such as Unholy Alliance, in which players can build both Allied and Soviet structures and units. Red Alert 2 also comes with a wealth of maps, and as if that's not enough, you can also generate your own maps with the built in random map generator.

If you don't have anyone to play with you can play the game in skirmish mode, which is like multiplayer, only you are playing against the computer. Not all game modes are available in skirmish however. This is good for practice as human opponents are much tougher. A small problem with the skirmishes is that the computer enemy gangs up on you, but I think this has been readdressed in a patch.

This game includes support for Westwood's online gaming service, Westwood Online, ensures that you will almost always have someone to play with. Just sign up for a user name and you will automatically be able to play games across the world at no charge. But you need a better connection then 56K with a 2 hour disconnect. It's completely free! It keeps track of statistics such as how many times you have won and, in my case, lost, which is the bigger number of the 2, as well and you have chat rooms where you can discuss games and game options. One thing that I do not like however is the fact that Westwood Online, or WOL doesn't work with routers, think this has been readdressed with a patch as my friend and myself use an isdn router and now it works, ish. Play online and prepare to loose as the people out there must live this game as my friend an I were together and we attacked one other person at the start of the game, so we outnumbered him 2:1 in the starting units but somehow he managed to beat all of our units!

The graphics engine in Command and Conquer Red Alert 2 has been improved. The units appear much bigger and the graphics are more realistic. Lots of features that Tiberian Sun was criticized for and for not having have also been added.

Tactical commands such as having teams have been added and there is a new bar at the bottom of the screen with the new commands, these include the ability to set waypoints for your units to patrol, you also have the ability to select the gathering point for the units that come out of the factories. Also, units are now divided up into four categories. Buildings, Armoury, Infantry, and Vehicles, this makes it easier to find the object that you need to build. The General Buildings tab contains regular buildings such as your everyday power plant and barracks. The armoury tab contains offence and defensive structures such as Telsa Coils and Spy Satellites. The Infantry tab contains "people" units or units that walk around like snipers and dogs and the vehicles tab contains tanks and mobile construction vehicles and also the best units in the game, well I find they are the air force.

My opinion on this game is that although there is some new additions to it and the graphics have been greatly updated from C&C it lacks the game play that C&C has. It’s a good game but it’s just a rehash of C&C. I would rather play C&C than Tib Sun or RA(2) as they all have lost something over C&C. If you want a good looking RTS game that is not too hard to finish and allows you online play then RA2 is the one for you. It still contains the cut scenes that C&C was good for and these still help to bring the story across.