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Introduction
Those who know me may, or may not, know that I am, shall I say, frugal. I like to make sure I get my money's worth when I buy something, and this is perhaps most apparent in games. Where better to look than the games of yesteryear? These games may be old, but there are still decent. The graphics may have aged, but the fun certainly hasn't!
History
In 1995, Westwood created Command and Conquer. And it was good. In 1996, Westwood created Red Alert. And it was brilliant. In 1999, Westwood created Tiberian Sun. And it was... okay. In 2000, Westwood created Red Alert 2. And it was great. In 2003, West... err... EA created Generals. And it was... different.
While the first four games were all recognisable as Command and Conquer, Generals changed the game - no real construction yard, no film sequences, and so on. So, while you could say that Command and Conquer and Red Alert have been succeeded by Red Alert 2, Red Alert 2 was never really succeeded by Generals.
And so we (finally) come to my point: Red Alert 2 is still an excellent game, without any real replacement (at the time of writing - Red Alert 3 is rumoured to be brewing at EA, although it remains to be seen whether it follow Generals or Red Alert 2.)
Red Alert 2
So. Red Alert 2. Where to begin? In case you've never played a Command and Conquer game before (Generals excluded), there are a few staple components, such as FMVs and Construction Yards. It wouldn't be Red Alert without Tesla Coils, double turreted tanks or Einstein. One thing you should note is that this game does not take itself seriously, as borne out by the overblown units and FMVs.
The premise of Red Alert 2 is simple. In Red Alert 1, Einstein decided that Hitler was a bad man, and went back in time to kill him, stopping World War II. But Stalin and the Soviets then grew to a superpower and promptly tried to take over the world. Naturally, they failed and the Allies installed a new, happy, smiling leader for the Soviets called Romanov. Unsurprisingly, he turned out to similar to Stalin (although, while Stalin was power mad, Romanov is just plain mad.) Result? War, and a fun game!
Many of the units are ridiculous and overblown, and are all the better for it. As the Soviets, you get the usual Tesla technology and double barrelled tanks. You also get Giant Squids, which grapple onto ships and can only be removed by Allied Dolphins. Similarly, on land, you get the Terror Drones. These small robots scurry around the battlefield and can jump inside vehicles and tear them apart from the inside. Because of the difficulty in removing them, and the fact that they can jump into tank after tank, they really do cause you some terror!
The Allies have their fair share of stuff too. Instead of Tesla technology, they get Prism technology - focusing light to blow up Soviets. Mirage Tanks pretend to be trees, while Chrono Legionnaires simply phase an enemy out of existence. The Allies also have the aforementioned Dolphins, and the ability to create some nasty weather - not just a bit of drizzle, but full blown electrical storms; and, according to some people, lightning hurts.
Both sides get the Attack Dog. It is interesting because it has the remarkable ability to consume a fully armoured solider in a single bite.
The single player missions are fairly varied, although the ultimate aim is generally the same (blow stuff up). The FMVs are enjoyable to watch, and you get some satisfaction in blowing up whoever was just threatening you. Although you could probably finish either of the campaigns in a weekend, they are still fun. One entertaining missions has you control some psychic soldiers in order to mind control the president (as you do), while another lets you turn the Eiffel Tower into a gigantic Tesla Coil.
You also get a huge range of maps to further hone your skills in Skirmish mode, and there are plenty of user made maps and missions out on the internet. If you have a LAN, it's great fun to play against your friends as well as on the internet.
Simply put, this is still a great game to play despite being five years old, and is an absolute bargain at £5.
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