Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 (CCRA2) is a smashing reprise for Westwood Studios and their franchise, C&C game series. The elements within this real–time strategy game (RTS) are surprisingly easy to learn. Many RTS games possess command structures that are annoyingly complex and difficult to digest. Not so with CCRA2! What aids the gamer in learning the CCRA2 game system is a brief, but effective, interactive tutorial as well as a stand–up, printed command card. Within 15 minutes, you should become familiar enough with the game structure to enjoy a simple skirmish (read instant game) to further develop your skill sets.
The campaign game itself does require more game experience than the skirmish. However, after you have engaged a few scenarios, and as you build from easy to more advanced game play level, you should find the campaign a delight to confront. The campaign story revolves around the fact that the United States is under attack by the Soviet Empire. Yes, time has been turned backwards, for there has been no glasnost, there has been no capitulation of Mother Russia — Russia remains a leading world power and, finding no enemies to halt a westerly expansion, they engulf the countries that border the Atlantic Ocean. Then Mother Russia seems to become a rather peaceful country — unfortunately for all, one Alexi Romanov is now the leader of the new Soviet Empire, and his hatred of the Allied Powers eventually manifests itself with a direct attack on California, Texas and New York by Soviet forces. Secret tests by the Russians have resulted in them developing a number of new weapons, including giant squids and mind control. And you now find yourself either fighting to expel the Russian invaders from your country, or becoming the leader of the Russian forces in their attack upon the United States.
Let’s start with the skirmish mode. Everything you learn here is applicable to the campaign game in one way or another. Within the skirmish mode, though, the campaign backstory really has little application. You select the forces at your disposal and against whom you shall fight. There is a variety of options available to you, such as deciding which country you wish to become, whether random (power–ups) crates appear, whether or not to allow your MCV to be repacked (for base mobility), and whether or not super weapons should be allowed or disallowed. Once you have determined your basic play entitlements, including which country you wish to become and how many countries you wish to battle against, you’re off and running into the combat arena on the map of your liking (or a random map that has been generated for you by the game).
Within the skirmish mode you learn quickly about the various units you may use. All forces start with their own version of the the Mobile Construction Vehicle, otherwise known as the MCV. From this unit all building does flow. Once positioned in an appropriate area, you simply double–click on the MCV and the unit becomes a construction yard, which you will see happen with an animation revealing the unit disassembling that then becomes the construction yard. At this point, and every time a new building is constructed, a variety of new buildings are revealed in the production menus located on the right side of your screen. For example, once the construction yard is complete, the only operation available to you at this juncture is to build a power plant. These are critical structures that are extremely necessary — to not only ensure you move toward the next building construction level, but they also empower what you build from this juncture onwards.
Once the power plant is situated on your map (you select its proper location), you can then build a refinery or barracks. The former produces the chrono miner which automatically searches for ore and transports such back to the edifice for refining into money. Money is needed to build anything, so management of this resource is critical to your long term success and helps to build your foot forces, from soldiers (grunts) to engineers (needed to repair damaged buildings or to "capture" neutral or enemy buildings) to more advanced units such as jet–pack powered rocketeers and spies.
As buildings are constructed, additional capabilities become yours in the production menu. You’ll find a humanoid icon that offers you your military combat arms, while the liquid symbol brings you such goodies as a battle lab, or its equivalent, or more powerful defensive and offensive capabilities.
The technology tree arising from the refinery and barracks buildings finds a factory which can build armored vehicles, ships, even your air force. On the barracks side, you are able to construct air and land defenses as well as other mobile units, or stationary emplacements, that could halt or slow enemy encroachment into your territories. What is unique with the Westwood resource management model is that such is accomplished quickly and easily. You either have the money to build, or you do not. You don’t have to access a variety of sub–menus to produce the exact elements you need. Such assists greatly in ensuring fast game play (yes, you can alter game play speed through the options menu) and you can then focus on your strategies for combat and territorial acquisition or defense.
A variety of tactics may be employed in the building process. Perhaps you are of a mind that you should build whatever is readily available to you early in the game and then swamp immature enemy bases with such elements. For example, one of the earliest structures that can be constructed that builds offensive forces is the barracks. By generating dozens of foot soldiers early in the game, perhaps they could then rush the minimal forces presented by the enemy, who instead of focusing on a single element is going all out, building whatever is necessary to reach advanced construction capabilities. This can work — it certainly did for us — but only if you happen to find out what sort of force you oppose. If you have selected random enemies, rather than specific forces you wish to fight, you really don’t know what they might have accomplished in their territories. There’s really nothing quite so upsetting as having a force of 30 soldiers encounter six or seven pillboxes, sentry guns, and Tesla coils or Prism towers protecting their base!
Although we do have a problem regarding how the cash is acquired (gems and gold just lying about, above ground? Take me there!!!!) to create your buildings that produce the units that provide you with your success. But once game play starts and you expand beyond your basic defenses, the game is fast and furious. Thankfully, you may assign group command numbers to groups of like– or dissimilar units using your one to nine number keys for quick access and subsequent orders. We also thoroughly enjoyed the ability to save a game at any time, as well as how various units can work together to offset enemy configurations. For example, if you play as an Allied force, you decide to build an Airforce Command. This structure houses Harrier jets and enables radar — you can see what’s coming in at you as such leaves the areas of fog–of–war. (Of course, you can have your Harriers fly through unknown areas to reveal what may be present in those previously–hidden locations.) And let us also assume your are far enough along in your building to enable your barracks to issue rocketeers. However, both of these flying forces are susceptible to the likes of flak cannons, flak troopers and flak tracks. Therefore, in order to attack a base using air power that has such defenses, you will also require the use of ground forces to remove such obstacles. Then, you can apply your flying force quite effectively against important buildings that are responsible for creating enemy troops and other technologically–advanced units. As you can see, the permutations of various force applications can become quite varied and highly interesting.
With the campaign game, you play as the United States. You are involved in a number of pre–set scenarios that require you to remove Russian forces and technologies from the United States. You are occassionally offered reinforcements at specific points in the game. Plus, you may face scenarios within this campaign that are regulated by a strict enforcement of a time limit. Thoughtful strategy can overcome each and every Russian obstacle, but you may find that you need numerous saved game reloads as you attempt to win this difficult portion of the game. Best advice here — save whenever a modicum of success has been yours. This way, should you find yourself defeated or taking damage that would prohibit future success, abort the mission! Take a breather, think about what has confronted you, and then re–enter the campaign and try, try, try again.
An element that I do wish was available is a way to access one of the control–number–assigned units when away from their location on the map. Say, for example, you have to rush to your headquarters base (using keyboard command "H") to assist in a defense against an attacking force. Once [hopefully] repelled, you now have to return to your far–flung unit. There seems to be no key command that will take you directly to their location. You have to either try to locate their position in the mini–map, or scroll laboriously across the main viewscreen until you find them. If there were a better locator control key, troop command would be highly facilitated.
Other meritorious features include the ability to play CCRA2 online or via LAN (what serious game these days wouldn’t support such capabilities?). Naturally, Westwood’s online game site is the preferred URL for such play. The game also incorporates waypoints — when you establish waypoints for selected units, they can be set–up as patrols to ensure enemy encursion is noted long before you start losing valuable units. We also found the ability to "capture" vacant enemies or neutral buildings using your engineers is a superb addition to the game. There’s nothing finer than to take over an enemy war factory and start producing additional armored units to aid your cause. You can queue your build requests so your factories and other unit producing buildings can continually pump-out your war needs when your resources allow — no need to continually check and re–check build cycles and waste your strategic time with such work.
CCRA2 offers series fans yet another reason to become vocal proponents of Westwood products. CCRA2 has also been designed so well that this title should surely entreat new gamers into this RTS world. That is how franchises continue their presence, by offering solid fans additional game play and new gamers a great new environment within which to become familiar, enticing them to try the entire line of products they may have never previously considered. We heartily recommend CCRA2, a great RTS treat that will definitely enhance your holiday season. Just don’t forget to maintain your power! There’s nothing worse than to have finally reached a stage where you have adequate Patriot Missile units to defy the enemy jet raids, only to lose power and not have the ability for these units to take down an incoming raid! Talk about slapping yourself upside the head! So easy to forget, yet so critical to your success.
"Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 is positively excellent!"
