Command & Conquer, or "Kane lives in death!"

I looked around for a bit and couldn't find a thread on this series, which I found to be a ridiculous oversight. Even though my first strategy game was CyberStorm and my first RTS was WarCraft II BNE, the C&C series will always be considered my first. I remember going into a computer store to get a new mouse or something when I saw Red Alert on sale. I thought it looked interesting and took it home and my life was never the same. I still remember vividly waiting to get home from class to see if RA2 arrived, and getting pissed when Yuri's Revenge was delayed.

For me, I would have to say the allure was a mix of the well-developed gameplay; the slightly-scifi/anachronistic units, the scifi/alternate-history (nonlinear) storylines, and the FMVs. I know a lot of people hate the FMVs but for me they really defined C&C. That's part of the reason I don't like Generals - no FMV or any cutscenes at all, more generic game engine, more generic plot...not C&C in my book.

And now it looks like, despite rumors and possible glimpses at Tiberian Twilight and Red Alert 3, the franchise is over with. Westwood is scattered (with Empire at War being probably the closest new C&C we're likely to get from them) and EA is more interested in sports games.

The one C&C I never played with Renegade. I like FPS' and it had C&C characters in it so I have no idea why I never got it, but it now appears to be out of production, so it looks like I may have to look for used copies. Anyone played it think it's actually worth getting?

 

I also quite enjoyed the c&c series, although I'm not particularly good at rts games. RA2 & Yuri's Revenge are probably my favs. But there's something about the original too.
Renegade is well worth a play imho. It's quite fun but not too difficult.
I never got generals, didn't have the money when it game out and now that I do have the money I'm more into rpgs.

Still like to get them out and play every now and then though.
happy gaming General

 

Red Alert 2 is easily one of my favorite RTS games ever. I spent countless hours playing with my friends. I remember one time like 6 years ago when it was brand new staying up all night playing at a friends house. We played all night on his two computers. One of my friends kept wanting to go to sleep and my buddy shot back with "I'm building a Tesla Coil who can sleep!?!" I don't know why but thats still funny to me.

RA2 and Yuri's Revenge had almost perfect balance. No matter which side I played I was always happy.

 

For a while RA2/Yuri's Revenge were my favorites (even if load times were an impossible wait with my old computer after I installed YA2).

But now that I reflect on it, I think Tiberian Sun may have been the best. I'll have to reinstall them over the summer to see, it's been probably at least three eyars since I played any C&C game.

 

This thread got me interested in playing the original Red Alert again.

But it won't install on my computer because I've got XP.

 

Red Alert was my first PC game. Classic game and got me hooked on the series. RA2 was an even better game to me, played it for hours online and waiting for Yuri's Revenge (which was great)


RA won't work with XP huh? That's disappointing, but I'll find a way to play it somewhere.


I have Renegade and it's never been used. I have no desire to play the game (I don't even know where I got it) so it's destined to just sit in my bedroom for eternity

 

Hmmm, too bad about RA. Worst comes to pass, I'll bring to college next semester and play it on my rommie's retro-gaming setup.

I assume the later TS/RA2 games still work on XP?

 

There's a Command & Conquer: The First Decade pack out right now that contains every C&C game ever made. I saw it at Best Buy for only $20 and almost picked it up. I would assume that Red Alert would be patched for XP in that pack but I can't be certain.

 

Well, now Red Alert is patched for XP. C&C: TFD was released with all kind of bugs, glitches, errors and gremlins. The first patch came out not too long ago, though. It fixed all the missing Red Alert FMVs.

To hear other people talk, it's still all buggified, but other than the FMVs, I personally haven't had any other issues worth noting. *shrug*

Anyhoo, the Red Alert games (especially part 2 and Yuri's Revenge) get my vote as best of the series, but I like 'em all. Even Generals. Not particulary sold on C&C as a FPS, but it's not too bad.

 

I've heard a lot of bad stuff with The First Decade, besides the FMVs stuff like the RA/TS multiplayer being messed up and there being no manual. But that was before the patch. Didn't realize it was as cheap as $20, but since I lack a DVD drive it's a moot point.

 

I remember Command and Conquer, in the days when we first got our "modern" computer. How I actually passed the GDI campaign when I honestly didn't know to play these ganes is nothing less than miraculous, especially that last mission.

I could never get far in the bad side though. But that was so long ago . . .!

 

I've actually beaten Nod campaign in Tiberian Sun without using rules.ini. Honestly Tiberian Sun remains my favourite of the C&C game, although I do acknowledge RA2 being the better game.

 

Iv got two legs.

Renegade is a pretty damn good game for its time. You can get it from soldout software and other low budget game retailers. I got mine just before christmas from one of those retailers.

 

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely have to poke around for it.

I used to think RA2 was the better game, but it seemed that the cutscenes (vital for C&C) were of lower quality, the choices for missions were linear as opposed to being given several options; the gamep itself was shorter and the units not as diverse as the other games. Although some aspects of the gameplay, namely stuff you could do witht he civilians, was improved, I now feel that TS was truly the pinnacle of C&C.

On a bit of a side note, did anyone ever play Westwood's Dune 2, Dune 2000, or Emperor: Battle for Dune? They were essentially the same thing as C&C, although I've personally only played 2000.

 

I consider Red Alert the greatest real-time strategy game ever made. The original Command and Conquer is not far behind it, but RA is definately an improvement over it. Tiberian Sun and its expansion were both very good as well. Hard, but beatable.

Red Alert 2 is where it all started going downhill. Since when is a C&C game suppoused to be campy? Since when is a C&C game have linear missions? And since when is the game beatable in less than 12 hours? Sure, it's a fine game, but it's just... too silly. Same goes for Yuri's Revenge.

I'd be fine with Generals if they pulled the Command and Conquer tag from it.

Renegade is fine, though dissapointing. They promised a stealthy game with good graphics set in the world of Command and Conquer. What we get is a typical "kill-and-blow-up-everything-that-moves" game with so-so graphics and terrible AI that portrays NOD as some kind of cult. Ok, I can understand NOD becoming a cult in TS, what with Kane coming back from the dead and all, but not yet. Play it for the multiplayer, not the singleplayer.

 

There's a multiplayer mod called "Renegade Alert" that converts everything in Renegade to Red Alert units, so if you like the series you should try it out.

 

i hope EA does a good job with Tiberium Wars...

I realled liked the plot cut scenes in Tiberian Sun:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKy4BdOVsZI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r93c6qN9XyY&mode=related&search=

this one really stuck with me...and it also gave me nightmares sorta.

 

On the subject of Tiberium Wars, I was looking it up on Wikipedia and the FMV cast list made me nearly cry with joy:

-Joe Kucan as Kane
-Billy Dee Williams as the GDI commander
-Michael Ironside (V, SeaQuest, Starship Troopers) as a GDI general
-Josh Holloway (LOST) as a Nod officer
-Tricia Helfer (BSG) as "Kilian Qatar"
-Grace Park (BSG) as "Lt. Sandra Telfair"
-Actual CNN and Fox News reporters for in-game reporters

I'm guessing that the CNN person will be the GDI reporter and the Fox guy will be the Nod reporter. Also I'm betting that Grace Park will be the GDI "EVA" (a 'lieutenant' in the RA2 tradition) and Tricia Helfer will be the Nod one (a 'foreign' name in the TS tradition). Also, I find it funny that the guy who played Lando is taking over the position from the guy who voiced Vader.

Also they've hired people from MIT to serve as advisors, Tiberium trees from TS will be back, and it'll be pre-Generals gameplay and interface.

The only thing I cna complain about is that Frank Klepacki won't be doing the music. And no Udo Kier.

 

Is Kane the bald head guy in the games?

 

Yes.

 

Not to be confused with Yuri, the other bald guy from a Command & Conquer game.

 

This spring I bought the First Decade package for $20, and have since played almost all of the games. RA2 has been the most satisfying, however, and I just started the Allied Campaign for Yuri's Revenge the other day.

Renegade isn't bad, but it's just endless. Missions go on and on without end and it gets frustrating.

I played Generals, mostly in skirmish mode to see what it was about, but I'm still hooked on RA2 and Yuri at the moment.

I can't believe Inever played any of these games before!

 

I started playing Generals again over the summer. It's not as bad as I remember, although probbaly that's because I totally ignored single-player and just played multiplayer with a friend who also has it.

 

RA2 is far and away the best C&C game availible. And Yuri's Revenge only made it better. Nothing more satisfying than turning your enemies units into a group of Hulks and then have them tear apart his base.

 

I am still a hard core C&C the original lover I can still remember beating my head against the monitor after losing again and again and again........................ on... the commando mission.