Command & Conquer Remastered Collection – Review

The Command & Conquer series was pretty much the go-to RTS series in the 90s. The genre did have some competition with the early WarCraft games, the first StarCraft and perhaps even the almost forgotten Z and Total Annihilation. While Command & Conquer went for a slightly more realistic approach than these other aforementioned titles, the mechanics of both Command & Conquer and Command & Conquer: Red Alert were top-notch for the day and age they were released. They allowed for proper command of multiple units, had a lot of options, and even certain tactics that allowed you to take out simple grunts with vehicles. These two first titles have been digitally enhanced in the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection for our entertainment.

Story

While Red Alert and the original Command & Conquer are part of different series, Red Alert can actually be seen as the prequel of both games, as it takes us to an alternate Earth, where Einstein travels back in time to erase Hitler from the equation. Due to this, the Soviet Union rises to power. In Command & Conquer, however, a new resource is discovered, and it’s an all-out war between the allied forces and the Brotherhood of Nod, which is a terrorist organization that controls most of the new resource, which proves to be the most valuable item in the world.

The games are somewhat tied together, as one leads to the events of the other, at least, depending on which side of the fence you pick. If you finish Red Alert as the Soviet Union, this will flow back to Command & Conquer, otherwise, it will go to Red Alert 2.

Overall the story is well-presented with many different CGI and live-action cutscenes. These are sadly not that impressive to look at, as the CGI portions are dated and the live-action portions look really blurry. Nonetheless, for the time these games were released, they were quite impressive. The story itself still holds together quite well.

Graphics

The graphical prowess of these enhanced Command & Conquer games is pretty much amazing. The pixilated images (which you can still view) have been replaced with crisp and detailed unit models, nice looking buildings and detailed maps. Of course, the graphical style still reminds of older games, but everything looks amazing. We were thoroughly impressed by this remaster, as it clearly wasn’t a lackluster job.

The only negative remark we have is that the cutscenes look extremely blurry. Of course, in terms of graphics, these haven’t aged well, but even the live-action cutscenes look as if there’s a certain blur present at all times. While it’s still fun to rewatch these old movie clips, something feels a bit off.

Sound

Even after all this time, and even with a few tracks rerecorded, the sound design of these two old games was simply amazing. All units give proper feedback, and while their lines may be short and repetitive, it still gives you a certain satisfaction hearing the soldiers’ shoddy accents while executing your every command. The cinematics are also properly voiced, which is also a great feat for games from the 90s.

The soundtrack is probably the best thing these games have to offer in the sound department. Heavy rock tunes will constantly be blasting through your speakers, compared to the often tranquil sounds and songs that often accompany other games in the genre. We had forgotten how good a soundtrack could be for an RTS game, and even today, this should be the genre’s standard.

Gameplay

The two games that make up the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection are old-school RTS titles. In most missions, you’ll be able to build your base, harvest resources, and build as many units as you can to overthrow the enemy forces. Both games allow you to pick both the good allied forces or the evil forces that want complete domination. Every mission is pretty much the same, except for missions where you control special units, or when you are submitted to a timer or have to clear specific conditions.

The game’s pretty easy to work out, and you can also opt to play it on different difficulties. The latter pretty much changes how tough your units are, and the amount of resistance you’re getting. The overall mechanics are really simple, as all building options are compressed in a small side-menu with different tabs. You can train or construct new units quite easily, and buildings can also be made with the click of a button. The thing in which Command & Conquer was quite ahead of its competitors, was that you could select very large groups of units. Sadly, you can’t really micromanage them.

Conclusion

Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is certainly a great experience for those looking to play an authentic RTS series of games. While this collection only incorporates the first two games, we can immediately tell you these are the best of the C&C series. If you want to relive your childhood memories, or simply want to experience a few of the best games in the genre, albeit with a few dated mechanics and cinematics, then we can wholeheartedly recommend this authentic C&C experience.

Ibuki

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Aspiring ninja.

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