As a kid, I had a weird relationship with games. For a while in the early 90s, we had a SNES and my parents were totally cool with me playing Mortal Kombat. Then a few months later, they'd decide that games were the devil and take away everything for a few months until switching their stance again. It was during one of those dark periods when I really fell in love with the original Command and Conquer Red Alert. I didn't have any consoles, but I did inexplicably have a physical copy of this game that would run on my grandmother's computer.
Decades later, here I am again playing this classic RTS with some pretty substantial upgrades. The graphics have been completely redrawn, and the iconic FMV cutscenes, while still looking pretty crappy, have been lovingly reinserted with some smoothing and filters to make them display a bit better on modern screens. Playing brought back a lot of memories, especially when hearing the same soundbytes and the ripping soundtrack that I loved as a kid.
Of course, it's not without its flaws. This being a super old RTS, a lot of the shortcuts and ease of use features that you may be used to now are nowhere to be seen. In the same way that the rerelease of Starcraft and to a lesser extent Age of Empires 2 showed, the genre has come a long way. This is especially apparent when trying to play with a friend online. I don't know what the original game was like, but the system in place in this 2020 game is pretty barebones. In my brief match or two, I couldn't find a way to make the game private or set up any of the other variables of the map. Also, I think the new graphics look like they were made for a free to play mobile game, but you can fortunately toggle between the old and new styles when you're playing through the campaign.
It's not going to rock the world or become the next big competitive esport, but as a nostalgic revisit to one of my favorite PC games, it works pretty well.
Decades later, here I am again playing this classic RTS with some pretty substantial upgrades. The graphics have been completely redrawn, and the iconic FMV cutscenes, while still looking pretty crappy, have been lovingly reinserted with some smoothing and filters to make them display a bit better on modern screens. Playing brought back a lot of memories, especially when hearing the same soundbytes and the ripping soundtrack that I loved as a kid.
Of course, it's not without its flaws. This being a super old RTS, a lot of the shortcuts and ease of use features that you may be used to now are nowhere to be seen. In the same way that the rerelease of Starcraft and to a lesser extent Age of Empires 2 showed, the genre has come a long way. This is especially apparent when trying to play with a friend online. I don't know what the original game was like, but the system in place in this 2020 game is pretty barebones. In my brief match or two, I couldn't find a way to make the game private or set up any of the other variables of the map. Also, I think the new graphics look like they were made for a free to play mobile game, but you can fortunately toggle between the old and new styles when you're playing through the campaign.
It's not going to rock the world or become the next big competitive esport, but as a nostalgic revisit to one of my favorite PC games, it works pretty well.