 Overview
Command & Conquer is a real-time action-strategy game
that tests your reflexes as well as your planning and strategic skills. The game takes
place in the near future, and the story line is clearly told via cinematics. There are
main characters that play large roles as the game unfolds, but most of your time will be
spent battling it out with your enemy. The interface of the game is a top-down perspective
so you can see all of your units moving about and (hopefully) accomplishing their tasks.
From this view you can control every aspect of the game. The view only shifts when you win
a battle (this could take hours), and a nicely-done cut-scene expands on the story and
prepares you for your next mission. After you have completed all the missions for either
side (15 or so), you win the game. There are two sides to play -- GDI or NOD
-- and
the story is different for each. I played both sides all the way through, and the game was
still fun after I finished. The best part about C&C is the multiplayer
capability where you can have up to four players battling it out at once. Although it's
not without flaws, Command & Conquer is one of the best games I've ever played;
check out my review and find out why.
Gameplay
The first thing you do after you install the game is watch the
nicely-done introduction. This sets the stage for the entire game and allows the player to
really get into the storyline. Westwood did a great job with storyline and cut-scenes in
Command & Conquer, which (for me) made this game one of the best ever. Most games for me
don't have that extra frosting like C&C does, with the smooth transitions and
well-done video. I admit, the videos and story elements of a game are not everything, but
they sure polish a game up if done correctly. C&C gets an A+ in this area.
Gameplay and graphics are the most important elements in a game
for me. C&C does both of these well. Standard VGA graphics are not the
sharpest, but they do very well with what they have. Westwood will be upgrading to SVGA
with their new release, Red Alert, due out in
late September. Gameplay is great with C&C and I have just a few complaints
which I will touch on later; first, the things I liked. I loved all the different units
each side had and all the unique abilities available at the player's disposal. I switched
from one side to the other several times, trying to decide which one I liked better.
Westwood did a good job at balancing the sides so one was not overpowering the other all
the time. When you start the game, it is apparent that the NOD team is the devious,
sneaky, no-good, third-world gonna-take-over-the-universe type. The GDI team is the fine,
organized, sharp-looking, freedom-fighter, defend-the-earth-against-all-evil type. At
first (if you do what I did) you may pick sides based on the type of person you are. So
you have picked a side; now it's time to wreck havoc on the enemy.
 The missions are laid out from very easy at
first, to progressively more challenging. The player chooses from a world map which
territory to attack, then the mission briefing begins. After the neat video, you are off
and running in the heat of battle. An average mission will take about 2 or 3 hours to
complete; that's not counting the first 2 or 3 that will only take a few minutes at best.
Mission by mission, the game and story progress until you have won that last victory and
the game ends. Time to switch sides and start over! Orrrrr ... call your friends and blow
them off the face of the earth! That's just what I did, and that's where C&C
shines the most. It's a whole different game when suddenly you don't know what the other
player is going to do. My friends and I have played over the modem one-on-one or over a
network with four of us at once; both ways are fun. The interface is easy, and modem
gameplay is smooth and seamless on anything better than a 486 50. I played a friend who
had a 486SX 25 and that was dog-slow, but who has those anymore? Overall, C&C
is one of my all-time favorite games.
Computer AI/Design
Now I'll get to the few things I did not like about the game.
First of all, after a couple of weeks, I had figured out the computer AI and playing solo
was not as rewarding anymore. I also got frustrated when my harvesters were being stupid
and I had to baby-sit them while my base was getting crushed. There are a few things
Westwood did not catch when designing the game that the player could use to his advantage,
making the game unenjoyable. A few of these are:
- You can build sandbags all over the battlefield, into the enemy's base, then build a
turret or guard tower to crush him from the inside out.
- If you are NOD, to win you just have to build 20 or so recon bikes, put them in packs of
8, and say goodbye to whoever was dumb enough to play you.
- Tanks can't destroy one little soldier with their 20MM cannons at point blank range.
This frustrated me forever.
- Harvesters are stupid. Enough said.
- The battlefield is too small. (This will be corrected in Red Alert.)
- Once you go everywhere on the map, you can always see it. Now you can watch your enemy
everywhere he goes.
- Helicopters can't map. WHAT? That's why I'd buy one anyway. Logically, I would think
they would be the best mappers because they can FLY!
- Each time you make a commando SNEAK into the enemy's base, he yells, "Ready to
rock and roll!" and all players can hear it.
System Requirements
486-DX2 66, 8 MB RAM, VGA card (1 MB VRAM), mouse, SoundBlaster-compatible sound card,
14.4 modem (for network play)
Reviewed On: P-133 MHz, 16 MG, SB 16, Diamond Stealth video w/ 2 MB DRAM.
 Bottom
Line
Aside from these gripes, the game is great. I
know Westwood is working on these items for their next release due out this fall, so I
have full confidence I will enjoy Red Alert even more. If you are a fan of real
time simulations, then C&C should be on the top of your list to get. But if
you don't like sweating, biting your nails and yelling at your computer screen, you'd
better stay away from this one. Enjoy!
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