The Allies' Medic, who can literally restore life to the barely breathing foot units, is eerily matched by the Soviet's brutal Attack Dogs, calamitous canines that can wipe out a half dozen troops in matter of seconds. For example, the Allies' aptly-named Destroyer, which can relentlessly attack land, sea, and air units from long distances, is countered by the Soviet MiG, which packs a powerful punch and is absolutely devastating in numbers. Better yet, the units of the two opposing sides aren't mere copies of each other, but instead maintain a sort of karmic balance. The variety of forces and structures is unmatched, providing players with an almost unlimited palette with which to paint their strategic strokes (the only flawed unit is the Soviet sub, which inexplicably will not attack ships that come within its weapons' range). The design and functionality of these units is arguably the best ever in a real-time strategy game, and certainly the best since the aforementioned Dune II. "They are enemies of the people," intones a cold-hearted Stalin, "Destroy the town, and kill everyone in it." The meeting room slowly dissolves to the now familiar overhead map, covered with tanks, soldiers, and assorted other perpetrators of mass mayhem, all eagerly awaiting the player's command to exterminate the enemy. In the first Russian mission, for example, the player is informed of a partisan uprising in a small village, and gets marching orders that only a sadist could love. Overall, we like the Soviet side better, especially since players are given the freedom to play the bad guy to the hilt. Allied players will rely on stealth and surprise, while those aligning themselves with the Soviets will place their bets on brutal force. But unfortunately, the Red Menace does, with Russia's Stalin turning a burgeoning war machine towards the West, raining destruction and terror on those unfortunate enough to find themselves standing in his way.Īnd that's where you come in, on either the Allied or Soviet side. The plan works, and with Hitler out of the picture, Nazi Germany never materializes. Developed by Westwood Studios - whose seminal Dune II created the real-time strategy category, and whose Command & Conquer (along with Blizzard's Warcraft II) represents the highest achievement in the genre to date - Red Alert has the pedigree of a champion and a premise to match: Albert Einstein applies his theories of relativity to time travel, hurtling back in time to assassinate Hitler before he ever comes to power. That is, unless you pick Command & Conquer: Red Alert. There will be no less than a dozen new entries into the real-time strategy market this holiday season alone - and trying to pick the right one is like playing Russian Roulette with five chambers loaded. Publishers know the category is hot, and have responded by firing salvo after salvo of copycat designs and lookalike games at unwary players. The real-time strategy genre is a victim of its own success, suffering the same unfortunate fate as first-person action games in the post-Doom era.
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