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Command and Conquer: Red Alert and its sequels are computer games by Westwood Studios, spun off from the Command and Conquer series. The Red Alert games take place in a sci-fi Cold War era where the Allied forces fight war in Europe against the Soviet in a struggle for world domination.
Story
In Red Alert the Jewish-German scientist Albert Einstein creates a Chronosphere, a device which he uses to go back in time and kill Adolf Hitler. This upsets the entire balance of world power, leading the Soviets to start a massive invasion of European countries. (The actual game involves the player fighting on one side of the resulting battles).
In Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2, it is years after the defeat of the Soviet Union and death of Joseph Stalin in Red Alert. The Soviet leader, Alexander Romanov, was put into office by the victorious allies to govern this new "friendly" Soviet Union. However, it is soon revealed that the USSR has been secretly building up the Red Army again, and eventually launches a surprise attack on the United States, with the aid of mind control technology. The Allies are composed of Germany, France, America, Korea and the United Kingdom, who fight a battle against the Communist Soviet forces. The Soviet forces, consisting of the armies of Russia, Libya, Iraq and Cuba, successfully take over most of America before they finally are defeated by a strong allied counter-offensive using special technology. The United States is devastated by the Soviet invasion: the first mission opens with the destruction of the Statue of Liberty by the Soviet fleet; and following a "scorched-earth" policy, after the Americans are able to re-capture Chicago, the Soviets nuke the entire city to ashes. Eventually, the Allies storm the Kremlin and capture Romanov, although Yuri escapes (the Allied scenario's ending FMV shows the year of this game to be about 1976).
In Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge, after the war between the Allies and the Soviets, Romanov's Chief advisor, the psychic Yuri, breaks off from Russia and forms a renegade faction, much like CABAL in Tiberian Sun: Firestorm. Yuri successfully deploys his Psychic Dominators all over the world and sends a "warning message" to the President of the USA minutes before the activation of the devices, which would enslave the minds of every person in the world. After successfully destroying the Dominator on Alcatraz (leaving only a small fraction of the world out of Yuri's control), the Allied forces once again use the Chronosphere and send a small troop to the past and the very beginning of the Soviet invasion. With knowledge of the future, the Allied force must convince the USA and Russia to work together to stop Yuri from enslaving the world (as a bonus, General Carville is never assassinated).
Music
The theme of Red Alert, titled Hell March, accents the style of the game with adrenalized riffs of electric guitar and synthesizers to the dramatic chant of "Wir werden richt alles!" It alone has enlisted itself as a staple in the Red Alert series (i.e. a second version of Hell March was even created for Red Alert 2).
Gameplay
in-game screenshot
Red Alert is a real-time strategy series in which the player commands an army and is responsible for gathering resources, building bases, training units, and fighting the enemy's army.
Red Alert was praised for its user interface, which was much more developed than other games at the time. For example, there are no limitations on the number of units one can select. One also can give a unit many orders at once, which it can execute in sequence.
Red Alert battles have 3 domains of fighting: air, land and sea. Each side (Allies or Soviets) can train naval units, aircraft, and land forces. Each side also has its unique capabilities, although in Red Alert II they were balanced so that each unit's ability was countered by a similar one on the other side. For example: in Red Alert 2, the ultimate Soviet Tesla coil defensive towers were matched by the Allies' "Prism tower".
Units and structures
Red Alert 2
Notable Soviet units:
- Conscript - basic infantry.
- Tesla Trooper - strong infantry; shoots blasts of electricity.
- Terror Drone - fast mechanical unit that attaches itself in an enemy unit and destroys it unless it is removed.
- Apocalypse Tank - the heaviest ground unit in the game. Has AA capabilities.
- Kirov Airship - slow and heavy bomber aircraft.
- Yuri - psychic, can control one enemy unit at a time using mind control.
- Submarine - underwater interceptor.
- Dreadnaught - heavy rocket boat.
Notable Allies Units:
- GI - basic infantry.
- Rocketeer - Flying infantry, can attack both ground and air units.
- Spy - can steal money and technology from the enemy.
- Prism Tank - ground unit for long-range attacks; high firepower; light armor.
- Harrier - attack plane; needs to reload after strike.
- Destroyer - anti-submarine boat.
- Carrier - naval vessel which launches 3 small interceptors.
- Tanya - Allies' commando unit; excellent infantry killer; can plant C-4 explosive on structures and demolish them in an instant.
Basic structures:
Notable Soviet structures:
Notable Allied structures:
- Patriot Missile - air defense.
- Prism Tower - powerful ground defense.
- Airforce Command - a radar facility and landing site for four Harriers.
- Gap Generator - covers a large area with a fog-of-war.
- Chronosphere - teleports up to nine mechanical units every several game-minutes.
- Weather Control Device - produces lethal lightning storm every 10 game-minutes.
Games in the series
- Command and Conquer: Red Alert
- Red Alert: Counter Strike
- Red Alert: The Aftermath
- Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2
- Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge
See also
fr:Red Alert
he:Red Alert
zh:红色警报
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