Command & Conquer: Red Alert

 PC
Command & Conquer: Red Alert Image
Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 7 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 395 Ratings

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  • Summary: Surrender is not an option. Dark experiments have permanently altered time. Or have they? Now, Soviet tanks crush city after city while Allied cruisers shell bases. Spies lurk, land mines wait, and strange new technologies aid both sides in their struggle for ultimate control.Command &Surrender is not an option. Dark experiments have permanently altered time. Or have they? Now, Soviet tanks crush city after city while Allied cruisers shell bases. Spies lurk, land mines wait, and strange new technologies aid both sides in their struggle for ultimate control.Command & Conquer: Red Alert gives you the opportunity to be more devious, cunning and ruthless than ever before. Easy to play and highly addictive, Red Alert puts the fate of the world in your hands! [Westwood]… Expand
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. GameSpot
    95
    Red Alert belongs in the same category as "Civilization II" and "Quake," games that followed legendary predecessors and immediately eclipsed them. One can only wonder where Westwood can take us from here.
  2. TotalGames.net
    92
    With lusciously detailed graphics and some superb sound FX and music rounding the game off, Red Alert looks destined to follow "Dune II" and "Command and Conquer" straight into the Westwood hall of fame.
    All this publication's reviews
  3. PC Gamer
    91
    Red Alert will be like by the legions of the faithful, and win new converts as well. [Dec 1996, p.238]
    All this publication's reviews
  4. Yahoo!
    90
    It not only completely satisfies the wants of any eager strategy player, it also covers those who like more action in their games, and then appeals to practically everyone in between. If you don't have Command & Conquer, buy this immediately.
  5. Adrenaline Vault
    90
    Suffice it to say that if you like strategy, military tactics, or liked the original game, you will love Red Alert.
  6. All Game Guide
    90
    While perhaps not upgrading the original Command & Conquer engine as much as some would have liked, its clean graphics, crackerjack music score and immersive sound effects all make for a game that's great fun to play...and that's what it's all about, isn't it?
  7. Game Revolution
    75
    A lackluster second offering when so much more could be done with the Command & Conquer universe, but just see how much damage I do to you if you take it away from me.

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 38
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 38
  3. Negative: 1 out of 38
  1. XandervanDijk
    Feb 7, 2009
    10
    Best game ever!
  2. UncleEd
    Feb 14, 2021
    10
    Red Alert was my favorite game as a child. I spent hundreds of hours playing the campaign, skirmish missions and multiplayer on 56k internet.Red Alert was my favorite game as a child. I spent hundreds of hours playing the campaign, skirmish missions and multiplayer on 56k internet. Revisiting was a big nostalgia trip for me and also interesting to see how it compares to the original Command & Conquer after all these years.

    Let’s start with the music. Hell March is one of the best video game songs ever, if not the best. The entire soundtrack is nothing short of a masterpiece, puts you in mood and is a great fit for the fast-paced gameplay of Red Alert.

    The story is a cheesy alternative history. Einstein invented a time machine and made sure Adolf Hitler doesn’t come to the world stage. This, however, makes Stalin rise as the absolute power in WWII. There are unforgettable characters from Tanya to Nadia, and more importantly Kane (I had erased from my memory that Kane appears in Red Alert. Without spoiling anything, let me just say it was a pleasant surprise). The cinematics have always been a strength of Command & Conquer series and Red Alert doesn’t disappoint. I especially enjoyed the ones with Tanya.

    Gameplay is enhanced in some ways. The two factions (Allies and Soviet) are more distinct from each other in comparison to GDI and NOD of C&C. There are many units which are exclusive to a faction. While Soviet appear to be impenetrable with their Tesla Coil and Mammoth Tank, Allies have the naval artillery Cruiser which are the most powerful firepower of the entire game, as long as you have access to water.

    There are some serious AI issues in the campaign. You will often see your harvesters or submarines getting stuck. This one I remember from the original game. But there are also problems with the enemy AI, where the enemy stops responding to you efficiently as soon as you destroy some harvesters or power plants. I am not sure if this comes from the original game or if it is a problem with the remaster.

    In most aspects, Red Alert is better than its prequel Command & Conquer. It offers more options for strategy with the wider range of units. But in terms of offering a good campaign challenge in medium difficulty, Red Alert pales in comparison to C&C. The enemy in C&C is smarter. Again, this may be an issue with the remaster but not the original game. I am not sure.

    9.5/10    … Expand
  4. PietA.
    Sep 21, 2003
    10
    Good game dude!
  5. AndrewCarts
    Sep 30, 2009
    10
    At its time, it was the best RTS out there. From the way the various units traded off (I will never forget that 5 infantry can take out aAt its time, it was the best RTS out there. From the way the various units traded off (I will never forget that 5 infantry can take out a light tank without even one of them dying (as long as none are run over), and with 4, one of them will die before killing the tank), to the crisp sounds (the sound of the Tesla Coil charging up then zapping will always stay in my mind), and especially the music (Hell March is one of my all time favorite tracks ever), it stands out.… Expand
  6. Genek13
    Nov 19, 2019
    9
    Same as C&C previous game with different setting.
    Story is great - for each side different.
    Easily can be played to this date :)
  7. Rox22
    Sep 26, 2013
    9
    To be honest I preferred Red Alert to Command & Conquer. Better story, units are more fun and varied, and overall gameplay is just moreTo be honest I preferred Red Alert to Command & Conquer. Better story, units are more fun and varied, and overall gameplay is just more entertaining.

    Overall:
    The Red Alert universe, in my opinion, is far more entertaining. It is more or less the same as Command & Conquer, just better.    … Expand
  8. LogicGAM
    Jan 24, 2021
    2
    Game is Good , But I don't like it. , Become I confused this gameplay , It doing I frustrated and I don't like it , But you may like gamesGame is Good , But I don't like it. , Become I confused this gameplay , It doing I frustrated and I don't like it , But you may like games Become It's best game for you but not me.… Expand

See all 38 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

4
#4 Best PC Game of 1996
5
#5 Most Discussed PC Game of 1996
4
#4 Most Shared PC Game of 1996

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