Command & Conquer

Westwood Studios

Real-Time Strategy

Minimum System Requirements:

486DX 66Mhz, 8 Mb RAM, Double Speed CD-ROM, SoundBlaster Compatible Sound Card. Modem and/or IPX network connection required for multi-player games.

Bad Mojo

Another excellent game from Westwood Studios that only manages to exceed their previous Dune II. Take the basic overhead view and real-time combat system of Dune II and apply a modern day arsenal of weapons and add a dash of futuristic technology and you have C&C. The plot unfolds with little decision on your part but it doesn't feel like you are helpless, and the cut-scenes are excellently done for the most part. The series of events is even believable and only add to the actual combat when playing a campaign. This game also has that wonderful network ability and will no doubt provide endless hours of head to head play out there. While it does take a CD in every machine playing a network version of C&C, Westwood was nice enough to throw in 2 CDs for the price of 1. This type of marketing will hopefully catch on as more and more games become `network' games.

Quintin Stone

An incredible game. If you liked Dune2 (and, if you check my review for it, you'll know I did) then you'll drool over Command & Conquer. The basic premise of the game is nearly the same: harvest, build up your base, destroy the enemy. But the sides, equipment, and methods have changed.

The Global Defense Initiative, a peace-keeping force regulated by the United Nations, is effectively at war with the Brotherhood of Nod, a planet-wide terrorist force attempting to seize control of, well, just about everything. And with their tiberium holdings, they can do it... tiberium being this game's replacement of Spice from Dune. Tiberium is... well something odd. Inorganic, it spreads underground, and then forms crystals of precious metals and minerals on the surface. These crystals are simple to harvest and, when processed, provide quick and easy wealth.

With tiberium harvesters and processors, the two opposing sides accumulate the wealth to build bases, train soldiers, and purchase equipment. Each has its own specialized vehicles and men; while GDI has grenadiers and "Mammoth" tanks, the Brotherhood of Nod has men equipped with flamethrowers and small, quick tanks with cloaking technology.

At first, I had trouble not getting slaughtered by the computer, until I realized the differences between this game and Dune 2. In C&C, not only do different units have different amounts of hit points, but they have different armor types. A tank cannon, while effective against other vehicles, is woefully inadequate against infantry.

Good points:

The sound effects. People scream when they die. They scream even louder when they burst into flames. There's the ominous hummmmmm of the Nod Obelisk of Light as it charges its laser cannon, and they captured the sound of the 7.62mm chaingun beautifully. And then, of course, there's that sexy voice of the female narrator during battle. Rrrrrow.

The graphics. The individual units have great animation. Infantry stop and clean their weapons when idle. That little turret on the Humm-vee swivels to track its target. The radar dish on the communications building turns 'round and 'round. When tanks turn, the turret and body rotate independently. And the men run around screaming when attacked by flamethrowers. It's art, man. True art.

The units. So many choices! Anything my destructive little heart could desire. From small and fast Recon Bikes, to the massive, powerful, but slow Mammoth Tanks. Flame tanks for pesky infantry. Mobile surface-to-surface missile launchers for just about anything. Each side has its own version of attack chopper. GDI sports the Orca, a VTOL with twin jets on the sides and a payload of rockets, while Nod has an Apache blasting away with its vulcan cannon.

And they got rid of that annoying cap on units and buildings, the most frustrating part of Dune 2!!

The cut scenes. Fast and well done digitized video for the live shots, and the rendered computer animation sequences were very well done. The actors also did a good job, especially my favorite, Eric Martin as General Sheppard. The ending for Nod is especially rewarding (I won't say entirely what it is), but I was kinda disappointed with the game's fall-back on the tripe that is the "popular" opinion of "cyberspace".

The multi-player mode. Here's a net game to replace Deathmatch Doom! A variety of options to select from, and almost a dozen terrains to choose from. Play with 2 to 4 players in a battle to the death, building up your base and defenses as quickly as possible, or facing utter annihilation.

Bad points:

Hmm. There aren't many, but here goes....

Combat options. Other than the 'Guard Area or Unit' option, the units do the same things they did in Dune 2. Move and attack (or harvest, in the case of harvesters). What else could they do? Oh, I don't know, but some innovation and variety would have been nice. Maybe the 'Retreat' option again for a quick move home.

AI. The computer fights well, but is predictable, and not very bright. I'm not trashing Westwood for their programming: the AI is good and if it wasn't predictable, there really wouldn't be any way to win against the computer. But, on the same note, your own units are incredibly dumb unless you watch them carefully. Harvesters sometimes just stop dead, and units get confused about the fastest route to somewhere.

The campaign map. Like Dune 2, there are a number of countries that need to be captured or liberated to complete your goals. Tan indicates GDI, red indicates Nod. Before each battle sequence, arrows will appear, indicating possible paths of attack. You then get to select the territory you choose to fight in. The problem is, except for a couple of occassions, you receive only /1/ country to choose from. The possible paths of attack (there are usually two) point into the same territory. Maybe it's just me, but this rather defeats the purpose of choosing. "You can choose any country you want to attack, as long as it's this one right here."

Two sides. I really enjoyed the three opposing Houses of Dune 2. But, C&C does have a lot more variety for its two opponents than Dune 2 did for its three.

Conclusion:

All-in-all, a fabulous game. A worthy follow-up from Westwood to Dune 2. If you haven't yet played this game, you are really missing out. And be sure and see our Command & Conquer page (coming soon) for unit editing utilities and a strategy guide to computer and multi-player conquest.