Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

aka: C&C:RA2, Command & Conquer: Alarmstufe Rot 2, Command & Conquer: Alerte Rouge 2
Moby ID: 2544
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Description official descriptions

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 takes place approximately two decades since the first Red Alert and, unlike the original, has no relation at all to the Tiberium universe. It is a conventional real-time strategy game which, in terms of gameplay, still faithfully continues the Dune/Command & Conquer lineage.

Although the Western Allies have installed a lackey as the Premier of the Soviet Union, their spies and relevant contacts suddenly go silent with the appearance of a powerful Soviet psychic named Yuri, who turns out to be Premier Romanov's advisor. Soon afterwards, the Soviet Union launches an overwhelming invasion on North America and Europe on land, air, and sea. As is usual, the player joins the Allied or Soviet side in the singleplayer campaign (with 12 missions for each faction) as of that point in the storyline. Whereas the technology level in the original Red Alert had World War II and Cold War-era weapons mixed with a few technologies inspired by failed real-world experiments, the arsenals of both sides in Red Alert 2 predominantly include technologically advanced units and structures such as teleporting Chrono Legionnaires, chain-connecting Prism towers, cloning vats, weather control devices, etc. However, the storyline's tone is considerably more light-hearted than that in previous Command & Conquer games, and following in the footsteps of Tiberian Sun, more known actors were brought to act in the full-motion video cutscenes.

The game uses a modified and optimized engine from Tiberian Sun and expands the gameplay in multiple ways. Both factions are completely distinct both functionally and visually, civilian structures can be garrisoned by each faction's basic infantry unit for increased firepower and rate of fire, the Allied IFV is included as the first customizable unit in the series (which can change its weapon and function based on the carried infantry unit), and there are neutral "tech" structures which bring bonuses to the players who capture them (e.g. oil derricks bring a small but frequent flow of income, airports allow deployment of paratroopers...). Like in the original Red Alert, factions are split into countries (5 Allied countries, 4 Soviet ones) in skirmish and multiplayer, but instead of having hidden production bonuses, each country has a unique unit, structure or support power that the others do not have access to. Aside from the aforementioned main singleplayer campaign, there is a vast number of skirmish/multiplayer maps, short co-op campaigns, and the return of the World Domination Tour multiplayer mode (unavailable in LAN) which was adapted from the Firestorm expansion for Tiberian Sun.

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Credits (Windows version)

349 People (266 developers, 83 thanks) · View all

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 84% (based on 48 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 121 ratings with 14 reviews)

It was never great, and now it out of it's league

The Good
The best thing about this game are the superweapons, and they arn't good. If you've never played a C&C game before, then this is a good start, but otherwise it's worthless.

The Bad
The graphics are horrible. It was released in 2000, and the best they could get was stick figures for people and rolling pieces of concrete for tanks. Also, the voices of the units will start to get on your nerves the first time that you hear them. The missions are okay, but you don't have to know the first thing about strategy to beat them. The sides arn't balanced at all, and tank rushes are about as much stratagey as your going to see.

The Bottom Line
If your a vetran don't even think about buying it, but it is a good starting off game.

Windows · by Jester236 (34) · 2004

The Best of the C&C's till now

The Good
The movies really rocked especially the actrices like Tanya maybe it's because they used supermodels. The missions were great. The music really made you feel like kicking some ass. The ingame graphics were great, like when you dropped a nuke the whole screen turned white.

The game just rocks, I can't wait until another C&C game get's released.

The Bad
When you play online the game runs really really slow.

The Bottom Line
It is a real improvement to Tiberian Sun

Windows · by Krystman (6) · 2001

A worthy sequel to a classic strategy game!

The Good
Unlike the original Red Alert, I was much more able to get into the campaign missions in Red Alert 2. Somehow they just seem to be structured much better. Plus, they take place in a lot of realistic locations. Even the cutscenes that precede each mission are much more believable and entertaining than average. As in any C&C game, Red Alert 2 features an excellent soundtrack, cool units, and there is now a whole slew of internet play modes that are quite a lot of fun. The updates to the game's interface are also much appreciated.

The Bad
There aren't really too many significant gameplay differences from the original Red Alert.

The Bottom Line
A simple, fun, and addictive, "just blow your enemies away" type of strategy game.

Windows · by Brian Jordan (19) · 2001

[ View all 14 player reviews ]

Trivia

Best Buy release

When first released, Best Buy had a special offer: the Command and Conquer Soundtrack Collection (soundtrack from ALL C&C games) on CD for the first 100 buyers of RA2 in every store.

Cover

To avoid sensitivity issues after the real-world terrorist attacks on the WTC, EA offered distributors and retailers new boxes in October 2001 which removed the "The Invasion Has Begun" motto and the pictures depicting NY under attack (basically removing the box's flap and background in the front), as well as changing the eyepiece reflection from the American flag to a nuclear detonation.

Editor

FinalAlert was released alongside the patch 1.005, and it allows creating both multiplayer (skirmish, LAN, on-line) and solo (campaign) missions. It was created by a fan, Matthias "Matze" Wagner, instead of Westwood Pacific themselves, but was distributed through Westwood's official FTP server.

German version

This is the first Command & Conquer title not to be censored in Germany.

Installation

Instead of the regular installation like InstallShield or DemoShield, the custom installer of the game explains the events between first Red Alert and this game, which are otherwise barely referenced in the campaign.

Online servers

The game's online servers were migrated from the official Westwood Online infrastructure to the community-run XWIS (XCC WOL IRC Server), under approval and sponsorship from EA's German office on 6 October 2005. The Westwood Online domains have acted as a redirect to XWIS services since then, requiring no additional steps from the user to access the servers short of registering an account.

The World Domination Tour mode's code was not preserved, however.

Sales

In 2000, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 won the Gold-Award from the German VUD (Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland - Entertainment Software Association Germany) for selling more then 100,000 (but less then 200,000) units in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Soundtrack

The in-game track list is below.

  1. Grinder (02:27)
  2. Power (03:56)
  3. Fortification (04:02)
  4. In Deep (03:24)
  5. Tension (04:05)
  6. Eagle Hunter (04:16)
  7. Industrofunk (03:12)
  8. 200 Meters (04:12)
  9. Blow It Up (03:11)
  10. Destroy (04:38)
  11. Burn (04:38)
  12. Motorized (04:02)
  13. Hell March 2 (03:44)

Installer track: In Deep (03:24)
Main menu track: Grinder (02:27)
Loading screen track: Jank (03:46)
Post-game track: Militant Force 2 (01:09)
Credits track: Optical (02:55)

Three tracks were left unused:

  • C&C In The House (04:25)
  • Probing (04:19)
  • Ready The Army (04:57)

The game also had a limited soundtrack release physically and which was included in the Collector's Edition, then as of 2005 digitally on Apple iTunes, followed by other streaming services as they arrived. Note that the list is reordered and the Tension track was cut out, while unused tracks took its place:

  1. Hell March 2 (03:46)
  2. Industrofunk (03:14)
  3. Ready the Army (04:59)
  4. Grinder (02:29)
  5. In Deep (03:26)
  6. Motorized (04:04)
  7. Power (03:58)
  8. 200 Meters (04:14)
  9. Destroy (04:40)
  10. Burn (04:39)
  11. Probing (04:21)
  12. Blow It Up (03:13)
  13. Eagle Hunter (04:18)
  14. Fortification (04:04)
  15. Jank (03:48)
  16. C&C in the House (04:06)

Awards

  • PC Player (Germany)
    • Issue 01/2001 - Best Strategy Game in 2000
  • Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland
    • 2000 - Gold Award (more details in the "Sales" section)

Information also contributed by MAT, Kasey Chang, paul cairey, Xoleras and Zovni

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Kartanym.

Additional contributors: MAT, Rebound Boy, Erwin Bergervoet, Corn Popper, paul cairey, Patrick Bregger, Plok, TaxOwlbear.

Game added October 25, 2000. Last modified March 21, 2024.