Weekend Review: "Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2"

Being a Cold War historian, I find myself naturally drawn to movies, television shows and games that have anything to do with the Cold War, Soviets or nuclear warfare. While not directly dealing with the Cold War, the Command and Conquer series takes themes from the Cold War and turns it into a very entertaining computer game.

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 takes place in an alternate reality where the Soviet Union fights the Allies. The game allows you to play as either the Soviet Union or the United States in story mode. They also have free play where you can play without having to worry about accomplishing goals, just destroying the enemy.

What is great about the story mode is that the creators really gave some thought into what may have happened had the Cold War escalated in a different way. There are campaigns that are reminiscent of the campaigns in WWII; from conquering a building to conquering a whole city. There are standard weapons like guns, sentry towers, and nuclear bombs, but there are also fantastical weapons that use electricity, controlled storms and cloaking technology.

The single player mode allows you to build a base from scratch and then launch attacks against your enemy/enemies in order to become the last one standing. Each player has a possible super weapon that they can build their way up to getting, and once their weapon is launched it is almost impossible to avoid it. You can wipe out your enemy, or infiltrate them and take them down from the inside. There are as many ways to win as there are to lose, and this is what makes this game so challenging and fun. No matter how many times you have played it (and I have been playing this game for 12 years) it is still challenging and entertaining after all of these years. I am purposely being vague about the gameplay because this game is full of awesome technology and twists and turns. I am still finding out new things about this game, so I don't want to give too much away!

I highly recommend this game for anyone who is a fan of real time strategy and the Cold War. While not directly related to the Cold War, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a must play for any enthusiast.

DEFCON rating: 1

Just play it, you won't regret it!