Command & Conquer: Red Alert | |
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Cover art (Windows 95 version)
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Developer(s) | Westwood Studios |
Publisher(s) |
Virgin Interactive Entertainment (original publisher and PlayStation version) Electronic Arts (current publisher) Sony Computer Entertainment (PSN) |
Composer(s) | Frank Klepacki |
Series | Command & Conquer: Red Alert |
Platform(s) | MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 3 |
Release |
PC PlayStation PlayStation 3
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Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy video game of the Command & Conquer franchise, produced by Westwood Studios and released by Virgin Interactive in 1996. The second game to bear the Command & Conquer title, Red Alert is the prequel to the original Command & Conquer of 1995, and takes place in the alternate early history of Command & Conquer when Allied Forces battle an aggressive Soviet Union for control over the European mainland.
It was initially available for PC (MS-DOS and Windows 95 versions included in one package), and was subsequently ported to PlayStation. The PlayStation version was also re-released as a download on the PlayStation Network for PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3. On August 31, 2008, Electronic Arts who acquired Westwood Studios in 1998 rendered Command & Conquer: Red Alert freeware.
Red Alert was praised for its user interface, which claimed to be more developed than the competing games of its time. Players could queue commands, create unit groups that could be selected by a number key, and control numerous units at a time. The game was known to be easy to control, simple to learn and responsive to users' commands. It also featured two factions that had differing styles of play. Red Alert is also hailed as one of the first games to feature competitive online play. The single player campaign also received high praise for its detailed story line and missions, which often required the player to defeat the enemy with various sets of circumstances before continuing. Like Tiberian Dawn, the game has split routes for most missions. The objective stays the same but only the map layout differs. The single player campaign was also complemented by live action cinematic sequences that are a feature of all Command & Conquer RTS games since the original, except for Command & Conquer: Generals and its sequel.