Command & Conquer: Alerte Rouge - Missions Tesla

(PS1 version review)

This is a neat little strategy game that does a decent job at giving you a C&C experience on PS1. I played this game back in the 90's and it holds up pretty well, EXCEPT FOR the slowdown that occasionally plagues this game. The slowdown only happens sometimes, for me it was mostly when I was playing 'Skirmish' mode against 2 or more other AI teams and there wound up being a ton of sprites onscreen at once as a result.

Also I'll admit that if you grew on playing C&C on PC there's probably nothing here that's going to win you over. But if you remember playing this game as a kid, and know what to expect--slowdown and all--it can still be a fun time.

Retaliation is essentially the Red Alert expansion packs with full motion videos. The two sides are the Allies and the Soviets set in a universe where Hitler was killed by Albert Einstein. Albert unwittingly changed the events of history by doing that. Because since old Adolf is 6 feet under the Soviets are free to build up their empire. Sparking another war.

The game comes with two discs. One for each side. You get briefings from Carville on the Allies side and Topolov on the Russian side. Alan Charof and Barry Corbin give good performances and provide some comic relief. As best they can really. There is always this camp feeling when it comes to stuff like these. But I believe C&C was always head and shoulders above the rest that used FMVs. Topolov's office is probably the coolest set i've seen in a C&C game. It has the dusty look like you see in the X-files TV series and I was always a big fan of that.

Now the most important thing for RTS games, especially consoles, is the game play. For this game, it wasn't so bad. The maps were kinda small and there wasn't a huge rush to to do anything. You can handle just about everything efficiently with not a whole lot of problems. The side bar is a staple of the C&C series and helps a great deal with the creation of units and buildings. I remember a shortcut that build that last unit you created. That helped a lot when you wanted to create a ton of infantry.

Of course Frank Klepacki, the composer for all of the old titles does a wonderful job with the music. I still listen to C&C tracks to this day.

The main problem with Retaliation is what I believe to be more of a hardware problem. When playing in skirmish mode, the computer likes to rush. And when one AI opponent does. Lag ensues. That is if you're lucky. Sometimes it even freezes.

Other than that, this game is a pretty enjoyable experience. And I got to give it props for making me aware of one of the most awesome video game franchises ever. For those that want to play this game. I suggest getting the PC expansions of Red Alert. You can view all the old videos of Carville and Topolov on youtube now and you can avoid the troublesome lag.