Command and Conquer in iPhone? I will never think about it. In this iPhone version of command & conquer, it is not a lousy "fake" like RTS. In fact you be surprised by the similarities in the real PC game. Prior my review, let me share with you the background of this famous game.
Command & Conquer Red Alert Background
This is a real-time strategy about 15 years ago and was very successful despite the era of first-person action games. Although there are many hots games like doom, yet this game was unique and proven with lots of sales and fans.
Command & Conquer (C&C) Red Alert was developed by Westwood Studios. They have also created my favourite game - Dune II another real-time strategy category. During this period, Command & Conquer and Blizzard's Warcraft II has very good achievement. Of course Red Alert was the champion and you can find most gamers playing it. The storyline comes about this Albert Einstein was trying to travel back time to assassinate Hitler so that he will never come to power and start the war. The plan works, and with Hitler out of the picture, Nazi Germany never materializes. But unfortunately, the Red Menace does, with Russia's Stalin turning a burgeoning war machine towards the West, raining destruction and terror on those unfortunate enough to find themselves standing in his way.
The game play allows you to play either side: the Allied or Soviet side. The Allied players prowess are on stealth and surprise while the Soviets will prowess are on pure force. For those who love violence and killing, Soviets will be a good side to start with. Killing and destroying is the way to go. The Allied side can be quite difficult especially you are started with few units to complete the mission. Worse of all, you are not suppose to be sighted by the enemies.
What is so special about this game talking about changes in the future and having 2 sides of the game? I will say that it was the well balanced design of the games and the richness of the game. The variety of forces and structures is unmatched, providing players with an almost unlimited palette with which to paint their strategic strokes. Better yet, the units of the two opposing sides aren't mere copies of each other, but instead maintain a nice balance. Some examples like the Allies' Destroyer, which can relentlessly attack land, sea, and air units from long distances. This is countered by the Soviet MiG, which packs a powerful punch and is absolutely devastating in numbers. The Allies' Medic, who can literally restore life to the foot units, and is matched by the Soviet's brutal Attack Dogs which can kill a half dozen troops in matter of seconds. This gives Red Alert a level of depth and complexity that will keep players occupied for months on end.
Another great feature about this command and conquer red alert is the design of the game. There are forty over levels which are well balanced between long, drawn out wars of building and attrition, and short intense bursts of behind-the-lines conflict, convoy protection, and hostage rescue. Most of the levels are fair. The game itself is not too brain squeezing that you will be stuck solving puzzles. The game play does not need massive army to clear the stages. Just a well mixed of troops and intelligent strategy is required.
Lastly Red Alert includes an important feature which is the multiplayer option. Have the capability and compatibility with just about every type of network protocol, this game was a great hit during that period. I was playing in Lan shops Red Alert during those times.
iPhone Command & Conquer Red Alert
Lets talk about the iPhone version. You will get the same capabilites of controlling same units on both side infantry, tanks, and aircraft; and with simple gestures and finger taps catered for iPhone.
Real-time strategy games work great on consoles and computers. You need lots of quick movement and able to move around the world easily. This will need good control and that where i was surprise to see it in iPhone. (Click to see iPhone C&C Red Alert Preview Video) Just a touch screen and how to squeeze in the controls inside. You can pan around the map with a single finger, and everything loads smoothly. Gameplay was surprisingly smooth despite the size of the maps and "3D" graphics. You can pinch to zoom, which also works perfectly when i tried. A same miniature map allows quick navigation. You can easily select units by tapping on them; to select all identical units, you double-tap on any one of them. And a useful “Select All” icon lets you grab everybody. Manipulating your troops is similarly straightforward: Once they’re selected, simply tap where you want them to go, or on the enemies you’d like to attack.
Both the graphics and the music are great as the good old game. The graphics are 3D and relatively detailed for a iPhone especially with the tight space to work with. I will say that to be able to squeeze all the actions, interface elements and gameplay on the same screen, this is a great feat. This is consider a great breakthrough for games developers for us and i look forward to more complex games made for iPhone.
Command & Conquer Red Alert can be purchased from itunes apple for iphone. For the PC version, you can buy C&C games from amazon, walmart and near games retail shops. For secondhand PC games, you may buy from your friends, ebay and secondhand shops.
