Its campaigns are memorable, and buoyed by the focus on familiar US landmarks. This is one of Westwood’s finest-a brilliant balance of fast action, inventive design and streamlined strategy. Those staff who left likely wouldn’t agree, but the proof is in the product. But Red Alert 2 finds itself in the sweet spot of the studio’s troubled history. It owns it.ĮA’s acquisition and eventual destruction of Westwood is still a sore point among fans, and for good reason. It’s a knowing nod to the camera an admission that yes, it’s a new millennium and we’re still doing FMV. Red Alert 2 avoids that fate because you can tell its cast are having fun. Now it’s hard not to cringe through the cutscenes. I don’t remember Tiberian Sun being quite so embarrassing at the time, probably because I was 14. The obvious comparison is to Tiberian Sun, which even James Earl Jones can’t save from an awkward mix of drama, action and scantily clad mutant sidekicks. Played today, this tonal shift stops Red Alert 2 from feeling overly dated. The Soviet invasion itself is triggered when a psychic with a head tattoo mindcontrols a soldier through a telephone. US President Dugan-played by Twin Peaks’ Ray Wise-is nervous and petulant throughout. In the first briefing of the Soviet campaign, Premier Romanov pokes a turtle named Uncle Sam as part of an extended metaphor about America being weak and cowardly. Little attempt is made to dramatise events.
It was Red Alert 2, released in 2000-a couple of years after C&C sequel Tiberian Sun-that changed the mood and overarching story, ditching all ties to the Tiberian series in favour of a second war between the Soviets and Allies. In this light, it’s not surprising that its tone would match the more consistently serious main series. The end of its Soviet campaign depicts the rise of Kane and the Brotherhood of Nod. Red Alert isn’t a spin-off to Command & Conquer, but a prequel. But the alt-history conflict between Allies and Soviets isn’t portrayed as a fun, campy romp. Its absurdities come through stilted acting, basic sets and questionable CGI. While it opens on Einstein travelling back in time to assassinate Hitler with a fatal handshake-and let’s all take a second to think about that-the majority of its cutscenes are played straight.
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