Command & Conquer

The Global Defense Initiative

Command & Conquer was released in 1995 for a number of formats, but most successfully on the PC. Alongside other games such as Age of Empires, C&C is one of the quintessential RTS (Real Time Strategy) games and one that almost defines it's genre. In simple terms, this game requires the player to build an army capable of destroying the other team. Set in an alternate reality, the original C&C told the story of the discovery of a new, highly valuable material named Tiberium, which the player needs to harvest to fund the construction of their military buildings and units. The game portrays a war between two sides, the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) - a UN funded military organisation, and the mysterious Brotherhood of Nod - a cult-like faction trying to seize control of the valuable Tiberium in order to achieve power. Unlike many games, the player was able to choose to control either of the two sides, each having their own set of campaign missions. When playing through as either side, the player would be shown a full motion video sequence played out by real actors who would brief the player on their upcoming mission.

Tiberium Wars

At the start of most missions, the player would begin with a handful of troops and an 'MCV' (Mobile Construction Vehicle) which would convert into a 'Construction Yard'. Once converted, the player could start to build buildings around their Construction Yard, such as a Barracks or Power Plant to begin establishing their base. As the mission progressed and the player harvested more of the precious Tiberium, more advanced buildings and units could be purchased to strengthen their army. So far so RTS. What made C&C stand out, however, was the personality that this game had, even when it came to the buildings themselves. For example, whilst the GDI had a standard warehouse-type building for constructing miltary vehicles, the Nod had an 'Airstrip' where the cars and tanks were delivered via aircraft. The two different sides had a lot of differences besides the buildings being designed differently, they also played differently. Whilst the GDI had powerful, but relatively slow and expensive units, for instance, the Nod troops were cheap and quick to train, giving the player plenty to think about in the way they conducted their army on the battlefield.

I'm A Mechanical Man

Command & Conquer featured some very memorable moments, some of which came aurally. The soundtrack contained some very catchy songs whilst the SFX provided some of the most painful screams ever heard in a game from the dying troops. The FMV sequences also bring back a lot of memories. For example, one moment that sticks in the mind is, when playing about two thirds of the way through the Nod campaign, the commander giving the player the mission brief is shot in the head in front of the camera, showing off the ruthlessness of the Brotherhood leader as he takes over the job of his murdered sub-ordinate. Blasting the enemy from space with the deadly 'Ion Cannon' is another moment which is remembered fondly.

Command & Conquer has spawned many sequels, the first of which was another brilliant RTS game - Red Alert. None of the sequels, however, have really managed to capture the power and charisma of the original military outing, in my opinion. Being released as a free download in 2007 gave fans the opportunity to revisit this classic, something that this commando is going to try and do right now...