Command & Conquer: Red Alert series
Encyclopedia
Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a series of real time strategy video games set within the Command & Conquer universe
. The series is well known for having some of the most quirky and outlandish units in the genre.
The Red Alert series takes place in an alternate timeline, created when Albert Einstein
travels back to the past and eliminates Adolf Hitler
in an attempt to prevent World War II
from taking place. This plan indirectly backfires and results in an unchecked Soviet invasion of Europe
by Joseph Stalin
in the 1950s. The Stalin-led invasion of Europe serves as the backdrop for the first Command & Conquer: Red Alert
game. Two expansion pack
s for Red Alert were released: Counterstrike and The Aftermath. New units, missions, multiplayer maps and music tracks were included in these expansions.
The story of the original Command & Conquer: Red Alert game portrays the early in-universe history of the main C&C storyline, and leads directly to the Tiberium story arc
of the Command & Conquer franchise. However, with the addition of the title Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
at the hands of a new team of developers in September 2000, this connection was rendered unclear, with fans of the series becoming split as to whether or not the time travel excursions of the Red Alert series were forming a separate continuity altogether, or just another side adventure on the way to the Tiberian era.
At the time of the release of the 10th anniversary compilation pack, known as Command & Conquer: The First Decade
, this new and second C&C development team claimed in interviews on the pack's bonus DVD that the games existed as three separate universes -- Tiberium, Red Alert and Generals. However, with the release of the title of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
in 2007, at the hands of a third new development team from Electronic Arts Los Angeles, EA
published a featured document pertaining to C&C 3s storyline in which a direct reference to Kane's appearance in the 1950s of Command & Conquer: Red Alert is made. On July 25 of the same year, a Command & Conquer: Renegade
-themed modification for the game Crysis
was officially announced by Electronic Arts, which is stated to directly link the first Red Alert game to Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a stand-alone sequel to the original Red Alert game, which unlike its predecessor makes no references to the Tiberium story arc, and which came with its own expansion pack; Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge
. In the storyline of Red Alert 2, the Soviet Union invades the United States of America, using mind control technology to capture US forces and deactivate America's nuclear arsenal. In Yuri's Revenge, Soviet Premier Romanov's advisor Yuri attempts to overtake the world by using his "psychic dominator" technology. A second and last attempt to stop Yuri's plans sends the player back in time to the conflict occurring in Red Alert 2, but instead of fighting the Soviets/Allies, the player fights against Yuri.
C&C creator Westwood Studios
also released a music disc with the music from the Red Alert series. This disc came bundled with some of the later release versions of the games.
, Albert Einstein
created a "Chronosphere" time machine
. Traveling back to Landsberg
, Germany
, he met a young Adolf Hitler
just after the latter's release from Landsberg Prison
and shook hands with him to cause a reaction that eliminated Hitler's existence from time by disturbing the "space-time continuum". This prevented Nazi Germany
from forming and averted World War II
as we know it from taking place.
Without Nazi Germany to stand in the way of Joseph Stalin
's ambitions of conquest, the USSR tries to form a Soviet Union stretching across the entire Eurasian landmass. The nations of Europe, including Germany, form the Allies as a Soviet invasion precipitates a different World War II (Red Alert
) and eventually a Soviet invasion of the United States in a circa 1970s/1980s setting (Red Alert 2
, Yuri's Revenge
). The Soviet Union is ultimately on the losing side.
In Red Alert 3, the Soviet Union teeters on the brink of collapse. Seeing the Premier
's office empty, Cherdenko reveals Dr. Zelinsky's Soviet time machine to General Krukov. To retroactively save their country, Cherdenko travels back to 1927 with Krukov and Zelinsky in tow to assassinate the man behind the Allies' technological superiority. As Albert Einstein comes off stage from giving a speech, Cherdenko shakes his hand with disintegrative results. The trio is then returned to the "present," where the Soviet Army has the Allied forces on the brink of defeat in Europe and Cherdenko is Premier of the USSR. Just as the gloating starts, an ultra-advanced and previously nonexistent Empire of the Rising Sun
embarks on world domination. Without Einstein, calls to use the USSR's formidable nuclear weapon
arsenal are met with blank stares, as the atom bomb has apparently never been developed in this new timeline. Thus while the Soviets and Allied battle amongst themselves the Empire of the Rising Sun enters the chaos and a three-way world war breaks out for total control of the globe.
game to be released by Westwood Studios
. Instead of returning directly to the Tiberian universe
, Westwood Studios decided to create a game centered around the concept of "What would happen if World War II
hadn't happened?" The resulting game of Command & Conquer: Red Alert became the prequel to the original Command & Conquer.
Two expansion packs were released within a year, called Counterstrike & The Aftermath, these were also released for the PlayStation
in a pack called Retaliation, with new missions and cut scenes.
An expansion to Red Alert 2, Yuri's Revenge, was released in which the powerful psychic Yuri tries to achieve world domination. Secretly during the war with the Americans, Yuri has been constructing his own army across the globe and he turns on the Soviets which result in the Allies and Soviets having to ally against Yuri. The game takes place in another alternate timeline, starting with the end of the war in RA2 having the soviets lost, but Yuri taking over the world's minds using his Psychic Dominator. The Americans use Einstein's Time Machine to go back in time to the beginning of the war so they can try and stop Yuri before his plans of world domination are finished. This expansion pack includes a new faction; Yuri and new units/building/technologies for each of the 3 factions.
' then C&C lead Mark Skaggs in December 2004, shortly after the release of Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth. However, Mark Skaggs left Electronic Arts for reasons unspecified shortly thereafter, and there was no mention of a Red Alert 3 until over three years later. In February 2008, both American PC Gamer
and Hungarian PC Guru revealed that they would feature Red Alert 3 as cover stories. On February 14, EA announced that Red Alert 3 was in production and offered screenshots, interviews and beta testing details. Red Alert 3 features three factions, the Allies, Soviets and the Empire of the Rising Sun
. The game features old units from the previous Red Alert games such as Tanya, Kirov airships, and dolphins. Red Alert 3 was the first of the 3 games to feature a 3-D engine, though fans have criticized the game because it no longer has the same feel as the previous games due to the complexity of 3-D games. RA3 takes place in yet another alternate time line that occurs just after the Soviets lost the war in RA2 - they go back in time and kill Albert Einstein, removing his influence with the Allies and thus removing the existence of nuclear weapons. In Asia, the Empire of the Rising Sun secretly builds a vast army with technologies and weaponry that forces the Allies and Soviets to occasionally form alliances.
, Ten, Kali, and Heat. Today the game is played on only two of the original places. First is Westwood Chat, which is now hosted by XWIS. Second is Kali, a multiplayer network interface. Both of these options require their own patches and game versions.
Command & Conquer
Command & Conquer, abbreviated to C&C and also known as Tiberian Dawn, is a 1995 real-time strategy computer game developed by Westwood Studios for MS-DOS and published by Virgin Interactive. It was the first of twelve games to date to be released under the Command & Conquer label, including a...
. The series is well known for having some of the most quirky and outlandish units in the genre.
The Red Alert series takes place in an alternate timeline, created when Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
travels back to the past and eliminates Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
in an attempt to prevent World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
from taking place. This plan indirectly backfires and results in an unchecked Soviet invasion of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
in the 1950s. The Stalin-led invasion of Europe serves as the backdrop for the first Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy computer game of the Command & Conquer franchise, produced by Westwood Studios and released by Virgin Interactive in...
game. Two expansion pack
Expansion pack
An expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
s for Red Alert were released: Counterstrike and The Aftermath. New units, missions, multiplayer maps and music tracks were included in these expansions.
The story of the original Command & Conquer: Red Alert game portrays the early in-universe history of the main C&C storyline, and leads directly to the Tiberium story arc
Command & Conquer: Tiberian series
The Command & Conquer: Tiberian series is a sub-series of real-time strategy video games belonging to the extensive Command & Conquer franchise by Westwood Studios and Electronic Arts...
of the Command & Conquer franchise. However, with the addition of the title Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a 2.5D real-time strategy computer game by Westwood Studios, which was released for Microsoft Windows on October 23, 2000 as the follow-up to Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Set in the early 1970s, Red Alert 2 supposedly picks up at the conclusion of the Allied...
at the hands of a new team of developers in September 2000, this connection was rendered unclear, with fans of the series becoming split as to whether or not the time travel excursions of the Red Alert series were forming a separate continuity altogether, or just another side adventure on the way to the Tiberian era.
At the time of the release of the 10th anniversary compilation pack, known as Command & Conquer: The First Decade
Command & Conquer: The First Decade
Command & Conquer: The First Decade is a compilation of the Command & Conquer series' games published from 1995 to 2003, all bundled into one DVD and updated to run optimally on Windows XP. It was released on February 7, 2006 and sold for the price of one retail game...
, this new and second C&C development team claimed in interviews on the pack's bonus DVD that the games existed as three separate universes -- Tiberium, Red Alert and Generals. However, with the release of the title of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is a military science fiction real-time strategy video game developed and published by Electronic Arts for the Windows, Mac OS X and Xbox 360 platforms, and released internationally in March 2007...
in 2007, at the hands of a third new development team from Electronic Arts Los Angeles, EA
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
published a featured document pertaining to C&C 3s storyline in which a direct reference to Kane's appearance in the 1950s of Command & Conquer: Red Alert is made. On July 25 of the same year, a Command & Conquer: Renegade
Command & Conquer: Renegade
Command & Conquer: Renegade is a first and third person shooter video game developed by Westwood Studios and is part of the Command & Conquer series. It is the only C&C game that uses the first person view...
-themed modification for the game Crysis
Crysis
Crysis is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Crytek , published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, and released in November 2007. It is the first game of a trilogy. A separate game entitled Crysis Warhead was released on September 12, 2008, and follows similar...
was officially announced by Electronic Arts, which is stated to directly link the first Red Alert game to Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a stand-alone sequel to the original Red Alert game, which unlike its predecessor makes no references to the Tiberium story arc, and which came with its own expansion pack; Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge
Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge
In Command and Conquer: Yuri's Revenge, the true story starts off assuming the Allies won in Red Alert 2. The plot is based around Yuri, the former head of the Soviet Psychic Corps, coming out of hiding to take over the world by using his Psychic Dominators...
. In the storyline of Red Alert 2, the Soviet Union invades the United States of America, using mind control technology to capture US forces and deactivate America's nuclear arsenal. In Yuri's Revenge, Soviet Premier Romanov's advisor Yuri attempts to overtake the world by using his "psychic dominator" technology. A second and last attempt to stop Yuri's plans sends the player back in time to the conflict occurring in Red Alert 2, but instead of fighting the Soviets/Allies, the player fights against Yuri.
C&C creator Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios was a computer and video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in as Westwood Associates, and renamed to Westwood Studios when it merged with Virgin Interactive in...
also released a music disc with the music from the Red Alert series. This disc came bundled with some of the later release versions of the games.
Plot
The basis of the Red Alert series is that in 1946, at the Trinity site in New MexicoNew Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
created a "Chronosphere" time machine
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. Traveling back to Landsberg
Landsberg (district)
Landsberg is a district in Bavaria, Germany. It is bounded by the districts of Aichach-Friedberg, Fürstenfeldbruck, Starnberg, Weilheim-Schongau, Ostallgäu and Augsburg.- History :...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, he met a young Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
just after the latter's release from Landsberg Prison
Landsberg Prison
Landsberg Prison is a penal facility located in the town of Landsberg am Lech in the southwest of the German state of Bavaria, about west of Munich and south of Augsburg....
and shook hands with him to cause a reaction that eliminated Hitler's existence from time by disturbing the "space-time continuum". This prevented Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
from forming and averted World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as we know it from taking place.
Without Nazi Germany to stand in the way of Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
's ambitions of conquest, the USSR tries to form a Soviet Union stretching across the entire Eurasian landmass. The nations of Europe, including Germany, form the Allies as a Soviet invasion precipitates a different World War II (Red Alert
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Command & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy computer game of the Command & Conquer franchise, produced by Westwood Studios and released by Virgin Interactive in...
) and eventually a Soviet invasion of the United States in a circa 1970s/1980s setting (Red Alert 2
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a 2.5D real-time strategy computer game by Westwood Studios, which was released for Microsoft Windows on October 23, 2000 as the follow-up to Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Set in the early 1970s, Red Alert 2 supposedly picks up at the conclusion of the Allied...
, Yuri's Revenge
Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge
In Command and Conquer: Yuri's Revenge, the true story starts off assuming the Allies won in Red Alert 2. The plot is based around Yuri, the former head of the Soviet Psychic Corps, coming out of hiding to take over the world by using his Psychic Dominators...
). The Soviet Union is ultimately on the losing side.
In Red Alert 3, the Soviet Union teeters on the brink of collapse. Seeing the Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
's office empty, Cherdenko reveals Dr. Zelinsky's Soviet time machine to General Krukov. To retroactively save their country, Cherdenko travels back to 1927 with Krukov and Zelinsky in tow to assassinate the man behind the Allies' technological superiority. As Albert Einstein comes off stage from giving a speech, Cherdenko shakes his hand with disintegrative results. The trio is then returned to the "present," where the Soviet Army has the Allied forces on the brink of defeat in Europe and Cherdenko is Premier of the USSR. Just as the gloating starts, an ultra-advanced and previously nonexistent Empire of the Rising Sun
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
embarks on world domination. Without Einstein, calls to use the USSR's formidable nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
arsenal are met with blank stares, as the atom bomb has apparently never been developed in this new timeline. Thus while the Soviets and Allied battle amongst themselves the Empire of the Rising Sun enters the chaos and a three-way world war breaks out for total control of the globe.
Games in the series
- Command & Conquer: Red AlertCommand & Conquer: Red AlertCommand & Conquer: Red Alert is a real-time strategy computer game of the Command & Conquer franchise, produced by Westwood Studios and released by Virgin Interactive in...
(1996)- Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Counterstrike (expansion packExpansion packAn expansion pack, expansion set, or supplement is an addition to an existing role-playing game, tabletop game or video game. These add-ons usually add new game areas, weapons, objects, and/or an extended storyline to a complete and already released game...
) (1997) - Command & Conquer: Red Alert: The Aftermath (expansion pack) (1997)
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Retaliation (1998) - This was a compilation of Counterstrike and The Aftermath released for the PlayStation
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Counterstrike (expansion pack
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a 2.5D real-time strategy computer game by Westwood Studios, which was released for Microsoft Windows on October 23, 2000 as the follow-up to Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Set in the early 1970s, Red Alert 2 supposedly picks up at the conclusion of the Allied...
(2000)- Command & Conquer: Yuri's RevengeCommand & Conquer: Yuri's RevengeIn Command and Conquer: Yuri's Revenge, the true story starts off assuming the Allies won in Red Alert 2. The plot is based around Yuri, the former head of the Soviet Psychic Corps, coming out of hiding to take over the world by using his Psychic Dominators...
(expansion pack) (2001)
- Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a 2008 real-time strategy video game developed by EA Los Angeles and published by Electronic Arts. Announced on February 14, 2008, it was released on October 28, 2008 in the United States for Microsoft Windows-based PCs and three days later in Europe. A version for...
(2008)- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Uprising (standalone expansion pack) (2009)
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Commander's Challenge (standalone game for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360) (2009)
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert (iPhone) (2009)
Command & Conquer: Red Alert
Released in October, 1996, Command & Conquer: Red Alert was the second Command & ConquerCommand & Conquer series
Command & Conquer is a video game franchise, mostly of the real-time strategy style as well as a first-person shooter game based on the former...
game to be released by Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios
Westwood Studios was a computer and video game developer, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was founded by Brett Sperry and Louis Castle in as Westwood Associates, and renamed to Westwood Studios when it merged with Virgin Interactive in...
. Instead of returning directly to the Tiberian universe
Command & Conquer: Tiberian series
The Command & Conquer: Tiberian series is a sub-series of real-time strategy video games belonging to the extensive Command & Conquer franchise by Westwood Studios and Electronic Arts...
, Westwood Studios decided to create a game centered around the concept of "What would happen if World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hadn't happened?" The resulting game of Command & Conquer: Red Alert became the prequel to the original Command & Conquer.
Two expansion packs were released within a year, called Counterstrike & The Aftermath, these were also released for the PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
in a pack called Retaliation, with new missions and cut scenes.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
In this sequel to Red Alert, the Soviets launch an attack on the United States. With the aid of Yuri, Premiere Romanov is able to avert the nuclear retaliation of the Americans and he is able to gain a foothold in the United States itself. Red Alert 2 features new and old units and technologies and feature a variety of countries within each faction (Allies/Soviets). Each country features his own unique unit/building/technology; the Americans have Paratroopers, Russia have Tesla Tanks.An expansion to Red Alert 2, Yuri's Revenge, was released in which the powerful psychic Yuri tries to achieve world domination. Secretly during the war with the Americans, Yuri has been constructing his own army across the globe and he turns on the Soviets which result in the Allies and Soviets having to ally against Yuri. The game takes place in another alternate timeline, starting with the end of the war in RA2 having the soviets lost, but Yuri taking over the world's minds using his Psychic Dominator. The Americans use Einstein's Time Machine to go back in time to the beginning of the war so they can try and stop Yuri before his plans of world domination are finished. This expansion pack includes a new faction; Yuri and new units/building/technologies for each of the 3 factions.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
A third Red Alert was unofficially announced by Electronic ArtsElectronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
' then C&C lead Mark Skaggs in December 2004, shortly after the release of Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth. However, Mark Skaggs left Electronic Arts for reasons unspecified shortly thereafter, and there was no mention of a Red Alert 3 until over three years later. In February 2008, both American PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
and Hungarian PC Guru revealed that they would feature Red Alert 3 as cover stories. On February 14, EA announced that Red Alert 3 was in production and offered screenshots, interviews and beta testing details. Red Alert 3 features three factions, the Allies, Soviets and the Empire of the Rising Sun
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
. The game features old units from the previous Red Alert games such as Tanya, Kirov airships, and dolphins. Red Alert 3 was the first of the 3 games to feature a 3-D engine, though fans have criticized the game because it no longer has the same feel as the previous games due to the complexity of 3-D games. RA3 takes place in yet another alternate time line that occurs just after the Soviets lost the war in RA2 - they go back in time and kill Albert Einstein, removing his influence with the Allies and thus removing the existence of nuclear weapons. In Asia, the Empire of the Rising Sun secretly builds a vast army with technologies and weaponry that forces the Allies and Soviets to occasionally form alliances.
Internet Gameplay
Command & Conquer: Red Alert was widely played on the internet during its most popular years on many sites including Westwood, GameSpyGameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
, Ten, Kali, and Heat. Today the game is played on only two of the original places. First is Westwood Chat, which is now hosted by XWIS. Second is Kali, a multiplayer network interface. Both of these options require their own patches and game versions.