23. Command and Conquer: Red Alert (1996) – PC
This is one of the first computer games I ever played, and it remains one of the most memorable. I’ve lost count of how many times I sold it, thinking I was tired of it, only to buy it again a few years later, desperate for a repeat experience. What really captivated me was not the exciting, real-time strategy gameplay, – although few experiences in videogames will ever reach the excitement of unleashing Soviet Tesla coils on an invading Allied force – it was the incorporation of live-action full-motion video, known at the time as FMV. These movies would appear before a mission, briefing you on the details, and after you successfully completed your mission, showing the devastating consequences, such as the destruction of an airport hanger or the missile launch of a submarine. What really sets these movies apart from the ones that would appear in later C&C incarnations, is their total acceptance of purpose. The actors took themselves seriously enough to not look like they are winking at you the whole time, but hammed it up enough to have fun with some of the dialogue that would otherwise be cringe-worthy. There are also a lot of sub-plot and background story threads incorporated into these movies, whereas later games dropped this added exposition for more basic briefings. I miss the added fun. Like how Stalin keeps poisoning his commanders that fail him, although it’s never the one you expect, or the secret Allies Agent Tanya’s grossly entertaining and violent escape from a soviet prison. It’s all gloriously over-the-top and incredibly fun. The series would never again reach this level of entertainment with its cutscenes.
The story was pretty fun too. Einstein invents a time machine so he can go back in time and remove Hitler by shaking his hand. After returning from his trip through time, Einstein is asked by his assistant if all is well, to which Einstein responds: “Time will tell. Sooner, or later, time will tell.” Of course without the threat of the Nazis, the Soviet Union grows under Joseph Stalin, and the Allies must defend the world from this new threat. It’s hysterically hokey, delightfully dumb, and the guiltiest of guilty pleasures.
This is one of the first computer games I ever played, and it remains one of the most memorable. I’ve lost count of how many times I sold it, thinking I was tired of it, only to buy it again a few years later, desperate for a repeat experience. What really captivated me was not the exciting, real-time strategy gameplay, – although few experiences in videogames will ever reach the excitement of unleashing Soviet Tesla coils on an invading Allied force – it was the incorporation of live-action full-motion video, known at the time as FMV. These movies would appear before a mission, briefing you on the details, and after you successfully completed your mission, showing the devastating consequences, such as the destruction of an airport hanger or the missile launch of a submarine. What really sets these movies apart from the ones that would appear in later C&C incarnations, is their total acceptance of purpose. The actors took themselves seriously enough to not look like they are winking at you the whole time, but hammed it up enough to have fun with some of the dialogue that would otherwise be cringe-worthy. There are also a lot of sub-plot and background story threads incorporated into these movies, whereas later games dropped this added exposition for more basic briefings. I miss the added fun. Like how Stalin keeps poisoning his commanders that fail him, although it’s never the one you expect, or the secret Allies Agent Tanya’s grossly entertaining and violent escape from a soviet prison. It’s all gloriously over-the-top and incredibly fun. The series would never again reach this level of entertainment with its cutscenes.
The story was pretty fun too. Einstein invents a time machine so he can go back in time and remove Hitler by shaking his hand. After returning from his trip through time, Einstein is asked by his assistant if all is well, to which Einstein responds: “Time will tell. Sooner, or later, time will tell.” Of course without the threat of the Nazis, the Soviet Union grows under Joseph Stalin, and the Allies must defend the world from this new threat. It’s hysterically hokey, delightfully dumb, and the guiltiest of guilty pleasures.
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