Command & Conquer (C&C) is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game series first created and developed by Westwood Studios. The first game in the series was among the earliest examples of the RTS genre and was influenced by Westwood Studios' earlier strategy game, Dune II. It introduced features that became common in later games, such as full-motion video cutscenes with a group of actors to tell the story, rather than using computer-generated images. In 1998, Westwood Studios was bought by Electronic Arts. The studio was shut down in 2003, but some of its members and projects were taken over by EA Los Angeles, which continued making games in the Command & Conquer series.

History

After Westwood Studios created the highly praised game Dune II, Computer Gaming World reported in 1993 that the company would not use the Dune license for its next strategy game. The magazine explained that the decision was "mostly because the programmers are tired of sand." It also mentioned that the new game would have "new terrain and enemies" and that the design team planned to create a multiplayer version.

In 1995, Westwood released Command & Conquer worldwide. The game is set in the near future, where Earth becomes polluted by a mysterious substance called Tiberium. A global war breaks out between the UN-formed Global Defense Initiative, which tries to control Tiberium, and the Brotherhood of Nod, a cult-like group led by Kane, who wants to use Tiberium for power. The game was very successful and was followed by Command & Conquer: Red Alert in 1996. This game takes place in an alternate universe where the Soviet Union fights the Allies. Red Alert was developed as a prequel to the original game but later became its own series with a lighter, more humorous tone. The original game and its sequels are known as the "Tiberium" series, which keeps a serious science fiction style. The first game is sometimes called Tiberian Dawn.

After Command & Conquer, Westwood released Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun in 1999 and its expansion pack, Firestorm. In 2002, the studio launched Command & Conquer: Renegade, a first-person shooter game that was praised for its online features. In 2003, a spin-off called Command & Conquer: Generals was released. This game is set in a realistic near-future and includes the United States, China, and the Global Liberation Army. It was followed by an expansion pack called Zero Hour. In 2007, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars was released, along with its expansion pack, Kane's Wrath. In 2010, Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight was released as the final game in the Tiberium series. It received mixed reviews because it changed the traditional gameplay and story style. The Red Alert series continued with Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 in 2000, its expansion pack Yuri's Revenge, and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 in 2008. This last game added a third faction, the Empire of the Rising Sun, which is based on Japan and uses futuristic robotic technology.

Most games in the series are made for personal computers that run Microsoft Windows. Some titles have also been released on video game consoles and Apple Macs. Other games have been developed for platforms like iOS and the web. As of July 2010, the Command & Conquer franchise included eleven games and eight expansion packs. The first three games were made free to promote later games in the series. A free-to-play game called Command & Conquer was being developed by Victory Games and was expected to be released in 2013. However, after a short testing phase, the game was canceled, and Victory Games was shut down by EA. The Command & Conquer series has sold over 30 million copies as of 2009.

Gameplay

The Command & Conquer games are real-time strategy games, except for the first-person shooter Command & Conquer: Renegade. A key feature of the series is that different groups, or factions, have their own stories that connect to a central plot. These games also allow players to compete against each other through local area networks (LAN) and modem connections. Every game in the series includes online play and "skirmish" matches, where players can fight against computer-controlled enemies.

Most Command & Conquer real-time strategy games, except for Command & Conquer: Generals and its expansions, use a "side bar" for navigation and control. This is different from many other games, where the control bar is usually at the bottom of the screen.

In these games, players typically build a base and collect resources to fund the creation of military units to attack and defeat the opponent's base. All structures for a chosen faction are built at a special location called a "construction yard." This yard is usually created by a large vehicle called an MCV, or Mobile Construction Vehicle. Once a construction yard is built, players can place new structures near existing ones, and the pre-made buildings will quickly unfold in a unique way.

In most games, except for Command & Conquer: Generals and its expansion Zero Hour, players earn money by using specialized "harvester" units to collect resources like Tiberium (from the Tiberian series) or ore and gems (from the Red Alert series). These resources are taken to a "refinery" to be turned into usable funds, called credits. Before Red Alert 2 and Command & Conquer 3, storage space for raw materials was needed in the form of refineries or "storage silo" structures. In Generals and Zero Hour, money is collected either by gathering supplies and converting them in "supply centers" or by producing it directly through specialized units, buildings, or tech buildings at set times.

Each faction in the series has structures and units with similar purposes, but they are adapted to fit the theme of the faction and have slightly different abilities. Units are divided into infantry, vehicles, and aircraft, with further categories (in the Red Alert series, naval units are also available). Units have strengths and weaknesses against other units, following the "rock-paper-scissors" principle, where each unit type can be effective or ineffective against others.

Most structures in the series act as steps in a progression system called a "tech tree." As players build and place new structures, they unlock more units, buildings, and abilities specific to their faction. If required structures are destroyed or not properly powered by "power plant" structures, access to advanced units and abilities may be blocked temporarily.

Every Command & Conquer game has allowed players to compete against each other in multiplayer matches. Each game box included two CDs, enabling two players to play together with one purchase. Westwood Studios advertised this with the slogan, "A second copy, so you and your friend can destroy each other." This feature helped Command & Conquer become the first real-time strategy game to support competitive online play, a key factor in its popularity. Up to Red Alert 2, all games included two CDs for this purpose, but later games did not.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 was the first real-time strategy game to allow players to complete campaigns together online. Earlier games only supported single-player campaigns. However, online play in Red Alert 3 required connecting through EA's servers, not through LAN.

Games developed by Westwood Studios used a system called Westwood Online to enable multiplayer games over the internet. Renegade also supported GameSpy. Later games developed by EA continued to use GameSpy but stopped supporting Westwood Online, switching to EA's own servers. GameSpy's main servers closed in 2013, but some games can still be played through a service called Gameranger.

Games

Command & Conquer, released on September 26, 1995, is the first game in the series. According to the Command & Conquer: Renegade manual, the game takes place between 2017 and 2020. It is considered the game that created and popularized the real-time strategy genre. The game introduced two warring groups: the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the Brotherhood of Nod. Critics praised the game highly. One reviewer said, "Command & Conquer is one of the finest, most brilliantly-designed computer games I have ever seen." The game received an average score of 94% on Metacritic. Its expansion pack, Covert Operations, released in 1996, had an average score of 72%.

Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, released on August 27, 1999, is set in the year 2030. Unlike the original game, which focused on real-world politics, Tiberian Sun uses a science fiction setting. The game takes place in a world where a substance called Tiberium is destroying Earth's ecosystems. Westwood Studios, the developers of Tiberian Sun, was bought by Electronic Arts in 1998, but EA did not help create the game. Tiberian Sun uses more science fiction technology and a new game engine that creates the illusion of a 3D environment. The game’s full-motion videos use traditional movie-style shots, unlike the first game, which used first-person perspectives.

Command & Conquer: Renegade, released on February 26, 2002, takes place near the end of the original game’s story. It was the last game made by Westwood Studios before the company closed in 2003. Renegade is a first-person shooter, unlike other games in the series. It received average reviews, with a score of 75% on Metacritic. Critics praised its online features, noting that multiplayer mode was fun and encouraged teamwork.

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, released on March 29, 2007, returned to the real-time strategy style of the original games. It is a direct sequel to Tiberian Sun and is set in 2047. The game introduces a new faction, the Scrin. It received an average score of 85% on Metacritic. PC Gamer U.S. called it "one of the greatest RTS franchises of all time returning to glory," while PC Gamer UK gave it a more modest score of 82%.

After Tiberium Wars, an expansion pack called Kane’s Wrath was released on March 24, 2008. It focuses only on the Brotherhood of Nod in its campaign, but other factions and new sub-factions are available in other game modes. The expansion takes place in 2052 and received an average score of 77%.

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, released on March 16, 2010, changed the gameplay style by removing resource gathering and base building. It is a direct sequel to Kane’s Wrath and is set in 2062, when Tiberium has evolved and is spreading rapidly across Earth.

Renegade X is a free, fan-made remake of Command & Conquer: Renegade. Electronic Arts approved its release, and it entered open beta on February 26, 2014. The game includes a short single-player campaign called Black Dawn.

In 2018, Electronic Arts announced a remastered version of Command & Conquer, including expansions and Red Alert, for modern computers. The Remastered Collection was released on June 5, 2020, and received a score of 82/100 on Metacritic. EA also released the source code for the remastered games to allow players to create mods.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert, released on November 22, 1996, is set in an alternate 1950s and was meant to be a prequel to the series. It introduced the Allies and Soviets as rival factions, similar to NATO and the Warsaw Pact during the Cold War. The game received high scores, averaging over 90% on GameRankings and Metacritic. Its two expansion packs, Counterstrike and The Aftermath, received lower scores of 63% and 70%, respectively. A PlayStation version called Red Alert: Retaliation included content from both expansions and new cutscenes. Before becoming freeware in 2008, the game sold over three million copies.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, released on October 23, 2000, featured a Soviet invasion of North America with tanks, airships, and giant squid. It did not directly connect to the Tiberium series, but some creators suggested it takes place in a parallel universe. The game received an average score of 86% on GameRankings.

An expansion pack, Yuri’s Revenge, was released on October 10, 2001. It follows an ex-Soviet leader named Yuri, who uses psychic technology to try to conquer the world. The expansion received mostly positive reviews, with an average score of 85% on GameRankings.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, released on October 28, 2008, continued the story of Red Alert 2. It introduced new, humorous units and a faction based on the Empire of Japan. The game’s designers aimed to make each faction unique and fun to play.

Chronology

• 1995 – Command & Conquer
• 1996 – Command & Conquer – The Covert Operations
• 1996 – Command & Conquer: Red Alert
• 1997 – Command & Conquer: Red Alert – Counterstrike
• 1997 – Command & Conquer: Red Alert – The Aftermath
• 1998 – Command & Conquer: Red Alert – Retaliation
• 1997 – Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor
• 1999 – Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun
• 2000 – Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun – Firestorm
• 2000 – Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
• 2001 – Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge
• 2002 – Command & Conquer: Renegade
• 2003 – Command & Conquer: Generals
• 2003 – Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour
• 2007 – Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars
• 2008 – Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath
• 2008 – Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
• 2009 – Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 – Uprising
• 2010 – Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight
• 2012 – Command & Conquer: Tiberium Alliances
• 2018 – Command & Conquer: Rivals
• 2020 – Command & Conquer Remastered Collection

Music

Frank Klepacki, a former sound director at Westwood Studios, created much of the music for the early games in the series. After Westwood Studios closed in 2003, other composers took over the music creation for the series. Klepacki returned to the series in 2008 to help with the soundtrack for Red Alert 3.

Critics have praised the music, especially the earlier games in the series. Frank Klepacki composed the original score for Command & Conquer: Red Alert. This score won the title of best video game soundtrack of 1996 from PC Gamer and Gameslice magazines. One of Klepacki's most famous songs from the series is the theme of Red Alert, titled "Hell March." This song matches the game's style with energetic guitar riffs, sounds of marching feet, and synthesizers that create a dramatic chant.

Originally planned as the theme for the Brotherhood of Nod faction in the Covert Operations expansion of the 1995 Command & Conquer game, "Hell March" became a key part of the Red Alert series instead. A new version of the song was made for Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2.

— Frank Klepacki, Senior Composer

Reception

The Command & Conquer series has sold more than 30 million games as of 2009. In 1997, Screen Digest called it "probably the world's biggest PC CD-ROM entertainment franchise to date." By 1999, it had sold over 10 million copies.

Games in the series usually received high scores on websites that collect reviews, such as GameRankings and Metacritic. According to the table below, the highest-rated game is Command & Conquer, with a score of 94% from Metacritic. The highest-rated game when averaging scores from both sites is Command & Conquer: Red Alert, with an average of just over 90%. As a series, Command & Conquer games have averaged about 80% when including expansion packs and about 84% when not including them.

The long history of the Command & Conquer series led Guinness World Records to award it six world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include "Biggest Selling RTS Series," "Most Number of Platforms for an RTS," and "Longest Running Actor in Video Game Role" for Joe Kucan, who has played the role of Kane, the villainous mastermind of the series, for 15 years.