Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2
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Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is a 2.5D real-time strategy computer game by Westwood Studios, which was released for Microsoft Windows on September 28, 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 campaign of the first game, but this has been subject to debate.
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2 contains 2 playable factions, Soviets and Allies which both previously appeared in Command & Conquer: Red Alert. Red Alert 2's single player campaign is structured in an alternate-ending mode as opposed to a progressive story mode.
Red Alert 2 received an average rating of 86% according to GameRankings criteria.
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[edit] Plot
Red Alert 2 has two unique story lines. Both start after Command & Conquer: Red Alert, where USSR was defeated by Allied Forces after attempt to "bring revolution to world". Premier Alexander Romanov was installed by Allies and until USSR invaded USA was considered to be part of Allied Forces (refered by President Michael Dugan in his quote "We were suppose to be Allies you maniac! I'm the one who put you in office!").
[edit] Allied Campaign
The Allied story line begins with a team led by Special Agent Tanya being sent to to repel the invasion there. The player, with help from Tanya, successfully repels the Soviet invasion of New York City. Tanya and the Commander are then sent to to liberate the Air Force Academy and the air base there. When returning home victorious from the battle, it is discovered that a Soviet mind control device known as the Psychic Beacon, a device that can mind-control the population of entire cities, has been deployed in Washington D.C.. The Psychic Beacon manages to control the minds of the President and General Carville and several other key officials in the city, who promptly surrender to the Soviets. However, a quick counter-strike destroys the Psychic Beacon and frees the government and military officials from Soviet mind control allowing them to be rescued, but Washington, D.C. still remains in Soviet hands. The American government and military quickly relocates themselves to Canada to escape the threat of Soviet mind control.
After moving their government to Canada, Allied intelligence has discovered that the Soviets have put another psychic device in Chicago, the Psychic Amplifier, which has the power “to do to the country what the Psychic Beacon did to Washington”. The Allies promptly launch an offensive into Soviet-occupied Chicago from their Canadian base across Lake Michigan, freeing the city and destroying the Psychic Amplifier. But in retaliation,General Vladimir, the chief commander of the invading Soviet forces, declares that he no longer has much use for the city of Chicago, and detonates a nuclear device in the city, completely destroying it.
Alarmed by the situation, leaders of Allied Forces agree to help the USA if the Americans disarm the Soviet nuclear missile silos in Poland. US President Michael Dugan agrees and sends a special forces team led by Tanya into Poland near its border with Germany. The silos are covertly destroyed, and the Europeans join the war against the Soviets. Bolstered by additional men and equipment, the U.S. military is able to launch an amphibious assault on Soviet-occupied Washington, D.C. and recapture the city. After doing so, Allied intelligence reveals that the Soviets are planning to capture the Hawaiian Islands and the Commander is sent to Pearl Harbor to defend the islands.
The islands are saved, but the United States is still in a precarious position. The Soviets, with the help from their Psychic Beacon, still control St. Louis and all of the Mississippi River south of the city, seriously handicapping movement between the western states and the eastern states. The Allies then mount an attack on the city, destroying the Psychic Beacon and liberating the city. The Allies also learn of a Soviet project to replicate the Allied Prism technology, which is a technology that creates massive beams of energy to destroy the enemy, at a research base in Tulum, Mexico. A team of Navy SEALs is then para-dropped into the area to destroy the research facility and any Soviet attempts to replicate the Allied prism technology. The mission is successful and the Allied Prism technology is not compromised.
General Carville, in a briefing to the player, says that they are being shipped off to Germany. He says that the Allied leaders are sending troops into the Black Forest to protect Albert Einstein’s laboratory in order to bring a quick end to the war. At Einstein's laboratory, there is Einstein's prototype Chronosphere, a device with the ability to transport troops anywhere in the world, and the plans for it. As General Carville is leaving his office at the end of the briefing, a Crazy Ivan, a Soviet unit which deploys explosives, was waiting for Carville and detonates his bombs, killing Carville. Despite this tremendous loss, the Commander is sent to the Black Forest and repels the Soviet invasion from across the German border. Einstein's laboratory and Chronosphere are saved and Einstein continues his work.
After doing this, Einstein personally thanks the Commander and says that he has been working to find the best place to deploy the Chronosphere. Einstein has found the perfect place, but it is "on a tiny island in the Florida Keys, just a few short kilometers from Soviet Cuba”. The Allies send a force to the island and build a base and the Chronosphere there, and then launch an offensive into Cuba to destroy the Soviet nuclear strike capability there. The Allies then proceed to use the Chronosphere's teleportation capabilities to take an Allied strike team to Moscow. Once in Moscow, the Allied forces destroy the defenses around the Kremlin and then teleport in a strike team led by Tanya to capture Premier Alexander Romanov. The Soviets suffer a humiliating defeat and promptly surrender.
[edit] Soviet Campaign
Soviet Campaign is considered to be non-canonical because it leads to Soviet Victory over the Allies and disturbs continuity of Red Alert canon.
The Soviet storyline begins with the player being briefed by Premier Alexander Romanov about the upcoming Soviet invasion of the United States of America. Romanov tells the player that the first priority is the destruction of the headquarters of the American military, the Pentagon. The Commander carries out this order, leading an invasion into Washington, D.C. and destroying the Pentagon. Another Soviet invasion is launched into Florida to destroy the American fleet there, which was threatening the Soviet invasion of the East Coast. Even though the Commander is almost fully responsible for these victories, all the credit goes to the top Soviet commander, General Vladimir. Yuri recommends that the player captures New York City with a Psychic Beacon, a device that can mind-control the population of entire cities, while Vladimir is in Moscow celebrating so that Yuri and the "Comrade General" can also get some fame and glory. The player follows Yuri's advice, and launches an offensive into New York City. After capturing the Allied Battle Lab, or research facility, at the World Trade Center, the Psychic Beacon is deployed and the entire population of the city falls under Soviet control.
To counter the ever increasing and successful Soviet threat, forces from the Republic of Korea launch an amphibious attack on Vladivostok, and the player must "defend the motherland" at all costs. The Commander ruthlessly defends the "motherland", crushing all invading Korean forces in a brutal counter-attack. Alarmed by the situation, leaders of Allied Forces agree to send troops to the Polish border to help the USA fight the Soviets. While the French Military has amassed near Poland, the Soviets send a special forces team to Paris, with special orders from Romanov and Yuri to "show the Allies the true meaning of Soviet irony" and to "leave nothing". Once in Paris, the Soviets fight to capture the area around the Paris Tower. The Soviets then use three Tesla Troopers, soldiers with the ability to destroy vehicles with electric charges, to energize the "Paris Tower" and effectively turn it into a massive Tesla Coil, a tower which uses massive electric bursts to destroy its targets. The energized "Paris Tower" quickly destroys all Allied forces in the city and devastates Paris. With this and other key victories in Europe, the nations of Europe are in a position of needing help itself rather than giving help to the USA.
During this time, Yuri has been gaining more and more power by using his telepathic abilities to mind control Romanov. As a result, Romanov gives all military authority to Yuri, which greatly angers General Vladimir, who accuses Yuri of forcing Romanov to make that decision. Yuri discards these accusations and tells the player to establish a "Soviet presence" in the Hawaiian Islands. The Commander is sent to the islands and destroys the American Pacific Fleet and all Korean reinforcements, allowing the Soviets to easily take over the islands. Meanwhile, Romanov has become very ill and Yuri's intelligence has revealed that the Allies have constructed a Chronosphere, a device with the ability to transport troops anywhere in the world. The Allies intend to use the Chronosphere to launch an assault on a Soviet research facility in the Ural Mountains. Yuri tells the player that this research facility is vital to the Soviet war effort and that it must be defended at all costs. The player takes command of Soviet forces at the research facility and manages to repel several Allied attacks on the facility.
While the Soviet research facility is saved, Yuri has murdered Romanov in his hospital bed, but framed General Vladimir for the crime. Yuri orders the commander to go to Washington D.C. to eliminate Vladimir, who Yuri declares to be a traitor and a "nonperson". The player defeats Vladimir's forces and captures Vladimir in the White House with the aid of Yuri's psychic technology. In another briefing with Yuri, the player is informed of Yuri's plan to mind control the U.S. president Michael Dugan and thus be able to indirectly influence the American government and military. A Soviet strike team of psychic commandos is then sent to San Antonio, Texas and covertly infiltrates the American base there around the Alamo and then put President Dugan under Soviet mind-control. The Soviets then discover that the Allies are developing a new super weapon in the U.S. Virgin Islands, known as a Weather Control Device, a device that can create thunderstorms with the power to devastate large areas. The Soviets launch an amphibious assault on the islands and successfully destroy the device before it gets a chance to be activated.
Impressed by the tenacity of the “Comrade General”, Yuri asks the Commander to come to Moscow so he can thank the Commander in person. But Lieutenant Zofia tells the player about a video Romanov recorded before his death. In the video, Romanov, with much difficulty, says that Yuri is controlling his mind and orders the Commander to bring the traitor to justice. The Commander goes to Moscow, but with a large army and the intent of apprehending Yuri. Upon their arrival in Moscow, the player’s forces engage with forces loyal to Yuri. The player then launches a devastating attack on the Kremlin and Yuri is believed to be dead. After going through Yuri’s files, it is learned that the Allies have built a Chronosphere in Alaska, which they will use to attempt to launch a final assault into the Soviet Union. Soviet forces are sent across the Bering Strait and destroy the Chronosphere and all Allied forces in the area. With all resistance destroyed, the player is now free to rule the world. However, in the end cut scene, Yuri's mind has somehow survived and telepathically communicates to the commander saying, “It would have been good to see inside your mind, General. I may still get the chance...”
[edit] Gameplay
Red Alert 2 is "2.5D" RTS game which means it is "somewhere between" 2D and 3D.
[edit] Singleplayer
Red Alert 2 has two unique campaign, Soviet and Allied, which lets player choose the side to lead to victory.
Soviet campaign campaign is considered non-canonical because it contradicts events of Red Alert 3 and destroys canonical integrity of Red Alert series. Allied campaign is, however, considered canonical. There is an training campaign called "Boot camp" which is just meant to introduce players to gameplay. Each campaign (excluding boot camp) has 12 missions. Skirmish is essentially a multiplayer game, but player fights against computer-led opponents.
[edit] Multiplayer
Red Alert 2 includes LAN connection multiplayer where players have connected PC, or Online Play which lets palyer join an online battle using internet connection.
Online Play allows for tournaments, private games, public games, ladder ranking games and also contains a chat system. In 2005, control of online play for Red Alert 2 and a number of older C&C games was passed over from EA to XWIS, a well-established community run server that now organizes the ladder, and with the help of a community reporting scheme, bans cheaters. The server is sponsored by the EA Germany Community Team.
LAN only allows skirmish.
