Command and Conquer: Red Alert

I feel rather old when I boot up Command and Conquer: Red Alert for the iPhone. I remember when the game burst onto the scene, bringing RTS games to new audiences. I remember when the game swung over to an alternate Nazi-less universe to the fear of fans but the eventual joy when it turned out to be a moment of genius. I remember it spreading to consoles and solidifying its place as one of the premier gaming franchises. Now here it is on a new console, how Command and Conquer will identify with a new generation will be through the iPhone and in a very different way to my generation. The question is does the move to phones help it recapture the old magic or does it continue the stagnation which has began to affect the series?

This may have the Red Alert tag line but it’s not the PC classic, what we have here is very much a condensed version of the PC experience. You still have two factions (with a third promised as DLC) but don’t expect the campaigns to be anything more than a mild distraction. Plot is minimal, pretty much “Soviets are attacking!” or “Crush the west!” and there are only ten missions between the two factions. The variety within these missions is pretty poor as well, with it being split between “Tanya” style missions where you control a band of units or when you run a base and in both cases the structure of the mission is formulaic and bland. The other game mode is skirmish but there are only two maps available with campaign maps not unlocking for skirmish play (but suspiciously similar maps available for purchase). At launch there is no local multiplayer either (said to be included in an upcoming update) and the package therefore feels quite weak and lacklustre, particularly for the £5.99 price.

The RTS gameplay transfers well to the touch screen but not without problems. Navigating the screen is easy, with zooming down by pinching the screen and several buttons at the bottom changing the touch functionality into choosing multiple units. However choosing a group of varying units is tough, not that it matters as a large group of tanks will solve all problems. You can’t tap a destination and forget about them though as path finding is wonky and you will usually find your massive tank regiment being stuck behind a tree or a rock. Base building isn’t particularly deep, with a shallow but wide tech-tree not being testing or useful and resource management being taken away completely. Your base, as simple as it is, does look pretty with graphics making the jump from PC and it’s all identifiably C&C, the only downside are chunky vehicles which can leave you wondering what you’re looking at on a crowded screen.

At the end of the day Command and Conquer: Red Alert is a competent if unspectacular way for the series to debut on the iPhone. The package feels light without mulitplayer, few maps and a poor single player experience, combined with a boring and short campaign you will find this being deleted pretty quickly in favour of a longer lasting experience. On saying that, the game controls well and shows that there is potential for a deep RTS on the device, unless it comes from DLC however it won’t be through Command and Conquer: Red Alert.