Released for PC in 1995, Command & Conquer was one of the earliest and certainly one of the most influential games in a genre formerly among the most beloved of “hardcore” gamers – Real-Time Strategy. Set in a quasi-realistic, alternate-history version of the present-day, C&C‘s seemingly conventional militaristic flavour was strongly laced with elements of sci-fi and black comedy, strands which became more apparent in its sequels. A major commercial success in its day, the franchise went into vertiginous decline along with the rest of the RTS genre in the last fifteen years. But nostalgia sells, and so EA Studios commissioned a remaster of C&C along with its prequel, Red Alert, released together in a bundle last year. While the dated gameplay means the collection is unlikely to capture the imagination of younger gamers, the fidelity of this comprehensive remaster certainly makes this an attractive proposition for older fans keen to re-live an iconic experience. It also presents an admirable tribute to an important piece of video game history.

Gameplay in Command & Conquer takes place across dozens of individual missions, each of which constitutes a skirmish between the United Nations-backed Global Defence Initiative, and the Brotherhood of Nod, an international terrorist organisation. There are two single-player campaigns – one for each faction – which see the GDI and Nod seeking to seize control of Europe and Africa respectively. The factions are quite distinctive: the GDI relies on heavy armour and air support, while Nod makes use of various sadistic technologies (like flamethrower-equipped tanks) prohibited by the Geneva Convention. This means there are meaningful gameplay differences between the factions, even if the most effective basic strategy (build lots of tanks to overrun the enemy base) is common to each.

Resource management is key to success in C&C, and most missions revolve around the harvesting of Tiberium, an alien mineral which eventually shapes the emerging story across the wider franchise. From a gameplay perspective, harvesting Tiberium is how you generate funds to develop your base and build the units necessary to take the fight to the enemy. Most units have a rock-paper-scissors relationship, so that even the most powerful vehicles can theoretically be countered by the right strategy. There’s less variety, and less scope for customization and micro-management, than one might find in later RTS games, but this is only likely to be a serious issue for advanced players. Most should find that the simple joy of building tanks and grenadiers, and cheerily sending them off into battle, will be entertainment enough.

Early campaign missions serve a tutorial function, giving you control of a few basic units and tasking you with a simple objective (defending a village as GDI; razing it as Nod). Later, most maps follow a standard format, the overwhelming majority tasking you with wiping out your opponent’s forces. Variety comes through the scenarios that begin missions, which often feature some kind of logistical puzzle that must be solved before you can establish a foothold. Each campaign features its tricky sections, with your AI opponent sometimes holding what seems like an insuperable advantage as you begin the map. Fortunately, the game allows you to save and load as often as you want, allowing you to save-scum your way through seemingly impossible encounters. Once you’ve established your base, each map ultimately follows the same pattern, as you begin to build strong units and strive to make more efficient use of them than the computer, who blithely sends two or three tanks at a time to inevitable destruction.

The repetitiveness of its gameplay means C&C needs other sources of appeal, and fortunately it does. The whole game exhudes mischievous charm, encouraging you to take boyish delight in destruction and mayhem. It’s impossible to resist a devilish chuckle when first hearing the comically exaggerated, lo-fi screams of dying units – either yours or your enemy’s – or the ’80s-inspired bravado of your Commando (“I got a present for ya!”) Meanwhile, the ridiculous story entertains without descending to the levels of self-parody seen in later franchise entries. Context for each mission is provided through iconic full-motion-video sequences, featuring performances that range from the laughably hammy (Dr Mobius) to the deliciously charismatic (Kane). Indeed, this remaster is a welcome reminder of Joseph Kucan’s performance as one of the most memorable video game villains of the 1990s. There’s also an irresistible turn from Marcia Swayze, sister-in-law of Patrick Swayze, who has a seductive cameo as a newsreader.

These days, almost as many remakes and remasters are released as new games. Sometimes, they can seem like lazy cash-ins. But Command & Conquer Remastered is the yardstick for faithful and diligent remasters, with every aspect of its presentation lovingly enhanced to take advantage of modern technology while maintaining the spirit of the original game. Most obviously, the graphics have received an outstanding overhaul. It’s possible to instantly switch between the original graphics and the high-definition reimagining at the push of a button, but the new visuals are so glorious that there’s no reason you’d want to go back. C&C also featured an outstanding hard rock soundtrack, which has been fully remastered. The game includes all DLC missions, a map editor, and various other features to appeal to diehard fans, though more casual players are unlikely to venture much further than the base campaign.

Despite the visible improvements, there are other respects in which C&C shows its age. The most obvious pertain to unit behaviour and pathfinding. Your units often show spectacular ignorance in knowing when to engage targets, and will stand idly by while the person next to them is being shot to bits, only returning fire when they’re directly engaged. Meanwhile, vehicles often take counter-intuitive routes to their destination, which may lead them through enemy territory or even through an enemy base itself. If you’re not careful, this can lead to the decimation of an entire convoy. Similarly, careless squad management can result in losing entire platoons of infantry to being “squashed” by enemy armour. Once you’re used to the foibles of your army, it’s possible to mitigate such losses, but it does mean larger maps can become frantic affairs as you struggle to micro-manage individual units engaged in multiple skirmishes.

While the future of Command & Conquer, and the whole RTS genre, remains uncertain, this package is a good reminder of its glorious past. Completing both campaigns should easily take thirty hours or more, meaning there is plenty of content here, even for those uninterested in multiplayer or custom maps. Of course, the game is also bundled with Red Alert Remastered – in many respects an equally intriguing game – ensuring that the overall package provides great value for money at its budget price.

7.5/10

NB: Red Alert Remastered will be scored separately.