When comparing Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 vs Command & Conquer: Generals, the Slant community recommends Command & Conquer: Generals for most people. In the question“What are the best RTS games for PC?” Command & Conquer: Generals is ranked 7th while Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 is ranked 11th. The most important reason people chose Command & Conquer: Generals is:
While Command & Conquer: General's Multi-Player is a solid addition to the series, it is heightened greatly with the addition of Zero Hour. In this expansion, each faction has different generals the player can choose from, with specific specializations and drawbacks. One Chinese general specializes in infantry, allowing them certain upgrades to increase their effectiveness, while a Global Liberation Army general has an advantage with toxins, giving their vehicles the ability to have Anthrax-laced explosives that deal extra damage. With this addition, Zero Hour gives players the freedom to choose whichever general that fits their playstyle.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Whimsical unit design gives the game a light-hearted and campy tone
Red Alert 2 features fun and interesting units that make this entry in the Command & Conquer series far from serious. For example, the Soviet Giant Squid can slowly destroy naval units by ensnaring them in its tentacles, and the Allied Mirage Tank can camouflage itself as trees and enemy vehicles. These units are fantastical and over-the-top, conveying a light tone to the player, which separates this experience from the dourness of other Real-Time Strategy titles.
Pro High-quality and humorous FMV gives Red Alert 2 life
The FMV in Red Alert 2 adds a breath of immersive life to the title, helping add to the ambiance and tone the game wishes to set. For example, a mission cold-opens with U.S. General Carville sitting at a desk talking about Canada, where the remnants of the U.S. Government have taken refuge, stating that there are more cattle in Canada than people, which humorously shows the exact kind of game Red Alert 2 strives to be. With other FMV like this, the title gives itself its own identity, separating itself from the previous Red Alert titles
Pro Two playable campaigns give you hours of content
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 gives you the choice to play as either the Soviet Union or the Allies for its single player campaign. In the Soviet campaign, you vie for complete and total control of Earth, while the Allies desperately rally to stave off the Russian offensive on multiple continents. With a combined total of 24 missions, the campaign manages to tell two complete stories while giving you hours of playtime.
Pro LAN-based Multi-Player lets you play with friends without needing internet
As well as having online Multi-Player, Red Alert 2 allows players to connect via LAN. This enables you to hook up multiple computers in your home to play Multi-Player skirmishes, without the need for internet. This gives you the freedom to play with your friends, in the same house, if ever the servers go down or internet access is not readily available.
Pro The Zero Hour expansion adds even more ways to play Multi-Player
While Command & Conquer: General's Multi-Player is a solid addition to the series, it is heightened greatly with the addition of Zero Hour. In this expansion, each faction has different generals the player can choose from, with specific specializations and drawbacks. One Chinese general specializes in infantry, allowing them certain upgrades to increase their effectiveness, while a Global Liberation Army general has an advantage with toxins, giving their vehicles the ability to have Anthrax-laced explosives that deal extra damage. With this addition, Zero Hour gives players the freedom to choose whichever general that fits their playstyle.
Pro Classic Command & Conquer gameplay reimagined with moderate realism
The staple of the Command & Conquer series has always been its resource gathering, base building, and large armies, all of which return in this Real-Time Strategy classic. While most Command & Conquer titles feature bombastic and over-the-top units (and storylines), Generals reigns in the franchise to tell a semi-realistic story with semi-realistic infantry and units. Gone are the signature wildly imaginative units from series like Red Alert, replaced with the United States' M1A1 Abrahms tanks, Chinese APCs and the GLA's Vehicle-Based IEDs.
Pro Many fantastic mods for this game
Just an awesome game because it reinvents itself through the many good mods that's out there. Mods like Contra 009, Shockwave or C&C Generals Untitled. The last one of these has an amazing AI.
Pro Three factions with different stories
Command & Conquer: Generals features three playable factions: The United States, China, and the Global Liberation Army, each with their own unique storyline. Every storyline tells a concise and mostly cohesive story, with most of the encounters taking place in the Middle East.
Pro Satirical portrayal of factions
All the factions are exaggerations of current real-world countries or organizations, in the case of the GLA, which adds quite a bit to the experience.
Cons
Con Can't run on Windows 10 without fiddling
Red Alert 2 is an older title that was released in 2000 and due to various issues it does not run natively on windows 10 without fiddling with various programs.
Con You can't fortify repair houses that the units take protection in, like you could in Command & Conquer Generals/Zero Hour
Not being able to repair outlying houses means no outposts for units, which is bad.
Con Outdated graphics may not keep your attention
Red Alert 2 is an older title that was released in 2000. As a result, its graphics are quite old and dated, which may cause people to lose interest in playing.
Con Over-the-top story and units cause lack of seriousness in campaign
Those looking for a Real-Time Strategy title that is serious in nature will have to look elsewhere. Red Alert 2 has a slightly humorous storyline and characters, serving as a satirical take on previous entries in the Command & Conquer series.
Con Slightly dated graphics
While great for their time, the graphics in Command & Conquer Generals have not withstood the test of time, thus those who did not play it when the game first came out may find the graphics and art style too appealing and not to their liking.
Con Near-offensive portrayal of factions
While it can easily be viewed as a satirical take on possibly then-current views of each culture represented in Command & Conquer: Generals, some players might take offense to how each faction is portrayed. The United States includes units that state they are doing what's right, the Chinese army units worship the Red Dragon, and the Global Liberation Army are shown as terrorists and near-barbaric. It is because of these tongue-in-cheek depictions that some may be turned off from this title.