Product description
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NO GAME - Case and manual only. Both in good shape but
may have minor flaws
Review
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When Command & Conquer for the Saturn came out, people
at our sister site, GameSpot, thought I shouldn't be allowed to
review it. Why? Because being the "console boy" I am, they
assumed I would give a two-dimensional PC strategy conversion a
low rating for not measuring up to my "3D polygonal ass-whooping
standards." Guess what? I played Command & Conquer all the way
through and awarded it with the highest rating of any game on our
site - it occupied every free hour I had (at work and home) for
the better part of a month. Needless to say I was very
enthusiastic about the PlayStation version rolling across my
desk. For those who don't know, Command & Conquer is one of the
best-selling PC games of all time. Taking place in the near
future, players choose between two forces battling for world
domination - the peacekeeping Global Defense Initiative (GDI) or
the world terrorist organization, Brotherhood of Nod. As GDI,
your typical mission involves establishing a base, increasing
funds (by harvesting a dangerous mineral called Tiberium), and
generating enough manpower (in the form of commandos, tanks,
engineers, etc.) to accomplish your objective, whether that's
destroying a key weapon, taking out enemy defense posts, or
leveling enemy bases. Your skills are tested throughout each
mission as you try to accomplish your objective while defending
your base against attacks. What about playing as Nod? Well,
chances are you're roughing up the civilians and making life
tough for GDI forces while watching your back for the inevitable
retaliation. Command & Conquer on the PlayStation looks really
good. The graphics have more detail than you'd expect from a
strategy game, and the between-mission cinematics are quite
entertaining (especially Nod's). If you're used to the PC
version, the lower resolution and control changes might e you
off, but the interface here works well and is simple to use once
you get used to it (all point-and-click with a pop-up control
window). The soundtrack stands out as one of the best ever
included in a video game, and from start to finish, the tunes are
simply awesome - featuring techno-pop that pulses along with the
game. Graphics and sound aside, what makes Command & Conquer fun
is the challenge it delivers. Each mission is tough: Towards the
end of the game it can take hours, if not days, to complete a
single task. With fifteen GDI and thirteen NOD missions, C&C has
plenty of long-term play value. On top of that, there are fifteen
Covert Operations missions (from the PC add-on pack), and five
new missions exclusive to the PlayStation. It's no wonder this
game comes on two discs. If you haven't played any other version
of C&C, all of this will be great, but if you've checked out the
PC or Saturn versions, prepare for a slight let-down. This game
moves almost twice as fast as the Saturn version, and this is not
necessarily a good thing. New players may thrive on the speed (no
other strategy game goes as fast), but purists will be annoyed
that even using the "slow cursor" option does nothing to slow the
game down. Also sorely lacking is a two-player option that could
have easily been accomplished with the PlayStation link cable
(anyone who has played C&C two-player over a modem or network
knows that this is the ultimate way to play this title). Overall
Command & Conquer is a great strategy game and easily the best
available on the PlayStation. If you're dying for intense
strategy, you can't go wrong. C&C purists may want to wait until
later this year, however, when Westwood releases Command &
Conquer's sequel, Red Alert. --Glenn Rubenstein
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction
in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written
permission of GameSpot is prohibited. -- GameSpot Review