When EA finished their takeover of Westwood in 2003, for many RTS gamers it was the end of an era. Sure, the Command & Conquer name would (and did) live on, and those talented guys who crafted the original would go on to produce great new games elsewhere, but you knew that had to be about the end of the line for the series. The First Decade lets nostalgic gamers re-live the good times earlier in those ten years and demonstrates that flashy graphics engines don’t equate to better gameplay.

History Lesson

Many younger gamers today probably don’t appreciate the effect that Command & Conquer had on the PC gaming world when it was released in 1995. While it wasn’t the first RTS, nor was it the first good RTS, it was so good that it helped to define the genre and spawned dozens of imitators in the process. Its clean interface and fun gameplay made it simple and endlessly entertaining, and its full-screen (interlaced) video, techno soundtrack, and real actors made it felt like a cheesy but entertaining action movie.

Over the next ten years that brilliance would be pulled and stretched to cover five new games and six expansions. First Decade brings all of them together, and playing them back-to-back is a great way to appreciate the origins of the series. However, toward the end, it becomes apparent that things began to be stretched rather thin. All six games are here, along with six expansions, all on a single DVD. They are, in chronological order: Command & Conquer, Command & Conquer The Covert Operations, Command & Conquer Red Alert, Command & Conquer Red Alert The Aftermath, Command & Conquer Red Alert Counterstrike, Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun, Command  & Conquer Firestorm, Command & Conquer Renegade, Command & Conquer Red Alert II, Command & Conquer Red Alert Yuri’s Revenge, Command & Conquer Generals, Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour.

That’s an awful, awful lot of commanding and conquering, and, since the original Command & Conquer has incompatibility issues with Windows XP and 2000, for many gamers who pick up this collection, this will be the first time they’ve strategized to the techno tunes of the original since the 90’s. Nostalgia aside, the first C&C has stood up to the test of time brilliantly. It is surprisingly as fun to play today as it was then. The wow effect the videos and music used to inspire is obviously long gone, but with the complexity of some of today’s RTS games, getting back to something simple is a nice change of pace

 Modern World

That greatness carries over to Red Alert, Tiberian Sun, and even Red Alert II. However, Renegade feels woefully out of place here, not because it’s the lone FPS in a box full of RTS’s, but because it seems more out of date than the even older games. Yes, the premise of going inside those little buildings that gamers have been click-click-clicking on for years from above was an interesting one, and who wouldn’t want to drive around in a flamer tank? However, where simple graphics and gameplay feel comfortable in the other games, Renegade just looks and feels clumsy.

The same can be said for Generals and Zero Hour, but for different reasons. All the RTS C&C games on the disc have a certain feel and certain presentation that’s consistent; the same style of campy but cool FMV intro and the same cartoon-like violence on the battlefield. Generals stands out because it seems to take itself a little too seriously. It’s still a good game, just lacking the greatness of the originals.

However, while most will find the older games more rewarding to play, they have a few issues. For one thing, Command & Conquer, Red Alert, and their respective expansions cannot be played online without a bit of manual tweaking that’s not supported by EA. Additionally, they can be a bit unreliable, crashing at random and unpredictable moments. Save often.

Also, while all these games are conveniently packaged on one DVD, during the install process you’re called upon to type in a ridiculous seven separate CD-keys. This can take awhile for those with clumsy fingers. And then there’s the “bonus” DVD, which includes a few interviews with developers and, well, that’s about it. Only the very dedicated C&C fan will sit through these.

 Fond Memories Relived

The First Decade isn’t 100% quality stuff, but it does deliver lots of good games. The occasional crashes in the older ones are a little annoying, but they’re still quite playable, and with all their expansions you could easily spend months playing against the AI alone. Whether you’re looking for a retro rush, or want to get a feel for how C&C got started, this is a very solid collection.