Command & Conquer: Red Alert: The Aftermath

THE BAD:
New missions fairly short

SUMMARY:
Read Alert The Aftermath was actually the second expansion pack released for Red Alert after “Counterstrike” but unlike that pack, this one had more new units that could actually be used in Skirmish mode.

As far as the actual game goes it’s still the Soviets v Allies but both sides have new units available to them. Quite often you needed to use these units in the single player missions and this was good practice for using them later on. By far the best new Soviet unit was a second submarine. But unlike their other submarine, this one can fire on land units and has a range second only to the Allied Cruiser. This made up for the Soviet navy’s lack of power in the water. Other new units include Tesla Tanks, M.A.D Tanks (these were deployed and they damaged every building and tank in a large radius) and Shock Troopers. For the Allies the best new unit is the Chrono Tank. This vehicle needed to be deployed and once it was you then clicked anywhere on the map and the tank would transport directly to that location instantly. There was a charge up time signified by a bar below the tank, when that filled up you could transport again. Another unit is the Mechanic. Like Medics heal infantry, Mechanics heal vehicles and saved having to drag them back to base to repair them. Couple this unit with two medics and in theory you have an unbeatable healing system.

As far as new things for this expansion pack it was really only the units and the new missions, there wasn’t a whole lot more to the game. It was fairly cheap and will be even more so now. One of the best things about this second expansion pack was the fact you could use all these new units in multiplayer missions. So where before you might have picked the Allies on a water-based map, you can now pick the Soviets as they now have new abilities in that area. The new units spiced up multiplayer maps by adding more diversity. Putting Shock Troopers around Tesla Coils enhanced their abilities and they were the only infantry unit that couldn’t be crushed by tanks, so were handy on the front line. One Skirmish map had a twist to it. There were civilian buildings in the middle but the civilians were extremely powerful shooting out electricity bolts and nuclear bombs. But the technicians you sometimes get when one of your vehicles was destroyed also had these powers, and quite often more damage was caused by the technician running out of a vehicle than the vehicle itself.

This expansion pack wasn’t outstanding by any means, but the few new units made the skirmish maps more interesting once the original units had become all too familiar. If you liked the original it’s probably worth getting this because it will cost very little now.