‘Command & Conquer Remastered’ updates 90s RTS action for 4K monitors
25 years after Westwood Studios’ first Command & Conquer game kicked off the hit real-time strategy series, gamers can roll back the clock with the Remastered Collection. Now available on both EA’s Origin store and Steam for $20, it includes both Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert, as well as their expansion packs: Covert Ops, Counterstrike and The Aftermath.
The games are now playable in 4K with updates that touch the in-game graphics — you can switch back and forth between the old and new looks on the fly — as well as its music and cheesy FMV scenes that are now in HD with subtitles. For the launch, EA brought back an old friend from the Brotherhood of Nod.
Kane is back, and better than ever. Check out this transmission from the glorious leader of the Brotherhood of Nod. #KaneGetsPersonal pic.twitter.com/souLhLHGf5
— Official CnC (@OfficialCnC) June 4, 2020
Better yet, EA has released the source code for both titles under the GPL version 3.0 license, which should provide an assist for modders and level makers, and it’s even including support for organizing add-ons via the Steam Workshop. Petroglyph developed the new remastered editions, and kicked things off with a mod of their own, a Nuke Tank that tweaks the game’s Mammoth Tank to fire tactical warheads. In a Reddit post outlining the open source release EA producer Jim Vessella explained that the team wasn’t able to fulfill one promise at launch, as LAN play is not yet available to truly bring the mid-90s feel.
So far impressions seem to be largely positive with a Metacritic rating sitting at 83/8.8, although some players have had issues ranging from being unable to launch the title, online stability issues, and framerate stuttering. The developers said they’re working on stabilizing the servers, and have some suggestions for reducing framerate problems — try installing on an SSD if you have one — while they gather more data. If that’s too much to ask, you can of course play the classic versions for free.
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