Multiplayer

Cooperative Multiplayer

One of the most popular ways to play an RTS game is to gang up against the computer. Recognizing this, Westwood has included a number of specially designed two-player campaigns in Red Alert 2. Westwood's Aaron Cohen informed us that there would be five co-op campaigns, comprising about 25 missions total designed just for two-player coop play. We inadvertently tested out this mode with Gamespot's Amer Ajami during our visit.

Another battle shot

and the troops roll in

This trash-talking editor walked into Westwood's offices just as Amer was finishing his trip. We attempted to set up a quick one-on-one match. Unfortunately, Amer "accidentally" set up the game as cooperative (so he claims), and we instead joined forces against a couple of computer opponents. The two missions we played were rather easy, as we mopped up the computer in a matter of minutes each time. Aaron promised that the other campaigns would be much more challenging, even going so far as to call one of them "impossible." We'll see about that.

Real Multiplayer - One on One

Since Amer had to leave to catch a plane (a likely story) following our co-op testing, Aaron graciously agreed to play a couple of one on one matches with me. One of the things I liked a lot about Red Alert 2 multiplayer is that the game doesn't waste a lot of time in the building and exploration aspect. Once you find your opponent, you can cut to the chase quickly and start battling.

The battle continues

Respect the Grizzlies

Our first battle felt like a traditional Red Alert match, in that we just slugged it out with standard infantry and, on my part, a lot of armored units. Our special multiplayer units (There are nine nationalities to choose from in multiplayer, and each has a unique unit) didn't come into play very much. As the Americans, I never used my paratroopers in the first match with Aaron, and his Black Eagle Harriers (stronger Harriers are the special unit of Korea) only made one bombing run on my forces. I initially tried a good old-fashioned tank rush on Aaron, with mostly Grizzly tanks supported by a handful of GIs. This did a decent amount of damage, but he was able to chase me away with a small band of Rocketeers, since I neglected to escort my force with anti aircraft units.

That building didn't respect the grizzlies.

Neither did that one

The next time around, I brought the heat to Aaron with a good number of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles (for their anti air capability), and even more GI support. This time, I was able to break through his front lines and flatten his base. Apparently, he tried to upgrade too quickly and didn't leave himself enough troops to counter my aggressive stance.