StarCraft

Westwood's End as Internet RTS Champion

Finally, after nearly 2 years, StarCraft appeared and a good alternative to Red Alert was available. Scores of people sick of tank rushes moved over to StarCraft. Sure, it had major balance issues then. I mean, for anyone complaining about how Terran is weaker than the other races now, you should have seen Protoss back then! Insane build times, carriers that were victims to a dozen marines and oii… too much - there was too much wrong with them. For example, one time I took out a goon with an uncloaked (but teched out Wraith). The laser had a very short cooldown and the wraith was the premiere air unit. Sure, it took micromanagement to take out a dragoon, but it was possible.

A Nod newscast

Nod soldiers

Anyway, as StarCraft exploded and Red Alert imploded, people waited… and waited… and waited for a Westwood answer.

The Quick Fix

Which never works - was C&C: Sole Survivor. I think the game revolved around using one unit, of your choice, and seeing how many kills your could rack up. It wasn't very popular…

Nod computer: He's cool

Burn damn you tree huggers!

The Great Hyped Hope

Since the original C&C, you could see trailers of Tiberian Sun. It was only CGI sequence, but there was the promise, the hope that a sequel would come. A sequel that would smite the upstart Blizzard with their fantasy worlds and weird space settings! A sequel where you could fight against the evil Kane, or take up his standard and rise to power. Alas, years passed, and there was nothing to show.

The hype waned, and rose to a pitch again, and waned some more. A release date here, a press release there, and some new promised features. That kept the spirit of the game alive for those who longed for the days of tanks, recon bikes, infantry and orcas.

Environmentalists hate me

That was a tree