command and conquer

Command & Conquer (C&C) is a series primarily of real time strategy PC video games that began with the eponymous first title in 1995. First created by Westwood Studios, and later by Electronic Arts after they acquired Westwood and later dissolved Westwood Studios in 2003.

Many former Westwood staff founded the studio Petroglyph Games, which was tapped by EA to develop a remaster of the original C&C games that was released in 2020. Along with Westwood's previous RTS game Dune 2 (based on the sci-fi series Dune), the early C&C games helped codified the RTS genre. The games were well know for their large tanks, live action cutscenes, solid story (until later games), and great music.

The three C&C sub series:

• Tiberium series (C&C Tiberian Dawn, Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Command and Conquer: Tiberium Wars, C&C4 Tiberium Twilight): A toxic green alien space substance crashes on Earth. Initially a boon by leeching out important minerals from the ground, making mining and energy easier to come by, it starts replicating out of control and mutating the landscape. Two initial factions, the UN agency the Global Defense Initiative and the mysterious cult the Brotherhood of Nod, end up fighting over control of the world.

• Red Alert series (Command and Conquer: Red Alert, RA2, RA3): After World War II, Albert Einstein creates a time machine and goes back in time to erase Adolf Hitler from the timeline. This ends up causing a timeline with a stronger Soviet Union that invades Europe. The two initial factions were the Allies and the Soviet Union. They're later joined by the third faction, The Empire of the Rising Sun. The series generally has a much campier tone and comic book style plot. Time travel plays a role throughout the various games.

• Generals series: the War of Terror in RTS format! The only series completely made by EALA and lacking live action cutscenes (except Generals Zero Hour). The series featured three factions: United States, China, and the terrorist group, the Global Liberation Army.