Command & Conquer

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Command & Conquer
System(s): Sega Saturn
Publisher: Virgin Interactive, Sega (JP)
Developer:
Sound driver: SCSP/CD-DA (11/15 tracks)
Genre: Simulation

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Saturn
JP 		¥6,8006,800 GS-9131
Sega Saturn
JP
(Satakore) 		¥2,8002,800 GS-9193
Sega Saturn
US 		T-7028H
Sega Saturn
EU 		T-7028H-50
Sega Saturn
DE 		T-7028H-18
Sega Saturn
FR 		T-7028H-09
Sega Saturn
AU
Sega Saturn
BR 		191x32

Command & Conquer (コマンド＆コンカー) is a real time strategy game developed by Westwood Studios and published by Virgin Interactive for IBM compatible computers running DOS in August 1995. It is the first in the Command & Conquer franchise and is considered a milestone in the genre, influencing many RTS games in the years which followed.

The game's success saw it ported to the Sega Saturn and PlayStation in late 1996. Command & Conquer is frequently referred to as Tiberian Dawn by fans and is subtitled in Germany with Teil 1 Der Tiberiumkonflikt.

Plot

Command & Conquer takes place in an alternative universe, shortly after a mysterious alien substance crashes on Earth near the river Tiber in Italy at some point in 1995. This substance, henceforth known as "Tiberium", becomes an extremely valuable commodity, which despite its toxic nature, is able to absorb and crystallize precious metals from the surrounding soil. A secret society known as the Brotherhood of Nod, spearheaded by a self-proclaimed messiah known only as "Kane", claims to have foreseen the arrival of Tiberium and has great plans for its future, soon controlling over half the supply and using the funds to amass an army of followers.

Following a succession of terrorist incidents blamed on the Brootherhood, the United Nations Security Council authorizes the creation and deployment of the United Nations' Global Defense Initiative (GDI) to intervene against Kane and Nod, quickly escalating into a conflict which spans the globe (and is later referred to as the "first tiberium war").

The player, who is nameless and does not speak, can choose to conduct missions on behalf of GDI or Nod (each as its own disc), building bases and ordering troops, usually to destroy enemy factions and spread influence over countries. GDI's campaign takes place mainly in Europe, while Nod is more concerned with Africa.

History

Legacy

Command & Conquer is thought to have been reasonably successful on the Sega Saturn, as it qualified for the Satakore range in Japan (where it was published by Sega themselves) and was at one point bundled with consoles in Europe. It has since been superseded by superior versions - a Macintosh port released around the same period in 1996 which offers higher resolution graphics and official support for online play. These features were eventually ported to a Windows 95 version released in 1997. The final port of Command & Conquer was released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64. This version features 3D graphics, but has missing content.

Tomsoft attempted an unlicensed port to the Sega Mega Drive, but gave up early on and released his horribly incomplete beta. Because he failed to remove the copyright from the title screen, this has sometimes considered an official beta — but a look at the header (crediting his SDK) proves otherwise.

Command & Conquer was followed by Command & Conquer: Red Alert, set in the cold war era of the 1950s/60s, however the Tiberium storyline would receive a direct sequel in the form of Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, which introduced isometric graphics (although cameos and nods to the future mean Red Alert is technically a prequel also). No future Command & Conquer games were released on Sega systems, though the series has largely avoided consoles entirely (save for PlayStation ports of Red Alert and some expansions, and the Xbox 360 port of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars).

Versions

The Sega Saturn version of Command & Conquer derives from the DOS original, being the most accurate console port of the game. There is no support for the Shuttle Mouse meaning the controls are considered to be more cumbersome than computer versions, and the resolution is fixed at 320x240. Some other changes were made for unknown reasons, such as the inclusion of wider bridges. Unit shadows are also missing, and the user interface features horizontally-scrolling menus as opposed to the vertical ones seen in the DOS version.

Its PlayStation counterpart is reportedly built off the Saturn's code, with slightly higher resolution (and more complete) cutscenes in comparison. Unlike the Saturn, the PlayStation version is known to suffer from noticeable slowdown when many units are on-screen, but is at an advantage for including extra missions (sourced from The Covert Operations - an official expansion pack for Command & Conquer). The Saturn version retains more of the original soundtrack and sound effects, however.

Magazine articles

Main article: Command & Conquer/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

  • FR print advert

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Print advert in Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) #89: "December 1996" (1996-xx-xx)
also published in:
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Print advert in Computer & Video Games (UK) #182: "January 1997" (1996-12-11)
also published in:
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Print advert in Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) #16: "February 1997" (1997-01-16)
also published in:
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Print advert in Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) #1997-13: "1997-13 (1997-04-25)" (1997-04-11)
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Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
94 №61, p140[10]
100 №182, p54/55[2]
78 №437, p32
91 №50, p42/43
85
90 №51, p58-60[11]
95 №70, p92/93/94
94 №15, p72/73[12]
73 №1997-13, p139[13]
86 №, p9[14]
84 №96, p82
Sega Saturn
 88
Based on
11 reviews
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
576 KByte (HU)
92
[15]
Ação Games (BR)
90
[16]
Ação Games (BR)
90
[17]
Consoles + (FR) PAL
94
[10]
Computer & Video Games (UK)
100
[2]
Electronic Gaming Monthly (US) NTSC-U
89
[18]
Famitsu (JP) NTSC-J
78
[19]
Fun Generation (DE) PAL
100
[20]
Gambler (PL)
82
[21]
Game Power (IT)
91
[22]
GamePro (US) NTSC-U
80
[23]
Game Informer (US) NTSC-U
89
[24]
Joypad (FR) PAL
95
[25]
Kiber Zona (LT)
81
[26]
LeveL (CZ)
86
[27]
MAN!AC (DE) PAL
85
[28]
Mega Force (FR) PAL
94
[29]
Mega Fun (DE) PAL
90
[30]
Mean Machines Sega (UK) PAL
90
[11]
Next Generation (US) NTSC-U
75
[31]
Player One (FR)
95
[32]
Saturn Fan (JP) NTSC-J
69
[33]
Saturn+ (UK) PAL
84
[34]
Secret Service (PL)
85
[35]
Sega Power (UK) PAL
91
[36]
Sega Saturn Magazine (UK) PAL
94
[37]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
73
[38]
Sega Saturn Magazine (JP) NTSC-J
86
[14]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
94
[39]
Total Saturn (UK) PAL
94
[40]
Ultra Game Players (US) NTSC-U
84
[41]
Video Games (DE) PAL
80
[42]
Sega Saturn
 87
Based on
32 reviews

Command & Conquer

Saturn, US
CommandandConquer Saturn US Box Back.jpgCommandandConquer Saturn US Box Front.jpg
Cover
Commandandconquer sat us manual.pdf
Manual
CommandandConquer Saturn US Disc Nod.jpg
NOD disc
Saturn, JP
CommandandConquer Saturn JP Box Back.jpgCommandandConquer Saturn JP Box Front.jpg
Cover
CommandandConquer Saturn JP Spinecard.jpg
Spinecard
CommandandConquer Saturn JP Disc.jpg
GDI disc
CommandandConquer Saturn JP Disc2.jpg
NOD disc
Saturn, JP (Satakore)
CommandandConquer Saturn JP Box Back Alt.jpgCommandandConquer Saturn JP Box Front Alt.jpg
Cover
CommandandConquer Saturn JP Spinecard Satakore.jpg
Spinecard
CommandandConquer Saturn JP Disc Satakore.jpg
GDI disc
CommandandConquer Saturn JP Disc2 Satakore.jpg
NOD disc
Saturn, UK/IT/ES
C&C-UK-IT-Esp CoverBack.jpegNospine.pngC&C-UK-IT-Esp CoverFront.jpeg
Cover
C&CSaturnEUManual.pdf
Manual
CommandAndConquer saturn eu cd1.jpg
GDI disc
Saturn, FR
CommandandConquer Saturn FR Box.jpg
Cover
CommandandConquer Saturn FR Disc1.jpg
GDI disc
CommandandConquer Saturn FR Disc2.jpg
NOD disc
Saturn, DE
CommandandConquer Saturn DE Box.jpg
Cover
C&C-Dutch-GDI-CD1.jpg
GDI disc
Saturn, BR
CommandandConquer Saturn BR Box Front.jpg
Cover

References

  1. ↑ File:CVG UK 182.pdf, page 53
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 File:CVG UK 182.pdf, page 54 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:CVG UK 182.pdf_p54" defined multiple times with different content
  3. ↑ Ultra Game Players, "January 1997" (US; 1996-12-31), page 84
  4. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "February 1997" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 119
  5. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "March 1997" (US; 1997-0x-xx), page 39
  6. ↑ GameFan, "Volume 5, Issue 4: April 1997" (US; 1997-xx-xx), page 59
  7. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "January 1997" (UK; 1996-12-17), page 31
  8. ↑ Computer & Video Games, "February 1997" (UK; 1997-01-10), page 31
  9. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "March 1997" (UK; 1997-02-19), page 100
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 File:ConsolesPlus FR 061.pdf, page 140 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:ConsolesPlus FR 061.pdf_p140" defined multiple times with different content
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 File:MeanMachinesSega51UK.pdf, page 58 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:MeanMachinesSega51UK.pdf_p58" defined multiple times with different content
  12. ↑ File:SSM_UK_15.pdf, page 72
  13. ↑ File:SSM_JP_19970425_1997-13.pdf, page 141
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Saturn no Game wa Sekai Ichi~i~i~i!: Satamaga Dokusha Race Zen Kiroku, SoftBank Publishing, page 11 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name ":File:SnGwSISDRZK Book JP.pdf_p11" defined multiple times with different content
  15. ↑ 576 KByte, "Február 1997" (HU; 1997-xx-xx), page 10
  16. ↑ Ação Games, "Março 1997" (BR; 1997-xx-xx), page 9
  17. ↑ Ação Games, "Maio 1997" (BR; 1997-xx-xx), page 22
  18. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, "February 1997" (US; 199x-xx-xx), page 56
  19. ↑ Famitsu, "1997-05-02" (JP; 1997-04-18), page 1
  20. ↑ Fun Generation, "01/97" (DE; 1996-12-18), page 104
  21. ↑ Gambler, "3/1997" (PL; 1997-xx-xx), page 1
  22. ↑ Game Power, "Gennaio 1997" (IT; 199x-xx-xx), page 45
  23. ↑ GamePro, "March 1997" (US; 1997-xx-xx), page 86
  24. ↑ Game Informer, "March 1997" (US; 1997-0x-xx), page 41
  25. ↑ Joypad, "Décembre 1996" (FR; 1996-1x-xx), page 104
  26. ↑ Kiber Zona, "Spalis/Lapkritis 1997" (LT; 1997-xx-xx), page 3
  27. ↑ LeveL, "Leden 1997" (CZ; 1997-01-05), page 87
  28. ↑ MAN!AC, "01/97" (DE; 1996-12-11), page 68
  29. ↑ Mega Force, "Janvier/Février 1997" (FR; 199x-xx-xx), page 40
  30. ↑ Mega Fun, "01/97" (DE; 1996-12-11), page 36
  31. ↑ Next Generation, "May 1997" (US; 1997-04-15), page 152
  32. ↑ Player One, "Décembre 1996" (FR; 1996-xx-xx), page 92
  33. ↑ Saturn Fan, "1997 No. 12" (JP; 1997-06-xx), page 90
  34. ↑ Saturn+, "Issue 6" (UK; 1997-02-27), page 5
  35. ↑ Secret Service, "Marzec 1997" (PL; 1997-xx-xx), page 66
  36. ↑ Sega Power, "Christmas 1996" (UK; 1996-11-21), page 38
  37. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "January 1997" (UK; 1996-12-17), page 72
  38. ↑ Sega Saturn Magazine, "1997-13 (1997-04-25)" (JP; 1997-04-11), page 141
  39. ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Three" (UK; 1996-11-29), page 34
  40. ↑ Total Saturn, "Volume One Issue Four" (UK; 1996-12-29), page 19
  41. ↑ Ultra Game Players, "April 1997" (US; 1997-03-25), page 82
  42. ↑ Video Games, "1/97" (DE; 1996-12-18), page 102
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