EA’s remastered Command & Conquer in 4K is the best throwback ever

I don’t know about you, but Command & Conquer was one of my favourite PC games to play during my childhood—and it appears that my childhood isn’t over just yet. EA Games has announced that a Command & Conquer Remastered Collection is set to arrive soon in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Command & Conquer series. The “new” collection will include some classics: Tiberian Dawn, Red Alert, as well as three expansion packs (Covert Ops, Counterstrike and The Aftermath)—and you’ll be able to play them in 4K (along with rebuilt graphics and textures).

In an official trailer for the collection, the producer for the remastered collection explains that the upped resolution isn’t the only upgrade. There’s a revamped UI, updated controls, as well as a new multiplayer mode that has also been rebuilt with “modern” features. Meanwhile, over 7 hours of music have been remastered for the soundtrack (customisable in the in-game jukebox).

The new multiplayer mode is probably one of the more interesting upgrades to me; I remember the hassle of setting up LAN parties with friends for a few games of C&C, as well as the VPN-based virtual LAN parties we used to have. Now, it looks like we’ll be seeing a genuine online multiplayer mode—custom games, random 1v1 matches, and a matchmaking mode.

There’s also a Map Editor where fans can showcase their creations, which certainly sounds like an interesting addition to the game. One of the more common complaints with certain C&C titles is over the perceived imbalanced nature of certain maps. Winning a game, and having the loser blame the nature of the map and the team you used did take the sheen off a resounding victory, if memory serves me right.

The collection is supposedly a passion project for the team behind the remaster, with Jim Vessella, Lead Producer at EA sharing:

“Our team has been working hand-in-hand with the C&C community since day one and we hope this transparent dialogue will result in the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection being a love letter to our fans.”

Vessella says that the collection also represents a “new era” of the RTS genre—although I think that it’s actually the opposite of a new era. To me, the remastered collection is more of a major throwback, one that is rooted in the amazing times that many fans have had playing one of the titles in the franchise.

“For me personally, having been a C&C fan since I was 12 years old in 1995, working with the original Westwood Studios team members at Petroglyph has been a dream come true.”

– Jim Vessella

Pre-orders for the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection are now open, with digital and physical options available:

• Command & Conquer Remastered Collection (Digital)—US$19.99 (about RM84.69)—available on Origin and Steam
• Special Edition (Physical)—US$59.99 (about RM253)—Only available on Limited Run Games in the U.S.
• 25th Anniversary Edition (Physical)—US$149.99 (about RM634)—Only available on Limited Run Games in the U.S.

To find out more, click here.