View source for Command & Conquer (1995 video game)

{{short description|1995 video game}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Command & Conquer
| image = Command & Conquer 1995 cover.jpg
| developer = [[Westwood Studios]]<br>[[Looking Glass Studios]] (N64)
| publisher = {{vgrelease|NA|Westwood Studios|EU|[[Virgin Interactive Entertainment]] (PC)|WW|[[Nintendo]] (N64)}}
| designer = Erik Yeo
| producer = [[Brett Sperry]]<br />[[Ed Del Castillo|Edward Del Castillo]]
| programmer = Joseph Bostic<br />William Randolph
| writer = Eydie Laramore<br />Ron Smith<br />[[Joseph D. Kucan]]
| series = ''[[Command & Conquer]]''
| composer = [[Frank Klepacki]]
| engine = 
| released = {{collapsible list|title=September 26, 1995|'''DOS'''{{vgrelease|NA|September 26, 1995<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cnc-comm.com/news/a-tale-of-a-release-date|title=The tale of a release date|date=January 29, 2018 |access-date=January 31, 2018|publisher=C&C Communications Center}}</ref>|EU|September 29, 1995<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 30, 1995 |title=Virgin conquer PC |pages=16 |work=[[Leicester Mercury]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/866515151/?terms=%22command%20%26%20conquer%22&match=1 |access-date=December 11, 2023 |quote=It's finally here! Virgin Interactive Entertainment have released the brilliant ''Command & Conquer'' for the PC.}}</ref>}}'''Saturn'''<br />{{vgrelease|EU|December 6, 1996|NA|December 1996<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Command & Conquer Preview |url=https://archive.org/details/Sega_Saturn_Magazine_Issue_14_1996-12_EMAP_Images_GB/page/n21 |magazine=[[Sega Saturn Magazine]] |issue=14 |publisher=[[Ascential|EMAP]] |date=December 17, 1996 |page=22}}</ref>}}'''PlayStation'''{{vgrelease|EU|December 13, 1996<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 14, 1996 |title=Latest PlayStation Releases |pages=5 |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/752089413/?terms=%22command%20%26%20conquer%22%20%22playstation%22&match=1 |access-date=December 11, 2023 |quote=''Command & Conquer''//£49.99//New}}</ref>|NA|March 17, 1997<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 17, 1997 |title=Press Release - Westwood Studios Storms the Sony Playstation |url=http://www.westwood.com/corporate/press/prccsony.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980206002915/http://www.westwood.com/corporate/press/prccsony.html |archive-date=February 6, 1998 |access-date=December 11, 2023 |website=[[Westwood Studios]]}}</ref>}}'''Mac OS'''<br />{{vgrelease|NA|December 18, 1996<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 18, 1996 |title=Westwood Studios Commands & Conquers the Macintosh |url=http://www.westwood.com/infodir/news/prmac2.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970612030639/http://www.westwood.com/infodir/news/prmac2.html |archive-date=June 12, 1997 |access-date=December 11, 2023 |website=[[Westwood Studios]]}}</ref>}}'''Windows'''<br />March 10, 1997<br />'''Nintendo 64'''{{vgrelease|NA|June 29, 1999<ref>{{Cite web |author=I. G. N. Staff |date=June 30, 1999 |title=The Last Week of June Sees Three New Titles |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/30/the-last-week-of-june-sees-three-new-titles |access-date=April 5, 2023 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref>|EU|July 30, 1999}}}}
| genre = [[Real-time strategy]]
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
| platforms = [[DOS]], [[Sega Saturn]], [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], [[Mac OS]], [[Microsoft Windows]], [[Nintendo 64]]
}}

'''''Command & Conquer''''' (also known by the [[retronym]] '''''Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn''''') is a [[real-time strategy]] [[video game]] developed and published by [[Westwood Studios]] in 1995. Set in an [[alternate history]], the game tells the story of a world war between two globalized factions: the Global Defense Initiative of the [[United Nations]] and a revolutionary militant organization called the Brotherhood of Nod, led by the mysterious [[Kane (Command & Conquer)|Kane]].

Westwood conceived ''Command & Conquer'' during the final stages of the development of ''[[Dune II]]'', and it expands on ideas explored in that title. Inspired by the events of the era, particularly the [[Gulf War]], the team gave the game a modern warfare setting. The game contains live-action [[full motion video]] cutscenes, which star Westwood employees and a single professional actor, [[Joseph D. Kucan]], who plays Kane. The [[Nintendo 64]] port was developed by [[Looking Glass Studios]].

''Command & Conquer'' was a commercial and critical success, selling over three million copies and winning numerous awards. It has been cited as one of the [[List of video games considered the best|greatest games ever made]], and the title that defined and popularized the real-time strategy genre. The game was the first in the ''[[Command & Conquer]]'' series, which sold 30 million copies by 2009.<ref name=gamasutra>{{cite web | url=http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26182#.UMJRC4N9Iqc | archive-url=https://archive.today/20130123225616/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26182%23.UMJRC4N9Iqc | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 23, 2013 | author=Alexander, Leigh | title=Interview: Van Caneghem Talks EALA's Vision, Command & Conquer | website=[[Gamasutra]] | date=November 27, 2009 | access-date=December 7, 2012}}</ref> To mark the 12th anniversary of the franchise, [[Electronic Arts]], the current publisher and owner of the series, released the game for free in 2007.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.ign.com/articles/2012/02/10/todays-free-game-command-conquer|website=IGN.com|access-date=June 19, 2017|date=February 10, 2012|title=Today's Free Game: Command & Conquer}}</ref>

==Gameplay==
''Command & Conquer'' involves players operating as one of two playable factions on a map - the Global Defense Initiative (GDI), and the Brotherhood of Nod - developing bases, gathering resources and using them to produce troops, and then defeating their opponents by eliminating their army and either destroying or capturing their base.<ref name=pcgamerus /> Base production and unit training is funded by gathering Tiberium, the game's sole resource, through the use of harvesting units, and processing them into credits through a refinery structure. Each faction has its own unique types of units, its own superweapon, and its own combat strategy: GDI relies on superior firepower and armour at the expense of greater production costs and slower movement; while Nod relies on a combination of numerical superiority, superior speed, and unconventional tactics, generally at the expense of less firepower and poor durability.<ref name=ccfaq>{{cite web | url=ftp://ftp.westwood.com/pub/cc1/info/CCFAQ30.TXT | author=Westwood Studios | title=Official Command & Conquer FAQ v3.0 | date=October 23, 1998 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314151714/ftp://ftp.westwood.com/pub/cc1/info/CCFAQ30.TXT | archive-date=2017-03-14 | url-status=dead | access-date=May 13, 2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=ftp://ftp.westwood.com/pub/ccgold/info/CCGFAQ13.TXT | author=Westwood Studios | title=Official Command & Conquer Gold FAQ v1.3 | date=October 23, 1998 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170314151734/ftp://ftp.westwood.com/pub/ccgold/info/CCGFAQ13.TXT | archive-date=2017-03-14 | url-status=dead | access-date=May 13, 2007 }}</ref><ref>Westwood Studios (February 6, 1996). "Official Command & Conquer Read Me v2.7", ''C&C: The Covert Operations'' CD-ROM.</ref>

Producing units requires establishing a base through a special unit called a Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV) - MCVs can only be deployed in open flat land, and structures must be placed within close proximity with each other. Bases can be protected with various defensive structures such as sandbags, gun turrets and concrete walls, and units are produced in production structures (i.e. Barracks for infantry, Factory for vehicles, Helipad for aircraft), with tech buildings helping to unlock more advanced units; construction options function on a tech tree, in that certain buildings must be constructed to unlock new options.<ref name=pcgamerus /><ref name=cgw /> Silos can be built to store more resources, as the refinery structures can only hold a finite amount, repair facilities can be built to repair damaged vehicles, and power plants are required to keep the base operational - low power slows down production, stops defensive weapons working, and causes buildings to slowly take damage over time until sufficient power is restored (either by constructing additional power plants, or selling off extra buildings to reduce total power requirements). In total, the game contains around fifty units and structures.<ref name=pcgamerus/><ref name=cgm />

''Command & Conquer'' features two single-player campaigns, one for each faction, in which the player must undertake a series of missions across a campaign map for their chosen faction.<ref name=cgw /> The objective of most campaign missions is usually to destroy units, or destroy / take control of enemy buildings,<ref name=pcgamerus /> with each mission beginning with a briefing conducted using a mix of computer animations and live-action full motion video (FMV).<ref name=ccfaq/> At times during the campaign, the player can choose which mission to undertake, which offer different scenarios to overcome.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Richard|last=Leadbetter|title=Let the Base Kick!|magazine=[[Sega Saturn Magazine]] |issue=15|publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=January 1997|pages=48–51}}</ref>

The original [[DOS]] release features multiplayer with up to four players, a rarity at the time,<ref name=cvg /> with internet-based multiplayer being made available in ''Command & Conquer Gold'', which also features SVGA visuals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/commandconquergoldedition/review.html |title=Command & Conquer Gold Edition for PC Review |author=Stephen Poole |access-date=December 27, 2006 |website=GameSpot |date=April 16, 1997 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050319122401/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/commandconquergoldedition/review.html |archive-date=March 19, 2005 }}</ref> The game's Sega Saturn and PlayStation ports lack multiplayer support,<ref name=gisat /> though the latter was released with the inclusion of the fifteen single-player missions from ''The Covert Operations'' expansion pack, as well as six new ''Special Ops'' missions, including a secret one.<ref name=nextgenpsx /> The Nintendo 64 version, while lacking multiplayer support as well, features updated graphics, with 3D models and environments, and four new ''Special Ops'' missions (which are different from the ones in the PlayStation port),<ref name=ign64 /><ref name=nextgenn64 /> though the FMV cutscenes were removed and replaced with static images, accompanied by voice acting and sound effects.<ref name=nextgenn64 />

==Plot==
===Setting===
''Command & Conquer'' is set in an alternate history, and begins with a meteor crashing near the river [[Tiber]] in Italy in 1995.<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''EVA:''' Tiberium is named after the Tiber river in Italy where it was first discovered.}}</ref> The meteorite brings with it an alien substance that scientists call Tiberium, named after its impact site, which can absorb and crystallize precious metals from the surrounding soil,<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''EVA:''' Tiberium continues to confound the scientific community, soaking up ground minerals and soil nutrients like a sponge. The end result of this unique leeching process creates the formation of Tiberium crystals, rich in precious metals and available for collection with a minimum of mining expense.}}</ref> but also terraform its surroundings and produce extremely toxic gases and radiation that is fatal to humans and animals.<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''EVA:''' Human contact with Tiberium is extremely toxic and often fatal; exposure should be avoided.}}</ref> An ancient, cultic society called the Brotherhood of Nod, who claims to have foreseen the potentials of this new substance through their self-proclaimed messianic figure known only as Kane,<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''Female newscaster:''' Kane, the single-named charismatic Nod leader and self-proclaimed prophet is among those missing and assumed dead.}}</ref> invests in the development of technology to harvest and refine Tiberium crystals, far ahead of the global scientific community's own research,<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''Male newscaster:''' New Tiberium harvesting methods instituted by the Brotherhood of Nod increased profitability by 49%. }}</ref> and use the resources it gathers to accumulate a rapidly growing army of followers worldwide.

By the beginning of the game, Tiberium has spread across the planet,<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''EVA:''' There are now more than 200 areas of the Earth affected by Tiberium deposits.}}</ref> with Nod forces gaining control of nearly half of the rapidly growing substance through footholds in some of the poorest nations. This wealth has enabled Nod forces to conduct increasingly ambitious terrorist attacks in wealthy countries.<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''Male newscaster:''' The Grain Trade Center in Vienna was the seventeenth urban bombing in four weeks, blamed on Nod terrorists.}}</ref> The Global Defense Initiative, initially formed by the United Nations as a multinational peacekeeping force in the aftermath of an [[Command & Conquer: Red Alert|alternate version of World War II]], has since been repurposed as a global anti-terrorist organization, and makes its new goal the elimination of Nod across the globe.<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''EVA:''' Sanctioned by the United Nations, the Global Defense Initiative has one goal: eliminate multi-national terrorism in an effort to preserve freedom.}}</ref> The conflict between the two sides eventually culminates in a world-wide war between GDI and Nod,<ref>{{cite video game | developer=EA Los Angeles | publisher=Electronic Arts | date=2007 | title=[[Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars]] | quote='''GDI Archives; The Global Defense Initiative:''' The clash between GDI and Nod has escalated into full world wars twice before – the First Tiberium War (TWI) erupted when both powers were in their formative states, and that terrible war was followed by another worldwide firestorm several years later.}}</ref> with the Nod campaign taking place in Africa and the GDI campaign being set in Europe. In the GDI campaign, the [[player character]] is confirmed to be commander James Solomon (which was [[Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun|revealed in its sequel]]) although the player's character in the Nod campaign remained unknown and thus simply referred to as "Nod Commander."

===GDI Campaign===
With the UN calling for GDI to assist in combating Nod in Europe, the player assists as a GDI commander under the command of General Mark Jamison Sheppard. After establishing a beachhead within Nod's territory in Eastern Europe, GDI focus on controlling Poland and Belarus and removing troops from occupied lands in Germany. However, Kane uses media manipulation to convince the world that GDI deliberately attacked and massacred the citizens of the Polish city of [[Białystok]]. Although Sheppard denies GDI's involvement, the UN cuts funding to the military outfit, forcing GDI to mount defensive operations against a sudden surge of Nod attacks, including protecting bases and leading Tiberium scientist Dr. Ignatio Mobius. However, Nod soon finds themselves on the defensive upon learning that it was a ruse designed by Sheppard and the UN to lure them into a false sense of security, with new funding allowing GDI to bring forth new combat units to help in battle. Eventually GDI locates Kane's main base of operation at a complex called the Temple of Nod in [[Sarajevo]], Bosnia, with Sheppard ordering the commander to launch a final assault to defeat him. GDI succeeds, with the complex destroyed by GDI's superweapon, the space-based Ion Cannon, ending the conflict, though leaving some experts to question if Nod will cease operating.

===Nod Campaign===
With Nod engaged in open warfare across the globe, Kane gives orders for his forces to secure territory in Africa, with his second-in-command Seth assigning the player, a new recruit, to assist in the Brotherhood's operations.<ref>{{cite video game | developer=Westwood Studios | publisher=Virgin Interactive Entertainment | date=1995 | title=Command & Conquer | quote='''Seth:''' So. You're the new addition to the Brotherhood. Well, I'm Seth. Just Seth. From God, to Kane, to Seth.}}</ref> After successfully conducting operations in Northern Africa through the use of both conventional and unconventional warfare, hitting GDI targets, eliminating warlords, and securing a set of codes for nuclear missiles, Seth attempts to send the recruit to attack the [[Military of the United States|United States military]], but is executed by Kane for initiating a rogue operation. Upon combating the chaos Seth created, and countering GDI's efforts to re-establish themselves in Northern Africa, Kane assigns his recruit to lead the charge in securing the rest of the continent, eventually culminating in them establishing a Temple of Nod in South Africa and securing control of GDI's Ion Cannon. With the cannon secured, Kane denotes victory in Africa, and makes plans to achieve the same in Europe, allowing the recruit to use the cannon to destroy one of four historical landmarks with the hijacked Ion Cannon - the [[White House]], the [[Palace of Westminster|British Houses of Parliament]], the [[Eiffel Tower]], or the [[Brandenburg Gate]] - thus shattering GDI's public image.

===Connection to ''Command & Conquer: Red Alert''===
''[[Command & Conquer: Red Alert]]'' was intended to be a prequel to ''Command & Conquer'', and both the Allied and Soviet campaigns contain references to ''Command & Conquer''. In particular, some of the Soviet mission briefings feature Kane, while one of the cutscenes in the Allied campaign directly foreshadows the creation of GDI. Also in the Soviet final cutscene, Nadia says "this temporary chaos in Europe will only help to fuel the Brotherhood's cause", mentions "the land of Nod", and states that "the Brotherhood will tire of the USSR in the early 1990s".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ87NTbhS_M |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/hZ87NTbhS_M |archive-date=December 13, 2021 |url-status=live|title=C&C Red Alert Hard - Soviet - Ending|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref> However, ''Command & Conquer'' has the Brotherhood of Nod start out as an underground terrorist organisation initially operating out of the African continent, not as a major political force in control of the late Soviet empire. Furthermore, the Soviet Union is shown on world maps to no longer exist at the time, with the Russian Federation being shown as a member of GDI. With the release of ''[[Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2]]'', a hotly debated topic which arose among fans was whether ''Command & Conquer'' follows the conclusion of the Allied or Soviet storyline, with evidence existing for both sides of the debate. Former ''C&C'' designer Adam Isgreen confirmed that ''Tiberian Dawn'' in fact follows on the conclusion of ''Red Alert''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Allies campaign,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=376&st=20&p=6169&#entry6169 | title=C&C Story|date=October 17, 2006|access-date=August 23, 2007|author=Adam Isgreen|publisher=[[Petroglyph Games]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207075858/http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=376&st=20&p=6169&#entry6169|archive-date=February 7, 2012}}</ref> while ''Red Alert 2'' and ''[[Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge|Yuri's Revenge]]'' take place in a second parallel universe, created by a new attempt to alter history in "''Tiberian Incursion''",<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1455&st=0&p=20748&#entry20748 |title=C&C Timeline (ii) |date=December 18, 2006 |access-date=August 23, 2007 |author=Adam Isgreen |publisher=[[Petroglyph Games]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927220639/http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1455&st=0&p=20748&#entry20748 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}</ref> the [[working title]] of Westwood Studios' cancelled version of ''Command & Conquer 3''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1455&st=0&p=20750&#entry20750|title=C&C Timeline (i)|date=December 18, 2006|access-date=August 23, 2007|author=Adam Isgreen|publisher=[[Petroglyph Games]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715071837/http://www.petroglyphgames.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=1455&st=0&p=20750&#entry20750|archive-date=July 15, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> The exact relationship between the events of the two games remains unclear, and their connection was later disregarded by Electronic Arts, who preferred to treat the ''Tiberium'' and ''Red Alert'' series as completely separate universes.

==Development==
Westwood Studios began developing ''Command & Conquer'' in early 1993,<ref name=cvg /> after conceiving the game near the end of ''Dune II''’s development.<ref name=HistoryofRTS /> The team sought to build on the foundation laid by their earlier game,<ref name=cvg /> and Westwood co-founder [[Brett Sperry]] later said that "''Command & Conquer'' was the net result of the ''Dune II'' wish list".<ref name=HistoryofRTS /> Following the success of ''Dune II'', Sperry believed that "it was time to build the ultimate RTS" with an original [[intellectual property]]. He later said that he was "fanatical about calling the game 'Command & Conquer'" because he believed that the title was an ideal summary of the gameplay.<ref name=HistoryofRTS /> The drag-selecting and context sensitive clicking was inspired by [[Apple Inc.|Apple's]] way of navigating on the desktop.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Peel |first1=Jeremy |title=How the Gulf War, Apple's drag-select and "cheesed together" FMVs gave us Command & Conquer |url=https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/how-the-gulf-war-apples-drag-select-and-cheesed-together-fmvs-gave-us-command-conquer |website=Rock, Paper, Shotgun |language=en |date=March 29, 2023}}</ref>

''Command & Conquer'' originally took place in a [[high fantasy]] world before being redesigned.<ref name=cvg /><ref name=ccorigins /> The team changed to a modern warfare setting because of the political climate of the mid-1990s, and they later cited the Gulf War as a key influence in this decision. Westwood co-founder [[Louis Castle]] said that "war was in the news and the threat of terrorism was on everyone's mind".<ref name=cvg /> The setting was further influenced by Sperry's belief that future wars would not be "nation-to-nation", but would rather be "fought between [[Western world|Western society]] and a kind of anarchistic terror organization that doesn't have a centralized government". The team sought to make the player feel like their computer was "a terminal to a real battlefield", going so far as to make the installation process resemble hacking a "military infrastructure".<ref name=ccorigins>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080329002219/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=183584| url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=183584 |title=''Command & Conquer'' – Origins |archive-date=March 29, 2008 | work=[[Computer & Video Games]] | last=Porter | first=Will | date=February 28, 2008}}</ref> However, Castle noted that the team "created a parallel universe to avoid dealing with the sobering issues of a real war".<ref name=cvg /><!--<ref>{{cite book|title = Command & Conquer For Windows 95, english manual|publisher = [[Virgin Interactive Entertainment]]| year = 1995}}</ref> According to Kane's actor [[Joseph D. Kucan]], Westwood's Eydie Laramore was heavily involved in the creation of the Brotherhood of Nod, and the two of them extensively discussed backstory and [[biblical]] metaphor.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.imperium-ww.pl/articles.php?article_id=33 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060127011715/http://www.imperium-ww.pl/articles.php?article_id=33 | archive-date=January 27, 2006 | title=Joe Kucan interview (retrieved from archive.org) | access-date=October 4, 2007 | publisher="JCDX" and "Fatman"}}</ref>-->

In a retrospective, Paul Mallinson of ''[[Computer & Video Games]]'' (''CVG'') wrote that the game's production was "speedy, focused and fun". Castle said that, because the company was creating other titles at the time, development of ''Command & Conquer'' was not a "working party", but lead programmer Joe Bostic later said that it was "so much fun that I would sometimes marvel that I actually got paid as well". The game's [[playtest]]ers were enthusiastic about the game during development, which Castle later said had encouraged the team to work harder.<ref name=cvg /> The team created live-action FMV cutscenes for the game. These cutscenes contain no professional actors aside from Kucan, who played Kane and was heavily involved in their production. The cast is made up of Westwood team members, and a low budget meant that filming took place in "spare rooms" and warehouses. Castle later said that the team "had no illusions that we were as good as TV or film", but that the cutscenes were not intentionally [[Camp (style)|campy]]. He credited Kucan with "taking [a] ragtag group of people who had no business in front of a camera and making something reasonably good".<ref name=ccorigins /> To replace the [[Melange (fictional drug)|spice]] from ''Dune II'', the team introduced Tiberium, which was inspired by the 1957 [[B-movie]] ''[[The Monolith Monsters]]''.<ref name=cvg /> Castle said that the team's goal in both cases was to create "a central resource that everybody was fighting over".<ref name=ccorigins /> As with ''Dune II'', the soundtrack was composed by [[Frank Klepacki]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.frankklepacki.com/credits.html|title=Credits|last=Klepacki|first=Frank |year=2012|access-date=December 14, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130130043958/http://www.frankklepacki.com/credits.html|archive-date=January 30, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

To create the game's landscapes, the artists took digitized photographs of real world terrain and manipulated them with rendering techniques.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Command & Conquer |journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=4|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=April 1995|pages=72–75}}</ref>

==Release==
The game was released for DOS in 1995.<ref name=cvg /><ref name=HistoryofRTS /> In 1996, the game received a [[Windows 95]] re-release titled ''Command & Conquer: Gold'' (also known as C&C 95), featuring [[Super video graphics array|SVGA]] visuals.<ref name=HistoryofRTS /> A [[porting|port]] for the [[Macintosh]] was released in 1996,<ref name=macworld>{{cite web | last=Madar | first=Daniel | date=May 1997 | title=''Command & Conquer''; War Game Doesn't Disappoint | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980502174109/http://macworld.zdnet.com/pages/may.97/Reviews.3680.html | url=http://macworld.zdnet.com/pages/may.97/Reviews.3680.html | work=[[Macworld]] | archive-date=May 2, 1998 | page=84 }}</ref> with the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn versions following in 1996–97, and the Nintendo 64 version arriving on June 29, 1999.<ref name=ign64/> Due to a deal between Virgin Interactive Entertainment and [[Sega]], the console version was a Saturn exclusive until 1997.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Sony's Video Games Onslaught Continues!|journal=Maximum: The Video Game Magazine|issue=7 |publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=June 1996|pages=72–73}}</ref> In 2007, ''Command & Conquer'' was released as a free download by Electronic Arts.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.commandandconquer.com/intel/default.aspx?id=61#NewsMain | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070901191447/http://www.commandandconquer.com/intel/default.aspx?id=61#NewsMain | archive-date=September 1, 2007 | title=C&C 12th ANNIVERSARY! DOWNLOAD C&C GOLD FREE | access-date=September 1, 2007 | publisher=Electronic Arts | date=August 31, 2007}}</ref> The game's PlayStation version was later released on the [[PlayStation Network]] in Europe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/04/24/european-psn-store-update-for-april-24th/|title=European PSN Store update for April 24th|last=Alexander|first=Jem|date=April 24, 2008|access-date=December 14, 2012|publisher=[[Kotaku]]}}</ref>

In 1996, Westwood released an expansion pack ''The Covert Operations'', adding 15 new missions,<ref>{{cite web|last=Park |first=Andrew |date=July 7, 2009 |title=''Command & Conquer'': A Retrospective |url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/command-and-conquer-a-retrospective-6213041/ |work=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=December 9, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121204013323/http://www.gamespot.com/features/command-and-conquer-a-retrospective-6213041/ |archive-date=December 4, 2012 }}</ref> and unlocking an [[Easter egg (media)|easter egg]] mini-campaign involving dinosaurs.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 22, 2002 |title=Command & Conquer: The Covert Operations Game FAQ |url=https://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/29434-command-and-conquer-the-covert-operations/faqs/18382 |access-date=December 27, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150311111317/http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/29434-command-and-conquer-the-covert-operations/faqs/18382 |archive-date=March 11, 2015 }}</ref> A [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] game titled ''Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor'' focuses entirely on [[online multiplayer]], putting the players in control of single units in modes such as [[deathmatch (gaming)|deathmatch]] and [[capture the flag]].<ref name=HistoryofRTS />

In 2008, an [[unofficial patch]] was released to keep C&C working on both 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows XP and higher. The patch fixes several [[Software bug|bugs]] in the game, and adds upgrades like higher resolution and support for language packs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.golem.de/0805/59977.html |title=High-Res-Patch für Command & Conquer 95 – Klassiker lässt sich nun in höherer Auflösung spielen |date=May 27, 2008 |work=[[Golem.de]] |first=Andreas |last=Sebayang |access-date=November 3, 2013 |language=de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105165729/http://www.golem.de/0805/59977.html |archive-date=November 5, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com/cnc95upd/cc95p106/|title=Command & Conquer Gold Project 1.06|website=nyerguds.arsaneus-design.com}}</ref>

A [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer]] version of C&C was announced to be in development, but this port was never released.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://download.abandonware.org/magazines/CD%20Consoles/cdconsoles_numero04/Page%20095.jpg|title=Dossier - Ils Arrivent Sur 32 Bits - Command & Conquer / 3DO|magazine=CD Consoles|issue=4|publisher=Pressimage|date=February 1995|page=95|lang=fr}}</ref>

==Reception==
===Sales===
''Command & Conquer'' was a commercial hit.<ref name=cvg /> In the United States, [[PC Data]] declared it the fourth-best-selling CD-ROM product across all categories for October 1995,<ref>{{cite magazine | author=Staff | title=Top-Selling CD-ROMs | date=February 6, 1996 | magazine=[[PC Magazine]] | page=34 | volume=15 | number=3 }}</ref> and #7 in the computer game category the following month.<ref>{{cite news | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402042448/http://articles.courant.com/1995-12-27/entertainment/9512270091_1_pc-data-on-line-computers | url=https://www.courant.com/1995/12/27/pixels-258/ | title=Pixels | author=Hunt, Kevin | date=December 27, 1995 | newspaper=[[Hartford Courant]] | archive-date=April 2, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref> It was absent from December's top 10 in the country.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Staff | title=Leaderboard | journal=[[GamePro#PC Games|PC Entertainment]] | date=April 1996 | issue=28 | page=20 }}</ref>

By April 1996, ''Command & Conquer'' had sold 500,000 copies worldwide,<ref>{{cite journal | author=Staff| journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | title=Eyewitness; More Worlds to Conquer |date=April 1996 | volume=3 | issue=4 | page=55 }}</ref> and Westwood Studios reported sales above 1 million units by September of that year.<ref name=1m>{{cite press release | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970605014311/http://www.westwood.com/infodir/news/prccwin95.html | url=http://www.westwood.com:80/infodir/news/prccwin95.html | title=Westwood Studios Dominates Windows 95 | date=September 19, 1996 | location=[[Las Vegas]] | archive-date=June 5, 1997 | publisher=[[Westwood Studios]] | url-status=dead | access-date=July 7, 2019 }}</ref> Domestically, the game was the seventh-best-selling computer game for the first half of 1996.<ref name=1996first6>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970606062726/http://www.news.com/SpecialFeatures/Continued/0,6,3471_4,00.html | url=http://www.news.com/SpecialFeatures/Continued/0,6,3471_4,00.html | title=A whole new ball game | author=Yoshitake, Dawn | date=September 14, 1996 | work=[[News.com]] | archive-date=June 6, 1997 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 7, 2019 }}</ref> The game was particularly popular in France and Germany, and sold 200,000 copies in the latter country by November 1996.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,230,00.html |title=GAMECENTER.COM - game news - Q&A; with Brett Sperry |access-date=July 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970605104309/http://www.gamecenter.com/News/Item/0,3,230,00.html |archive-date=June 5, 1997 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sales across all platforms reached 1.7 million units by February 1997,<ref name=1.7m>{{cite press release | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990202053450/http://www.westwood.com/corporate/press/prsony.html | url=http://www.westwood.com:80/corporate/press/prsony.html | title=Westwood Studios Conquers the Sony PlayStation | date=February 27, 1997 | location=[[Las Vegas]] | publisher=[[Westwood Studios]] | archive-date=February 2, 1999 | url-status=dead | access-date=July 7, 2019 }}</ref> and the game went on to sell more than three million.<ref name=cvg />

===Critical reviews===
{{Video game reviews
<!-- Aggregators -->
| GR = (SSAT) 90%<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/saturn/196960-command-and-conquer/index.html |title=Command & Conquer for Saturn |website=[[GameRankings]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=June 10, 2018}}</ref><br />(PS) 87%<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/ps/7940-command-and-conquer/index.html |title=Command & Conquer for PlayStation |website=[[GameRankings]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=June 10, 2018}}</ref><br />(N64) 78%<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gamerankings.com/n64/196958-command-and-conquer/index.html |title=Command & Conquer for Nintendo 64 |website=[[GameRankings]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=June 10, 2018}}</ref>
| MC = (PC) 94/100<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/command-and-conquer/critic-reviews/?platform=pc |title=Command & Conquer for PC Reviews |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |access-date=December 6, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121228015202/http://www.metacritic.com/game/pc/command-conquer |archive-date=December 28, 2012}}</ref>
<!-- Reviewers -->
| CGM = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name=cgm>{{cite journal | url=http://www.cdmag.com/articles/005/051/command_conquer_review.html | author=Smith, Peter | title=Command & Conquer: Westwood has really raised the bar with this one | journal=[[Computer Games Magazine]] | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030523232701/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/005/051/command_conquer_review.html | year=1996 | archive-date=May 23, 2003}}</ref>
| CGW = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name=cgw>{{cite magazine | last=Cirulis | first=Martin E. | title=Earth In Flames | date=December 1995 | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | issue=137 | pages=352–354, 356 }}</ref>
| EGM = (SSAT/PS) 8.875/10<ref name=EGM91>{{cite magazine |title=Review Crew: Command & Conquer |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=91 |publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=February 1997 |page=56}}</ref><ref name=EGM95>{{cite magazine |title=Review Crew: Command & Conquer |magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=95|publisher=[[Ziff Davis]]|date=June 1997 |page=46}}</ref>
| GSpot = (PC) 9.3/10<ref name=gamespot>{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/command-and-conquer/reviews/command-and-conquer-review-2538453/ |author=Hudak, Chris |title=Command & Conquer Review |publisher=[[GameSpot]]. [[CBS Interactive]] |date=May 1, 1996 |access-date=December 6, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206213640/http://www.gamespot.com/command-and-conquer/reviews/command-and-conquer-review-2538453/ |archive-date=February 6, 2013 }}</ref><br />(SSAT) 9.2/10<ref name=GSSat>{{cite web |last=Rubenstein |first=Glenn |author-link=Glenn Rubenstein |title=Command & Conquer Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/command-and-conquer-review/1900-2533851/ |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=October 9, 2018 |date=January 16, 1997}}</ref><br />(PS) 8.2/10<ref name=GSPS>{{cite web |last=Rubenstein |first=Glenn |author-link=Glenn Rubenstein |title=Command & Conquer Review |url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/command-and-conquer-review/1900-2547069/ |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=October 9, 2018 |date=March 27, 1997}}</ref>
| PCGUS = 91%<ref name=pcgamerus>{{cite web|last=McDonald |first=T. Liam |title=''Command & Conquer'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991205215530/http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/266.html |url=http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/266.html |archive-date=December 5, 1999 |date=November 1995 |url-status=live |work=[[PC Gamer US]] }}</ref>
|PCPP=80%<ref name=PCPP>{{Cite journal|last=Sharpe|first=Peter|date=July 1997|title=C&C for Win95|url=https://archive.org/details/PCPowerplay-014-1997-07/page/n71/mode/2up|journal=PC PowerPlay|issue=14|pages=65}}</ref>
<!-- Custom reviewers -->
| rev1 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
| rev1Score = A−<ref name=ew>{{cite magazine|last=Strauss |first=Bob |title=Digital Review; ''Command & Conquer'' |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425195348/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C299564%2C00.html |url=https://ew.com/article/1995/11/17/command-conquer/ |url-status=live |archive-date=April 25, 2009 |date=November 17, 1995 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref>
| rev2 = ''[[Macworld]]''
| rev2Score = 7.8<ref name=macworld />
| NGen = (PC) {{rating|5|5}}<ref name=NGen12/><br />(SSAT) {{rating|4|5}}<ref name=NGen29>{{cite magazine |title=War God |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=29|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=May 1997|page=150}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Computer Game Review]]''
| rev3Score = 97/92/93<ref name=cgr>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961221184206/http://www.nuke.com/cgr/reviews/1195/comconq/comconq.htm | url=http://www.nuke.com/cgr/reviews/1195/comconq/comconq.htm | title=Delegate & Destroy | date=November 1995 | author1=Snyder, Frank | author2=Chapman, Ted | author3=Kaiafas, Tasos | work=[[Computer Game Review]] | archive-date=December 21, 1996 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]''
| rev4Score = (SSAT) 94%<ref name=SSM15>{{cite magazine|last=Leadbetter |first=Rich |title=Review: Command & Conquer|magazine=[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]|issue=15|publisher=[[Emap International Limited]]|date=January 1997|pages=72–73}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[MacUser]]''
| rev5Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name=macuser>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010725135324/http://www.macuser.com/mu_0797/maxuser/game_room.html | url=http://www.macuser.com:80/mu_0797/maxuser/game_room.html | title=The Game Room | author=Loyola, Roman | date=July 1997 | archive-date=July 25, 2001 | work=[[MacUser]] | url-status=dead | access-date=July 7, 2019 }}</ref>
<!-- Awards -->
}}

Critical reception of ''Command & Conquer'' was highly positive.<ref name=cvg /> It was named the best strategy game of 1995 by ''[[PC Gamer US]]'' and—tied with ''[[Heroes of Might and Magic: A Strategic Quest]]''—''[[Computer Gaming World]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine | author=Staff |title=The Computer Gaming World 1996 Premier Awards |magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] |issue=143 |date=June 1996 |pages=55, 56, 58, 60, 62, 64, 66, 67 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |date=March 1996 | title=The Year's Best Games | pages=64, 65, 67, 68, 71, 73–75 | journal=[[PC Gamer US]] | author=((Editors of ''PC Gamer'' ))| volume=3 | issue=3 }}</ref> and the year's top real-time strategy title and overall "Game of the Year" by ''[[Computer Games Magazine|Computer Games Strategy Plus]]''.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Staff | journal=[[Computer Games Magazine]] | title=A Decade of Gaming; Award Winners of 1995 |date=November 2000 | issue=120 | pages=56–58, 60, 62, 66, 68, 70–76 }}</ref> In 1998, ''Command & Conquer Gold'' received nominations for "Computer Entertainment Title of the Year" and "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year|PC Strategy Game of the Year]]" during the [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences|AIAS]]' [[1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards|inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|title=1998 1st Interactive Achievement Awards |url=http://www.interactive.org/awards/1998_1st_awards.asp |publisher=Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences |access-date=December 29, 2011 |year=1998 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101023023534/http://www.interactive.org/awards/1998_1st_awards.asp |archive-date=October 23, 2010 }}</ref>

''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'''s Bob Strauss offered the game effusive praise, writing: "If you liked playing with toy soldiers as a kid, you'll think you've stepped on a land mine and gone to heaven". Strauss believed that its cutscenes, voice clips and "nonstop action" served to "[enliven] the usually stodgy war game genre". After highlighting its multiplayer and citing its installation process as "the coolest [...] I've ever seen", he concluded that the game "makes other war simulations look as flat as ''[[Risk (game)|Risk]]''".<ref name=ew /> A reviewer for ''[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]'' called it "a game that any strategy fan has to pick up". While complaining at the lack of a [[high-resolution]] mode, he applauded the gameplay for its combination of simple and intuitive control with deep and complex strategy, and said the full motion video cutscenes add considerably to the game's depth. He also complimented the soundtrack and fast pace.<ref name=NGen12>{{cite journal |title=Victorious|journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=12|publisher=[[Imagine Media]] |date=December 1995|page=192}}</ref> Peter Smith of ''[[Computer Games Magazine]]'' called ''Command & Conquer'' "an adrenaline rush in a box", writing: "Everything about this game shouts quality". Smith lauded the game's music and sound effects, gameplay and story, and even its [[Installation (computer programs)|install program]]. Smith noted some minor problems, citing issues with the game's artificial intelligence, but finished by saying that "Westwood has really raised the bar with this one".<ref name=cgm/> Chris Hudak of ''[[GameSpot]]'' wrote: "Starting from the load-screens and straight on 'til morning, ''Command & Conquer'' is one of the finest, most brilliantly-designed [[PC game|computer games]] I have ever seen".<ref name=gamespot/>

Martin E. Cirulis of ''[[Computer Gaming World]]'' wrote that ''Command & Conquer'' "remains mainly a good, networkable version of ''Dune II''". Cirulis found the game's interface intuitive and described its online component as "sophisticated and easy-to-use", also praising its story for being "as interesting as the actual tactics and gunfire", and commented that he "would buy ''C&C2'' just to see where things are going to end up". However, according to him, the developers failed "to correct major shortcomings" in ''Dune II'', as its [[Fog of war#Simulations and games|fog of war]] does not fit with the real-world setting, also finding fault with design choices in the game's missions, which he believed were structured like "puzzles" that allowed for only one way to win. Nevertheless, he concluded that it remained "the best-looking and sounding strategy game yet" despite its flaws, and that it was "more than entertaining enough to make up for its shortcomings".<ref name=cgw /> Writing for ''[[PC Gamer US]]'', T. Liam McDonald wrote that the game "has all the playability of ''Dune II'', but with more diverse units, more unusual scenarios, and impressively executed wraparound cutscenes". McDonald called its combat a "satisfying blend of action and strategy", and noted that this, combined with an attention to "little details", made the game a "success", also praising its cutscenes as "terrifically executed". Although he was disappointed that the game lacked "fancier terrain or another zoom level", McDonald concluded: "This game is a whole lot of fun, so get it, play it, and love it like your own child".<ref name=pcgamerus />

====Ports====
The ''[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]'' review team gave the Saturn version their "Game of the Month" award, citing the excellent translation of the PC version, accessible gameplay, and numerous strategic options, though they criticized that the soldier graphics are too small.<ref name=EGM91/> All four of them gave identical scores to the PlayStation version, though they noted it had marginally exceeded the Saturn version by including additional missions.<ref name=EGM95/> Rich Leadbetter of ''[[Sega Saturn Magazine]]'' also praised the game's accessibility, as well as the mission design, effective point-and-click control with the gamepad, and strong AI for both enemy and allied troops. On other side, he said the game could have been done on the [[Sega CD]], and objected to the omission of the PC version's multiplayer mode, contending that had it been included ''Command & Conquer'' would have been one of the Saturn's best games.<ref name=SSM15/> Major Mike reviewed both the Saturn and PlayStation versions in the same issue of ''[[GamePro]]''. He described them as largely the same, and said they both suffer from inaccurate cursor movement, but recommended them for their strong gameplay, sound effects, and graphics, especially the full motion video.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Saturn ProReview: Command & Conquer|magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=102|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=March 1997|page=84}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=PlayStation ProReview: Command & Conquer |magazine=[[GamePro]]|issue=102|publisher=[[International Data Group|IDG]]|date=March 1997|page=76}}</ref> ''Next Generation'' deemed the Saturn version "the triumphant high point of [the] real-time strategy genre for home consoles". Like Leadbetter, the reviewer highly criticized the removal of multiplayer support, but argued that the lowered graphics resolution would only be noticeable to players of the PC version, and identified the remixed redbook soundtrack and added transparencies as improvements over the PC version.<ref name=NGen29/> Reviewing ''Command & Conquer''’s Sega Saturn port, ''Next Generation Online'' commented that it did little to improve the core game, and noted its lower resolution and missing multiplayer functionality as significant negatives, but the review still called it one of the console's best games and a "must-buy for Saturn owners".<ref name=nextgensat>{{cite web|author=Staff |title=''Command & Conquer''; The number one PC hit title has finally hit the Saturn |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990831162946/http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/reviews/501.html |url=http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/reviews/501.html |date=February 4, 1998 |work=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] |archive-date=August 31, 1999 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''CVG''’s Kim Randell wrote that the Saturn version is "up there with [[Sega AM2|AM2]]'s finest games" and "a joy to play", as it "thrives on deceptively simple gameplay" despite its unimpressive graphics and sound, and adding that the later missions are "masterpieces of [[game design|gaming design]]". Randell believed that the port's missing multiplayer mode would have made it as good as ''[[Virtua Fighter 2]]'' and ''[[NiGHTS Into Dreams]]'', but that it "isn't far off this realm of excellence" without it.<ref>{{cite web | last=Randell | first=Kim | title=Command and Conquer | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070910205446/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=7954 | url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=7954 | work=[[Computer & Video Games]] | archive-date=September 10, 2007 }}</ref>

''[[Game Informer]]'''s three reviewers praised the Saturn and PlayStation ports of ''Command & Conquer''. While the magazine's Andy McNamara wrote that "the best way to play ''C&C'' is on the PC", he called the console version a "fantastic port" marred only by "rather clumsy" controls and the inability to save in the middle of a mission. Andrew Reiner agreed, calling it a "flawless PC port" that "perfectly" recreates the thrills of the original, but he was displeased that it did not feature multiplayer support. Jon Storm summarized it as "an excellent addition to any PlayStation or Saturn library".<ref name=gisat>{{cite magazine | last1=McNamara | first1=Andy | last2=Storm | first2=Jon | last3=Reiner | first3=Andrew | date=March 1997 | title=''C and C'' Consoles Itself on Saturn and PlayStation | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990930045828/http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=mar97&doc=conquer | url=http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=mar97&doc=conquer | magazine=[[Game Informer]] | url-status=dead | archive-date=September 30, 1999 }}</ref> [[Glenn Rubenstein]] noted in his review that the score he was giving the Saturn version was the highest ''GameSpot'' had yet given to any console game, even exceeding ''[[Super Mario 64]]'' and ''[[Tomb Raider (1996 video game)|Tomb Raider]]''. He said the game had converted well to Saturn, and in particular contested the way other critics counted the omission of multiplayer against it, saying that such a feature was beyond the console's capabilities. He concluded: "With its mix of in-depth strategy, tactical action, and slick storytelling, ''Command & Conquer'' brings console strategy games out of the shadow they've lived in for so long".<ref name=GSSat/> Though he noted the PlayStation version had the advantage of additional missions, he held it to be slightly inferior to the Saturn version due to the faster speed at which it plays. He also criticized the lack of multiplayer, noting that the [[PlayStation Link Cable]] could have been used (apparently unaware that a similar link cable was available for the Saturn).<ref name=GSPS/> A reviewer for ''Next Generation'' wrote: "Just like the ported Saturn version, PSX [PlayStation] ''C&C'' adds little to the existing game". The review's author cited the lower resolution and lack of multiplayer as low points, but noted that the addition of the ''Covert Operations'' missions "adds to the overall replay value".<ref name=nextgenpsx>{{cite web | author=Staff | date=March 18, 1997 | title=Review: ''Command & Conquer'' | url=http://www.next-generation.com/reviews/psx/command.chtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970419235519/http://www.next-generation.com/reviews/psx/command.chtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 19, 1997 | work=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] }}</ref>

Reviewing the Nintendo 64 version of ''Command & Conquer'', Erik Reppen of ''Game Informer'' wrote that it "has done an amazing job of completely reworking the old levels into a 3D [[polygon]]al format". Although he said that the game "offers plenty to keep you entertained", he disliked the heavy sound compression and the loss of the FMV cutscenes present in earlier versions.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Reppen |first=Erik |date=October 29, 1999 |title=Command & Conquer |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000601070521/http://gameinformer.com/reviews/review_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=4299 |url=https://gameinformer.com/reviews/review_detail.cfm?ITEM_ID=4299 |magazine=[[Game Informer]] |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 1, 2000 }}</ref> IGN's Aaron Boulding opened his review by saying: "To their credit, Looking Glass developed ''Command & Conquer'' with all of the elements you want from a quality RTS".<ref name=ign64>{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/30/command-conquer-2 |author=Boulding, Aaron |title=Command & Conquer |website=[[IGN]] |date=June 29, 1999 |access-date=December 11, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121218134339/http://www.ign.com/articles/1999/06/30/command-conquer-2 |archive-date=December 18, 2012 }}</ref> Boulding praised the gameplay and the ''Special Ops'' missions, but noted that most of the units were distinct from the PC version.<ref name=ign64/> He was less happy with the port's graphics, calling them "hit and miss", though he lauded the audio effects and voice work.<ref name=ign64/> Boulding also said the controls were well handled, though a bit complicated, and concluded: "''Command & Conquer'' is a fine game and may get a little addictive for anyone who never got into the PC version of the game. But for anyone who ran through the old version, the N64 won't offer much in the way of new thrills beyond the new N64 missions and the 3D world".<ref name=ign64/>

''Next Generation'' commented that, while earlier ports had trouble recreating the mouse controls of the original, the Nintendo 64 version "handles it beautifully". The review's author stated that the controller's analog stick "allow[s for] the same simple point and click interface as the PC", adding that "the entire interface is equally responsive and well planned". The reviewer praised its graphics and audio, even calling the voice acting "the most competent [...] ever to appear en masse on the platform", but disliked its lack of multiplayer support, and concluded that the port "keeps the spirit of the game perfectly while adapting it wonderfully to the limitations of the N64".<ref name=nextgenn64>{{cite web | author=Staff | date=July 2, 1999 | title=''Command & Conquer'' | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991113194958/http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/reviews/1947.html | url=http://www.next-generation.com/jsmid/reviews/1947.html | work=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]] | archive-date=November 13, 1999 }}</ref> James Bottorff of ''[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]]'' believed that advancements in the real-time strategy genre rendered the Nintendo 64 port outdated, despite its new "bells and whistles". However, Bottorff wrote that those who had not played earlier ''Command & Conquer'' releases would find it "highly addictive", adding that its "controls are surprisingly good for a PC port".<ref>{{cite web|last=Bottorff |first=James |title=Nintendo ''Command & Conquer'' like deja vu |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991128155138/http://cincinnati.com/freetime/games/reviews/commandconquer.html |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/games/reviews/commandconquer.html |archive-date=November 28, 1999 |url-status=dead |work=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] }}</ref>

A remastered version of ''Command & Conquer'' (along with its expansion packs) and its prequel, ''[[Command & Conquer: Red Alert|Red Alert]]'', was done by [[Petroglyph Games]]. The ''[[Command & Conquer Remastered Collection]]'' was released on June 5, 2020.

==Legacy==
''Command & Conquer'' spawned the ''Command & Conquer'' franchise,<ref name=cvg /><ref name=HistoryofRTS /> which sold 30 million copies in total by November 2009.<ref name=gamasutra /> The story of the game continued in the [[Command & Conquer: Tiberian series|''Tiberian'' series]], including an action title ''[[Command & Conquer: Renegade]]'' that revisits the original game's First Tiberium War. In 1996, Westwood launched the [[prequel]] series ''[[Command & Conquer: Red Alert (series)|Red Alert]]'', telling the story of a global conflict between the Western nations and the [[Soviet Union]] which took place instead of [[World War II]].

The game has also been cited as a large influence on the real-time strategy genre overall.<ref name=cvg /><ref name=RTSPrimerArticle /> In 1996, ''Computer Gaming World'' ranked ''Command & Conquer'' as the 48th best game of all time, opining that despite being not "as complete a design as ''[[Warcraft II]]''", the game set "a new standard for great multiplayer play".<ref>{{cite magazine | author=Staff | title=150 Best Games of All Time | date=November 1996 | issue=148 | magazine=[[Computer Gaming World]] | pages=64, 65, 68, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80 }}</ref> That same year, ''Next Generation'' ranked it as the 49th top game of all time for how "it brought war gaming out of prehistoric, hexagonal mire and made it cool".<ref>''Next Generation'' 21 (September 1996), p.52.</ref> ''CVG''’s Mallinson wrote in 2002 that "hundreds of other strategy games", from ''[[StarCraft]]'' to ''[[Age of Empires]]'', had borrowed concepts from ''Command & Conquer'' and "the RTS genre is still thriving, and that is all thanks to ''Command & Conquer''".<ref name=cvg>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090627215723/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=49038 | url=http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=49038 |title=Games that changed the world: ''Command & Conquer'' | last=Mallinson | first=Paul | work=[[Computer & Video Games]] | archive-date=June 27, 2009 | date=May 31, 2002 }}</ref> Bruce Geryk of GameSpot commented that "the name [''Command & Conquer''] is nearly synonymous with RTS gaming";<ref name=HistoryofRTS>{{cite web | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010405012159/http://www.zdnet.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/index.html | url=http://www.zdnet.com/gamespot/features/all/real_time/index.html | archive-date=April 5, 2001 | title=A History of Real-Time Strategy Games | access-date=May 22, 2008 | author=Bruce Geryk | website=[[GameSpot]]}}</ref> and [[GameSpy]]'s Mark Walker wrote that "''[[Warcraft]]'' and ''Dune II'' were little more than warm up acts" for ''Command & Conquer'', which "blew open the genre", and credited the title with popularizing real-time strategy games in the years following its release.<ref name=RTSPrimerArticle>{{cite web |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february02/strategy02/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080626061050/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february02/strategy02/|archive-date=June 26, 2008 |title=Strategy Gaming: Part II |access-date=May 22, 2008 | author=Mark H. Walker |website=GameSpy}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last =Walker | first =Mark | title =Strategy Gaming: Part I -- A Primer |website=[[GameSpy]] | url=http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february02/strategy1/ | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071030004519/http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/february02/strategy1/|archive-date =October 30, 2007 | access-date=October 28, 2007}}</ref> Dan Adams of [[IGN]] wrote that the game, alongside ''[[Warcraft: Orcs & Humans]]'', "cemented the popularity" of the real-time strategy genre in the wake of ''Dune II''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/700/700747p1.html |title=The State of the RTS |access-date=May 22, 2008 |date=April 7, 2006 |author=Dan Adams |website=IGN |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511142804/http://pc.ign.com/articles/700/700747p1.html |archive-date=May 11, 2008 }}</ref> Polish web portal [[Wirtualna Polska]] ranked it as the seventh most addictive game "that stole our childhood".<ref>[http://gry.wp.pl/galeria/gry-ktore-zabraly-nam-dziecinstwo-najbardziej-uzalezniajace-produkcje-sprzed-lat,179101/4.html 7. Command & Conquer – Gry, które zabrały nam dzieciństwo – najbardziej uzależniające produkcje sprzed lat – Imperium gier] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225021808/http://gry.wp.pl/galeria/gry-ktore-zabraly-nam-dziecinstwo-najbardziej-uzalezniajace-produkcje-sprzed-lat%2C179101/4.html |date=February 25, 2013 }}, WP.PL {{in lang|pl}}</ref>

==Open source==
Paired with the release of ''[[Command & Conquer Remastered Collection]]'' in 2020, Electronic Arts released the source code for the remastered versions of ''Tiberian Dawn'' and ''Red Alert''<ref name=vergefeb28>{{Cite web|last=Preston |first=Dominic |title=EA open-sources four more Command & Conquer games |url=https://www.theverge.com/news/621397/command-conquer-open-source-ea-red-alert-renegade-generals |access-date=February 28, 2025|website=[[The Verge]] |date=February 28, 2025 |language=en}}</ref> through [[GitHub]] under the [[GNU General Public License]] in collaboration between EA and the ''Command & Conquer'' community to aid in the development of mods.<ref name="GPL">{{Cite web |last=Kerr |first=Chris |title=EA is releasing the source code for Command & Conquer: Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/363396/EA_is_releasing_the_source_code_for_Command__Conquer_Red_Alert_and_Tiberian_Dawn.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523014006/https://gamasutra.com/view/news/363396/EA_is_releasing_the_source_code_for_Command__Conquer_Red_Alert_and_Tiberian_Dawn.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 23, 2020 |access-date=May 11, 2021 |website=[[GamaSutra]] |date=May 21, 2020 |language=en}}</ref> The source release has also allowed community developers to produce [[source port]]s of the original PC version of the game which was released as [[freeware]]. This now includes unofficial ports to platforms such as the [[PlayStation Vita]] and [[Nintendo DS]] derived from an upstream project called Vanilla-Conquer.<ref>{{cite web |title=PS Vita Release: Vanilla Conquer (Command & Conquer port) |url=https://wololo.net/2021/04/15/ps-vita-release-vanilla-conquer-command-conquer-port-kyuhen-homebrew-competition/ |website=Wololo.net |language=en-US |date=April 15, 2021}}</ref> EA open-sourced the original Command & Conquer in February 2025.<ref name=vergefeb28/>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{Wikia|cnc|EVA Database|Portal:Tiberian Dawn|''Command & Conquer''}}
* {{IMDb title|0252337|Command & Conquer}}
* {{moby game|/command-conquer}}
{{Portal bar|1990s|Speculative fiction|Video games}}
{{Command & Conquer series}}
{{Westwood Studios}}
{{Looking Glass Studios}}
{{Authority control}}

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