Why you should play C&C: Red Alert 1

This week's "Why" video acknowledges that not everyone was playing RTS games in 1996, and that even those who were may not realize how much fun they'd be having if they took a quick time-trip back to Command & Conquer: Red Alert. The game isn't just a highlight of the series (and no one's discounting the original or the Tiberium series), it's a highlight of the RTS genre, and it holds up so well 17 years later that it's just as fun as modern RTSes. That's my argument—see and hear it in the video above.

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.