Just a couple days after Electronic Arts slashed the price of four Command and Conquer games to nearly nothing on Steam, it’s become apparent why: EA released more than a dozen old-time classic videogames on Steam today including Populous, Dungeon Keeper, Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri, The Saboteur, and a big bundle called Command and Conquer: The Ultimate Collection.
The Ultimate Collection is not a new Command and Conquer bundle: It was originally assembled back in 2012, and it’s previously been available on the EA App. But now you can pick it up on Steam, which should make just about everyone happier.
The downside—a very small one, in my mind—is that this is now the only way to get the individual Command and Conquer games on Steam. So if you wanted, for instance, Red Alert 3 or Tiberium Wars, you have to buy the whole bundle. That’s not a terrible situation, especially right now with the package on sale for half price—that’s $10—and it’s a whole lot o’ C&C for a tenner:
Command & ConquerCommand & Conquer: The Covert OperationsCommand & Conquer: Red AlertCommand & Conquer: Red Alert: CounterstrikeCommand & Conquer: Red Alert: The AftermathCommand & Conquer: Tiberian SunCommand & Conquer: Tiberian Sun FirestormCommand & Conquer: Red Alert 2Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2: Yuri’s RevengeCommand & Conquer: RenegadeCommand & Conquer: GeneralsCommand & Conquer: Generals: Zero HourCommand & Conquer 3: Tiberium WarsCommand & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars: Kane’s WrathCommand & Conquer: Red Alert 3Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3: UprisingCommand & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight
The only one missing, as far as I can tell, is C&C: Sole Survivor, a multiplayer spinoff that went offline in 2002.
Each of the games in the bundle still has its own Steam page (for now, at least) as seen in the bundle listing, but the only available purchase option for most of them is the Ultimate Collection. A few, like C&C: Renegade, have links to “check out the entire Command & Conquer franchise on Steam,” which takes you to a more conventional Steam category page, but confusingly that leads back to the individual store pages with Ultimate Collection purchase links anyway, so you’re back where you started.
It’s a bit of a strange setup, but the bottom line is that every Command and Conquer game (including Renegade, which is grossly underrated and I won’t apologize for saying so) for ten bucks is a very good deal. Even at regular price, I’d call it a winner.
If Command and Conquer isn’t your thing, these also turned up on Steam today:
SimCity 3000 UnlimitedPopulousPopulous 2: Trials of the Olympic GodsPopulous: The BeginningDungeon Keeper GoldDungeon Keeper 2Sid Meier’s Alpha Centauri Planetary PackThe Saboteur
Despite their age, there are some genuine bangers here. Alpha Centauri stands as one of the highest-rated games in PC Gamer history, and Populous—my sentimental favorite of the bunch—is Peter Molyneux at the peak of his powers, back before, well, everything. The Saboteur, which I believe is the newest of the bunch, is also very well regarded, and oddly has until now been available on GOG and EA, but not Steam.
All of these games are on sale now too: The Saboteur is $5, for instance, while Populous, Sim City 3000, and Dungeon Keeper Gold are $2 each. The sale prices are on until March 21.
