Command and Conquer The Ultimate Collection – PC Origin [Online Game Code]

This release is definitely lazy on EA's part - but instead of being critical like so many, I am thankful. Why? Because it's priced appropriately. It does seem kind of odd to have to Google and apply fixes from the Internet to a product you paid for, but it does work on both Windows 7 and 8. Some people want a buy it and play it release - this is most likely not it, but with a regular price of $20 and currently 75% off that, I much prefer spending 30 minutes Googling and applying fixes than getting slightly modernized versions at an higher price.For example, take AOE 2 and AOE Mythology that Microsoft has recently re-released. They are $20 and $30 respectively and while 100% compatible with modern systems, there is little updated with them to justify $50 for the two of them. They've both been 75% off making it $12.50 for the two of them. Still way more than this collection of 17 games. EA spent so little money on creating this release that they don't charge much.One thing that will take a bit of the pain out of this release is "C&C Ultimate Collection Launchers". Google it, it will fix Generals and many other games that fail to launch out of the box.The games themselves are great. I would have paid $5 for Generals and Zero Hour by themselves. It's a no brainer for anyone who's remotely a fan of the games.Origin is fine - not sure what the complaints are with it. If you right click on a game and click "Properties" you can choose to have Origin not run alongside the game. Then you can play offline fine and Origin doesn't even boot up or need to be running to play the games! That's better than Steam.

I hope, for your sake, you read this review before buying this game. The Command and Conquer series is amazing, I grew up playing these games and they're still fun to play. I decided to buy this series so I may have a digital copy associated with my Origin account. I have a Windows 7 Ultimate (64bit) operating system, 16GB RAM, 8 Core CPU, 2x 4GB AMD R7 370 Graphics cards; I definitely meet all minimum system requirements. Half of these games won't run. I believe it's a problem with the Origin launcher. I've scoured through the internet and have found that C&C enthusiasts have created 'fixed' launchers to be able to play the game. The problem is that the posts are old and the launchers are no where to be downloaded. Origin (EA) tech support is a joke. I'd get better support from a trained monkey than these people. When I asked for help, I received an irrelevant response. They gave me a "after this chat session you will receive an email with steps ..." AKA they don't know what is going on so they'll blow you off. On top of that, they'll bribe you with Discount codes (15%) to keep you happy; buying more of their crappy games. Please DO NOT BUY this game, at least not the version that runs through Origin. You will be just as frustrated and upset when you find out you've wasted your money.

Honestly, I got this just for C&C 4: Tiberian Twilight, which is about the same price as the bundle (when at full price) anyway. It turns out, C&C 4 is terrible - it's buggy, ugly, and the controls are not well designed. C&C 3, on the other hand, is the hidden gem in this package - great controls, good challenge, and a whole lot of fun. My favorite RTS games are from the Supreme Commander series, and C&C 3 plays very similarly. The best part - you get the full C&C 3 and the expansion pack. The deal also comes with some of the old ones, and the only other recent one on par in the package is Red Alert 3. At $4.99 (sale price, but a common sale), it is definitely worth it if you don't already have C&C 3. It comes with a bonus soundtrack and some 'stunning' wallpapers (I guess for the true fans?), and the best part is, it runs in Origin! Hear me out here: since it uses Origin, once you buy the code, you unlock all the games, but then can INDIVIDUALLY install them - since I didn't want the old ones/already had some of them, I could skip installing them, but they're still there in my library, ready to download if I change my mind. Sure, most people prefer Steam, but I already have Origin (for the free On The House games), so why not?

I actually just wrote this for the DVD-ROM version of this pack, but I figured since I actually bought it for the digital version and since it's the exact same game I'd just paste the review and leave it here as well.Normally I don't really write reviews for anything, and I don't even feel the need to write a review specifically on any of the games in this pack. If you're buying this, or the digital one which is what I actually bought, then you know what you're getting into. All these games are all, but I've noticed countless reviews that mention these games not running on Windows 7. While it might be possible that at some point there was an issue, or if you have some odd combination of hardware you may run into a problem, that isn't the case with me. I've got all of the games prior to CnC 3 installed on two different Windows 7 64bit PCs with no issue, one of them Professional and the other Enterprise. Not sure problems people have been having, but I don't think you directly claim that it's just the games themselves.