Summary
In real-time strategy games, one must forge and command great armies to topple opposing factions. Tanks, aircraft, knights, orcs, extraterrestrials,battleships- whatever the game may be and wherever it’s set, there is usually a wide array of different units to acquire and get to work.
While some titles may feature some deadly and dangerous units that wield mighty weapons, like the Monkey Lord ofSupreme Commanderor the formidable Tiger B Königstiger fromCompany of Heroes, there’s no glossing over the wacky ones that sneak their way into titles, whether via cheats, downloadable bonus missions, or part-and-parcel with the rest of the base game. These odd inclusions will fire rainbow lasers, erase baddies from history, or be spotted on a not-so-delightful hunt for easter eggs.
The8-Bitseries is not too deep or complex, and Petroglyph Studios kept its trio of entries as such forthe sake of accessibility. As a result, it certainly seems to have worked in their favor with decent-to-encouraging responses from fans and reviewers. The first trio of entries was released as standalone titles that featured factions that could cross over and fight with (or against) one another. An intriguing idea.
One of them was the alien faction from8-Bit Invaders!The Cranioids have a pack of animals to tear apart enemy infantry. These are the Xenodogs, an obvious parody of the Xenomorphs from theAlienseries. The urge to pet them is strong, though they’ll likely just do more than simply chew an arm off.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2was more willing to let itshumorous side show, and for the better. With that came some off-the-wall and unique concepts for units, like tanks that can disguise themselves as trees. However, it’s the Chrono Legionnaire that deserves to be praised for being one of the strangest inclusions.
This unique infantry unit doesn’t walk. Rather, he teleports around, taking a few moments to materialize and attack, leaving him vulnerable to attack. However, his weapon more than makes up for that, being capable of locking onto a unit or building and erasing them from time! These guys can zip behind enemy lines and scrub out vital components before zapping back to safety. Now, how many units in other RTS games can scrub enemies out of the history books, exactly?
The Scarab is one scary unit to face up against, and it was a shocker to see it as a purchasable unit for the Covenant inHalo Wars. Seeing a four-legged monstrosity with a laser cannon mounted on it is a frightening sight to see, considering its destructive abilities and very large health pool.
Skulls are collectibles that can introduce either challenging or humorous twists and are a staple inclusion in many entries in the series. What “Wuv Woo” does is replace the frightening laser it disperses with, as the skull’s description puts it, “rainbow beams made of pure love.” Suddenly,this titanbecomes a bit of a laughingstock with the multicolored lasers utterly annihilating its targets. Scary, but funny.
Thanks to cheats, those with the expansion packAge of Empires: The Rise of Romecan get their hands on some historically inaccurate units to help overthrow opposing civilizations. “BabyPrez” is a baby riding a unicycle firing a fully automatic shotgun. When typing in a cheat, just punch in “pow,” and he or she will appear near a Town Center.
BabyPrez is overpowered and can mow down units from afar with little effort. If defeated, the blubbering infant will cry incessantly, and won’t decompose and disappear like other units that are killed. The only way to stop the tears is to do what any other responsible parent would do: construct a building atop of it. It’s easier than cradling a child to sleep, after all.
IFVs made their debutin the second entryin theC&C Red Alertand came back forCommand & Conquer: Red Alert 3. These lightly armored buggies change their weapons based on what unit is placed in them. By default, they fire missiles. Peacekeepers can mount a gun atop them, while Tesla Troopers will zap targets.
As for Attack Dogs and War Bears, climbing onto these vehicles will prompt them to bark aloud from a cluster of speakers, stunning nearby enemy infantry and rendering them unable to attack! It’s either because they’re deafened by the noise, or just scared stiff by the sound of an angry animal echoing through their eardrums.
The Tleilaxu is an infamous race in theDuneseries, and their extensive technology being used to create genetically modified beings is certainly the sort of “project” they’d be interested in. InEmperor: Battle For Dune, capturing their respective Flesh Vats with an engineer, or partnering with them during the campaign, willgrant the player the chance to create an unusual unit type: Contaminators.
These squishy-looking abominations will instantly kill an opposing infantry unit, prompting them to mutate and turn into a fellow Contaminator as well. Limited in speech, the only word they can say is “yes” in varying degrees of creepiness. Seeing a pack of these rushing towards a squad of infantry is a frightful sight, and can cause a serious problem for any faction on the receiving end of a biological epidemic by their hands.
What’s so humorous about this rabbit? Well, the fact that he’s inWarcraft 3, for one thing! Funny Bunny is an exclusive unit to the downloadable bonus map “Funny Bunny’s Egg Hunt,” released during Easter in 2004.
Funny Bunny is an edited version of an imposing Furbolg, only he has bunny ears and a cigar. Other than that, he’s just as freaky. His goal is to run around Bunny Island to collect eggs and other sorts of treats. He has a weedy and shaky voice that serves as a stark contrast to his appearance, yet that just makes him and his numerous lines of dialogue all the more enjoyable. “Hippity-hoppity!”
