Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

Land, Sea and Air 2! brings together three distinct MicroProse classics—Command H.Q., Red Storm Rising, and F-15 Strike Eagle II—into a single compilation that spans strategic command, tactical maneuvering, and high-intensity flight simulation. Each title retains its original mechanics, offering players a buffet of interfaces and control schemes. Command H.Q. delivers a real-time global confrontation, challenging you to balance economic development with military expansion as you vie for world domination.

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Red Storm Rising shifts the focus to a Cold War–era naval and ground engagement simulator, featuring mission-based objectives that range from convoy defense to amphibious assaults. Its semi-realistic unit behaviors and detection systems reward careful planning and situational awareness. Meanwhile, F-15 Strike Eagle II throws you into the cockpit of a modern air superiority fighter, tasking you with everything from air-to-air intercepts to deep-strike missions behind enemy lines. The flight model strikes a balance between accessibility and authenticity, making it approachable for newcomers yet retaining enough depth for simulation enthusiasts.

While each game shines in isolation, the compilation’s launcher seamlessly lets you switch between genres without fuss. The user interface remains faithful to the originals, which means you’ll appreciate quick hotkeys in Command H.Q., radar and sonar overlays in Red Storm Rising, and cockpit console shortcuts in F-15 Strike Eagle II. If you’re comfortable with period-style menus and keyboard-driven commands, the learning curve feels rewarding rather than dated. Multiplayer options are limited or absent—reflecting the late ’80s heritage—but the AI challenges are robust enough to keep solo players engaged.

Graphics

Visually, Land, Sea and Air 2! wears its vintage pedigree on its sleeve. The 2D sprites and map tiles of Command H.Q. are presented in their original hues, with clear icons representing armies, fleets, and air wings. Although blocky by today’s standards, the color-coded zones and simple animations maintain strong readability, especially when zoomed out to survey global theaters.

Red Storm Rising’s top-down views of naval task forces and coastal defenses use iconography to depict ship classes and unit statuses. Subtle splash effects, torpedo tracks, and smoke plumes add a dash of dynamism to otherwise static map canvases. Ground units—tanks, infantry, and artillery—move in discrete steps, and the interface highlights their detection ranges with colored overlays, making tactical planning straightforward despite limited pixel real estate.

F-15 Strike Eagle II offers the most visually immersive segment of the trio, featuring wireframe and polygon graphics for terrain and targets. Instrumentation graphics in the cockpit are crisp, with functional HUD elements for altitude, airspeed, radar lock, and weapon status. While it lacks texture mapping and high-resolution terrain, the modest color palette and simple 3D geometry effectively evoke the thrill of low-level flight and precision strikes. Modern patches may add upscaling filters, smoothing out jagged edges without sacrificing the retro charm.

Story

Each game in Land, Sea and Air 2! approaches narrative differently, reflecting MicroProse’s simulation-first philosophy. Command H.Q. offers minimal storyline beyond the Cold War allegory of two superpowers vying for global supremacy. Scenarios come with briefings that outline strategic objectives—capture capitals, secure resources, or defend against surprise invasions—letting you craft your own epic saga through conquest and diplomacy.

Red Storm Rising is loosely inspired by Tom Clancy’s techno-thriller of the same name, delivering a series of linked naval and ground missions set against a Soviet-NATO conflict. Briefings set the geopolitical stage: a USSR blockade of oil routes, amphibious landings in Western Europe, and submarine stalking runs in the North Atlantic. Though dialogue is limited to mission text, the mounting tension from one operation to the next gives the compilation a sense of forward momentum.

F-15 Strike Eagle II features mission briefings that place you into real-world hotspots of the 1980s, from the Persian Gulf to the Norwegian Sea. While there’s no overarching character arc, each sortie’s objectives—whether escorting bombers, suppressing enemy air defenses, or interdicting supply lines—deliver cinematic moments that let you feel the stakes. The cumulative effect across all three titles is less about narrative depth and more about immersive scenario-driven play, where your tactical decisions write the story.

Overall Experience

Land, Sea and Air 2! is a testament to MicroProse’s golden age of war gaming, packaging three genre-defining titles in one nostalgic bundle. The compilation doesn’t modernize core mechanics or overhaul visuals, but it faithfully preserves the gameplay quirks and strategic depth that made these games classics. For veteran players, it’s a convenient trip down memory lane; for newcomers, it’s a crash course in retro war simulations.

The variety on offer—from the grand strategy of Command H.Q. to the tactical detail of Red Storm Rising and the cockpit thrills of F-15 Strike Eagle II—ensures there’s always a fresh challenge. Session lengths can vary dramatically; you might spend an hour repositioning fleets in Red Storm Rising or half a night planning global offensives in Command H.Q. The learning curve is real, but tutorials and scenario guides help flatten it out.

If you’re looking for modern visuals, seamless multiplayer, or narrative-driven campaigns, this compilation isn’t for you. But if you cherish strategic variety, period-accurate simulations, and the unmistakable grain of early MicroProse design, Land, Sea and Air 2! delivers a robust, history-steeped package. It’s an ideal purchase for retro enthusiasts, strategy veterans, and anyone curious about the roots of war gaming.

Retro Replay Score

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