Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour

Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour
European Union cover art
Developer(s)	EA Los Angeles Aspyr Media (Mac OS X)
Publisher(s)	EA Games (Windows) MacSoft (Mac OS) Aspyr Media (Mac OS X)
Series	Command & Conquer
Engine	SAGE
Platforms	Microsoft Windows Mac OS X
Release date(s)	Microsoft Windows September 22, 2003 Mac OS X February 2005 Mac OS X re-release March 12, 2015
Genre(s)	Real-time strategy
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Command and Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour is the expansion pack for the 2003 video game Command & Conquer: Generals. Zero Hour added several new abilities and units to each side, and a new mode of play called Generals' Challenge.

Background

Zero Hour also contains 3 new campaigns of five missions each, one for each side, with their chronological order being USA first, GLA second, and China last. Unlike the previous campaigns, which were noted by Command and Conquer fans for not having full motion video cinematic sequences during mission briefing, the Zero Hour campaigns return to that Command and Conquer tradition, each showing a live-action video of a news reporter of the respective side giving details about the situation behind the current mission. The plot behind the Zero Hour campaigns picks up where it left off at the end of the previous campaigns.

Plot

USA

At the beginning of the USA campaign, the Global Liberation Army (GLA) launches a biological weapon using a refitted Soyuz launch station from the captured Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at a U.S. Navy base located in Northern Europe. The U.S. Armed Forces retaliates quickly, destroying the launch platform, before the GLA can fire another missile. Later, while providing humanitarian aid to Mogadishu, Somalia, backed by a carrier strike group, documents detailing a hidden GLA bio-lab are discovered. China's Black Lotus and the USA's Colonel Burton head to the area to destroy the bio-lab. While Black Lotus captures a GLA outpost, Colonel Burton leads a team of U.S. Army Rangers and destroys the bio-lab. Some time later, the United States learns that a GLA general codenamed "Dr. Thrax" has been developing a more lethal variety of anthrax known as "Anthrax Gamma". The USA manages to cut off Thrax's funds, which were coming from oil fields in Iran. When the USA locates his base of operations, they discover that he is planning on launching several missiles loaded with this toxin at major population centers within the USA itself. A swift strike by the USA, with the help of GLA defectors, succeeds in preventing the launch, and stops "Dr. Thrax".

GLA

In the GLA campaign, the GLA, though disappointed by the failure of Dr. Thrax, receives a boost in morale with the successful appointment of their new leader, General Mohmar "Deathstrike". The GLA first attempts to reunite its splintered factions under Deathstrike's leadership, which it succeeds in doing after eliminating the renegade Prince Kassad's forces in Egypt as well as stealing Kassad's stealth technologies, and then begins a fervent mission to drive the Americans from Europe. Despite their seemingly obsolete technology, the GLA succeeds in inflicting tremendous harm against the USA, by capturing an American particle up-link cannon which they then use to destroy the USS Ronald Reagan (splitting her in half from starboard to port, as shown in the game's cover) and infiltrating the US West Coast to steal toxins from a chemical storage facility. This reaches its climax when the GLA overruns the USA’s European central command base in Stuttgart-Vaihingen, partially with the use of captured Chinese weaponry. The GLA's primary objective accomplished, they now begin to invade a vulnerable Europe and create a new repressive state.

China

In the Chinese campaign, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is sent to Europe to relieve the USA and gain revenge against the Global Liberation Army for their humiliating use of Chinese technology in the capture of the U.S. European Command base in Germany. In order to prevent the GLA from making use of advanced USA weaponry, China launches a nuclear missile at the military base, destroying it, and then sends its forces into Germany, where the GLA invaders are concentrated. China tightens its homeland defenses to prevent an infiltration so they don't suffer any more attacks in their homeland. This pays off when a nuclear power plant is attacked by the GLA. Chinese forces hold their position until reinforcements arrive, and they launch a counterattack, destroying the GLA in the hills. China is also asked by the Defense Council to use restraint in their military program, to which China agrees. They later liberate a major European city oppressed by the GLA, causing China's international opinion to skyrocket. The GLA attempt to retreat, but their forces are intercepted by China and destroyed. Finally, the nearly defeated GLA takes control of an abandoned U.S. military base and uses its weaponry against the Chinese army. China succeeds in destroying the GLA, and eliminating the GLA for good, rooting out their influence in Europe. Establishing the Eurasian Unity League with the newly liberated Europe, China takes its new place as the lead superpower on the world stage.

Gameplay

Online play

Custom games can have up to eight players playing in one online game.

Mods

Zero Hour has a very active modding community with a good variety of mods that extend the replayability of the game. Popular mods include Rise of the Reds, Shockwave, Contra, and A Global Crisis, with most of these mods being distributed through Mod DB.

Reborn: Adds 9 additional generals for USA, China, and GLA, and a wide variety of units for all factions

Contra: Adds 3 additional generals for USA, China and GLA, a new pack of units & structures for all factions, new superpowers, and a new "ranking system" that requires the player to rank up for new units such as the general's "superunit" the second or the most powerful unit of an general next to his/her superweapon. (Please note that superunits are only in this mod, and not from the main game itself)

Rise of the Reds: Adds Russia & ECA (European Continental Alliance, the successor state of the European Union) as factions, many additional units for vanilla factions; also serves as an unofficial sequel to Zero Hour

Shockwave: Adds 3 additional generals for USA, China, and GLA, and a wide variety of units for all factions; much of the mod is content that was cut from the final game

A Global Crisis: Adds Israel & Syria as factions, and a couple new units for vanilla factions

Honor of Five-star: Replacing the weapons and units with the real world's one

External links

• Official website
• Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour guide at StrategyWiki