An alternate-history Second World War in which Einstein removes Hitler and the Soviets invade Europe with Tesla coils and attack dogs. Its trend moment was in internet cafés and school networks from 1996 to the early 2000s, powered by Frank Klepacki's 'Hell March', a metal track that a generation cannot hear without wanting to build tanks.
Someone remembers a tank rush being called a tank rush for the first time, and a friend's mother pulling the network cable during it. The record files the cable under 'hard counters'.
Ended in 2008 with a third game that hired Tim Curry and George Takei for the cutscenes and was considered a comedy. The record notes that the Red Alert 2 online community persists on fan servers.
'Hell March' played over a Soviet military parade on YouTube, in dozens of uploads, with comments in Russian and English agreeing on the music if nothing else. The record files it as the game's most durable export.
The record notes that Red Alert 2 (2000) had the Soviets landing on the US East Coast and a squid unit that ate ships, and that this remains many people's favourite strategy game for reasons they cannot fully justify.
What does it mean? Write it the way you would say it out loud.
