What REALLY set C&C apart was its presentation, which was like nothing else* when it came out. It made a serious and earnest attempt like you were actually using your computer as an interface to command an army*, from the "in-universe" installer to the present day setting where "you" choose a side after NOD and GDI hijack your TV, to the non-western battlefields, to the way Kane and General Shepphard addressed "you" personally in the live-action kinematics. The CD music was awesome too.
* Dune II also was known for its great graphics and having strict system requirements * This continued in later games, but they were much more self-aware.
