Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (PC)

“Okay. Before I go any further, I have LOVED the Command & Conquer franchise ever since I discovered it. I've played all of the more recent titles, and nearly all of the older ones. When I review these, I'm doing my best to distance myself from...”

“Okay. Before I go any further, I have LOVED the Command & Conquer franchise ever since I discovered it. I've played all of the more recent titles, and nearly all of the older ones. When I review these, I'm doing my best to distance myself from them so as not to seem a fanboy that obsesses about every insignificant nuance of the game or plotline.

Cool. Red Alert 3. I've always loved the Red Alert series since the very first one. The gameplay has always been very well balanced, with a myriad of strategies to use. The cutscenes have always been well executed and intentionally hilarious.

With Red Alert 3, I find myself losing some of the pink tinge of nostalgia that I had with the entire series, due primarily to the fact that the storyline takes a huge tangent, and establishes itself as only loosely tied to the original two titles. In addition, the game mechanics have been almost entirely retooled, with players now able to choose from three factions instead of two (a trend that EA jumped onto with its first command & conquer game). The added faction this time is the "Empire of the Rising Sun," which, for the unacquainted, means Japan. This being an alternate reality where nuclear weapons do not exist due to the absence of Einstein, each faction relies on some truly creative faux science technologies that are entertaining to both hear about and use.

The cutscenes live up to and possibly surpass their predecessors in terms of camp. The hollywood talent involved is star-studded enough for nearly anyone to recognize at least one actor/actress.

The only major difference between Red Alert 3 and its ancestors is that the gameplay focus here is more on micromanagement. All units in the game have some secondary ability that expands their functionality beyond the norm. While some of the abilities started off being unbalancing, patches have managed to fix any inconsistencies very well. Overall, Red Alert 3 doesn't really disappoint, unless you happen to be too accustomed to macro strategy to make a quick adjustment. ”

“The three seperate stroy lines (not tied together) where all you do is conquere the world for whatever faction you choose just seemed lazy to me. Also, its easy to be corny but its hard to be funny (unless you consider corny to be funny, which i...”

“The three seperate stroy lines (not tied together) where all you do is conquere the world for whatever faction you choose just seemed lazy to me. Also, its easy to be corny but its hard to be funny (unless you consider corny to be funny, which i dont -_-). Further more the factions didnt seem to play all that different from one another (though perhaps iv been spoiled by starcraft..). The combat in the game however was well balanced and strategic.”

“great game?indeed it is, was hoping for something half as good as this, so this was awesome=)”

“great game?indeed it is, was hoping for something half as good as this, so this was awesome=)”

“The new installation in the Red Alert series once again shows us how a good RTS can still be ridiculously fun. + Humour us. If you know anything about the Red Alert series you know you really shouldn't take it seriously, the insanity just keeps...”

“The new installation in the Red Alert series once again shows us how a good RTS can still be ridiculously fun.
+ Humour us. If you know anything about the Red Alert series you know you really shouldn't take it seriously, the insanity just keeps poppin' up.
+ Base building is nice but RA3 takes it even further by allowing you to build (nearly) your entire base on the water. This could potentially allow for very different tactics and with proper map control/counter-intelligence you could really screw up your opponent (well... unless it's an AI... damn all-seeing AI xD)
+ While most people (well, the casual player at least) will still rely on the unit spam to win, it's now actually possible to try alternate strategies. Yay! :D
+ Eye Candy/Fan Service/... whatever you want to call it. It's not enough to sell a game/story but I find the story enjoyable enough to make it a nice extra :D
- Balance. It's kinda hard to balance three factions with a very different approach and they've been doing their best to fix any issues but the fact stays that they've ignored some very troubling issues.
- Superweapons. They're simply not worth it. The lower-tiered support is simply superior in every way.
- Everything can be built on the water 'cept for infantry barracks which is simply ridiculous. They can't teach people how to swim? The weapons would be too heavy and weigh them down? But it's okay for vehicles to build on the water? Simply ridiculous and doesn't make any sense.

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