Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 review

November 14, 10:49 AMPC Game ExaminerBryan Edge-Salois

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Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 is an
all around excellent RTS game, comrade.

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 is well-executed, very fun to play, and a fantastic, worthy addition to the C&C franchise and RTS gamers' shelves. It's also darn funny.

RA3 plays pretty much like most RTS games. The most innovative new feature is that you can play through the campaign co-operatively with a co-commander, who can be an online human player or -- if you're playing solo -- a reasonably competent AI commander that you can command with basic one-click commands (attack, guard, hold, etc.)

The story begins with the Soviet Union on the brink of collapse. In a desperate bid to set things straight, the Soviet leader (Tim Curry) travels back in time and kills Albert Einstein, hoping it will eliminate the Allies' technological and military superiority.

Unfortunately, he returns to his present time to find the leader of the Empire of the Rising Sun (played by George Takei) -- backed by a massive army of robots, ships, and other technological marvels --  issuing ultimatums and making a bid for global domination -- beginning at the Soviet doorstep.


The Good

Some Soviet Hammer tanks lay lay some smack down
on incoming ally amphibious warships.

• Plenty of wonderful, cheesy hammed-up cut-scenes, starring the likes of Tim Curry and George Takei (I'll confess to being a big fan of both).
• Very funny dialog and all-around silliness makes for a cheesy fun good time.
• You can play the campaign as a single-player with an AI partner, or cooperatively with other players online
• Vibrant, colorful visuals
• All three factions (Soviet, The Empire, and the Allies) are unique, balanced, and fun to play
• 28 maps with a solid mix of land, air and sea to keep battles interesting
• Excellent multi-player
• Great soundtrack
• Lots of military babes with great 'production values'
• Russian attack bears and Japanese school girl units
• All around highly polished and excellent game play experience

The Bad

• You can't zoom out very far
• The co-op invite system could be more intuitive
• Battles can be awfully fast-- whole battalions can be wiped out in the time it takes you to notice the attack and react

The Ugly

• Pathfinding problems are by far the most annoying problem. Units periodically get hung up in places, which can really hose your battle plans if you don't notice it right away.

Overall
An excellent RTS game that easily deserves a spot on every RTS fan's shelf.