Red Alert 3. I’m pretty sure this was one of the few games that many people were waiting for, as this is easily one of the few classic RTS games ever made out there. The time gap between Red Alert 2 and Red Alert 3 was about 8 to 9 years, but this game is finally here.
The main plot of the story is something like this. The Soviet Union and the Allies have been fighting (as usual), and while they were busy fighting among themselves, another enemy rose up in power to challenge them, as well as to gain dominion over the world. That enemy is the Empire of The Rising Sun. By playing all three campaigns for each of the three factions, you get to go through three different storylines, with a bit of similarity between a few of the stories.
The general storyline for the Allied and Soviet campaign is rather similar, and the only difference might be the method used for destruction. Interestingly, the campaign for the Empire of The Rising Sun is a whole new different twist. There is a lot more acting, and a lot of drama involved. I have to say that it is the best story out of the three. The stories are not continuous, so you do not have to play the game in any specific order. However, you will see some familiar scenes from different campaigns.
One trademark of Command & Conquer games is the acted out cutscenes and movies. That is obviously present in Red Alert 3, although the acting of some of the actors and actresses can seriously be improved. The very familiar Hell March (a soundtrack) is also present, as well as co-op mode.
The gameplay for Red Alert 3 has changed quite a lot, although the main skeleton of gameplay still exists. You can still build unlimited units, you need a Mobile Construction Yard (MCV) to set up your base, you need power plants, you need to harvest ore, and so on.
There have been few but definitely important changes in gameplay. First, in every single mission that you take up, there will be a co-commander playing with you. If you can find another human player to play that mission with you, then it will be a two player mission. If not, the AI will take the place of a co-commander. The AI isn’t that bad, and in fact, they are quite efficient and aggressive. The player is also allowed to give commands to the co-commander, such as to take out a certain target, or to build up forces and advance to a certain location, wiping out anything in the way. Sometimes, certain different actions will be available to the player, such as asking the co-commander to use a superweapon on a certain area, or to focus on one of the few objectives of the mission.
The way ore is collected has also been changed. No longer will you see fields of ore lying around the battlefield, as they have all been replaced with ore mines. Basically, you build an ore refinery, and place it near the ore mine. Your harvester will then collect ore from the ore mine and return it to the refinery for credits. Personally, I welcome this change as I prefer to have less emphasis on collecting money and expanding the base. It might be because I happen to prefer games like Company of Heroes and Dawn of War. However, some people might not like this change as they prefer to have the old school feeling of the game, where harvesters could be harassed, or they wander stupidly into enemy territory for that ore.
Each faction also has their own unique way of building structures. The usual method is to first click a building to be built, wait for it to be built, then deploy it onto the battlefield. The Allied nation continues to use this method of building. The Soviets changed the order of building. First they choose a location to build their building, and only after that does construction continue. The Empire of The Rising Sun produces cores from its Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV), which can be then moved and deployed. The Empire of The Rising Sun’s method of building makes them a good race to set up rushes, as their high speed of producing cores almost allows them to build more than one building at a time.
Next, sea battle. Sea battles in Red Alert 2 were rather forgotten and useless, and that has been changed a lot in Red Alert 3. Firstly, water in Red Alert 3 looks great. Its crystal clear, shiny and reflective. Ok that wasn’t the point. First, almost all buildings can be built on water now. Sometimes, your entire base has to be built on water, making naval battle and defense a important part of the game. Many units and vehicles are now amphibious as well.
All units now also come equipped with a special ability. This means that any unit can use an ability to try to turn the tide of battle. An example: the Kirov Airship can execute its special ability to fly faster, but at the cost of its health. Or a unit can lengthen its reload time, boosting its damage and firing speed. Each commander playing also has their own abilities. As you play, you earn points that you can use to add into abilities. Each faction has three ability trees, each having different effects. Paratroopers, bombs and unit upgrades are some examples of these abilities.
As with all Command & Conquer games, spamming the most powerful units in your arsenal seems to be the way to win. Key word: spamming. Not tactics, not abilities, but spamming. Of course, there will be a few exceptions to the way to win, but generally this is the way to win. This is one part that I really dislike, but fortunately, this method of victory seems to be harder to achieve, as building defences and artillery seem to be more destructive to the more powerful units of a faction. Thankfully, spamming conscripts might not work anymore, but who knows, I haven’t tried it yet.
I shall not comment on the graphics, simply because I played this game on a computer which didn’t even meet the minimum requirements. From what I see in the trailers, it looks great. Really.
Like I said somewhere above, the acting in the videos by some actors is rather horrible. Sometimes their expression of horror when the enemy attacks is just so fake, I feel like saying a sarcastic “oh no!” I realised that EA or whoever directed the videos is trying to make male games turned on or something. Somehow there’s always a cleavage shot, really short dresses/pants/skirts/whatever, or some really seductive pose in a picture.
The emperor for the Empire of The Rising Sun does not look as if he should be the emperor. As I live in an Asian country, I am reminded of the old uncles that I see on the street whenever I see the emperor. Maybe a better choice of actor could have been made.
Overall, this is a refreshing game to play. With many changes made to the gameplay of the classic Red Alert series, some fans might not like it. However, I believe that these changes are for the better, as they add the much needed complexity and tactics needed for a good and memorable RTS game. So, pick the game up, and give it a go. No guarantees though.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Trailer (1:45)
Graphics: 9.0
Sound: 8.3
Gameplay: 8.7
Lasting Appeal: 8.0
Overall: 8.0
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