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Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3


An alternate universe where strategy meets comedy

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is, in a way, not a direct sequel to the events of Red Alert 2. See, after Albert Einstein went back in time to kill Hitler, inadvertently creating an alternate time line in which the Allies are battling the Soviets for control of Europe, the Soviets, facing defeat, have gone back in time to kill Einstein and remove his history-changing inventions (like the A-bomb) from the equation. This creates an alternate-alternate time line in which the Soviets were winning until the Empire of the Rising Sun came out of nowhere to claim world domination for Japan. (Also, in this time line Allied commando Tanya is blonde for some reason.) Does it make a lick of sense? No. Is it a fantastically over-the-top story that perfectly sets the tone for a huge battle with equally absurd units? Absolutely.

Each of the three factions’ nine-mission campaigns can be played solo or in co-op mode (see below); in each, you win the war for your side. In solo mode, the forces that would have been controlled by your teammate are run by a friendly AI competent enough that it usually doesn’t require babysitting, and can even respond to your attack orders in a rudimentary sort of way. RA3’s boldest move is to allow every single mission to be played in co-op mode. This is a novel approach that’s never been tried in a major RTS, but EA has pulled it off almost flawlessly. This mode is a dream come true for non-competitive RTS fans who like to play with instead of against their friends, but find unstructured skirmishes against AI opponents unfulfilling.

The all-new Empire of the Rising Sun faction does an excellent job of setting itself apart from the original factions by capitalizing on the weapons the Japanese do best: giant robots that transform into stuff. The Striker VX attack helicopter and Mecha Tengu fighter jet can both transform into walker robots with different capabilities, and enormous King Oni robots smash through enemy tanks like the Kool-Aid Man through a brick wall. My only complaint is that the Japanese faction’s advanced robots are at odds with the retro feel of RA and seem more like something from the regular futuristic C&C universe.

 
24 Comments
Order Comments: Newest First | Oldest First
KitsuneFox  - 8 months 9 days ago 
Where does John Conner fit into the storyline?
tacolord  - 8 months 9 days ago 
....second...anyway,ok article..
:P
Bobic  - 8 months 9 days ago 
This is stupid.
rel123  - 8 months 9 days ago 
EA's PC games tend to be so bug-ridden that any promise that they might contain is completely buried in bugs created by a "we'll patch it later' attitude.
Example: Command and Conquer: Generals contains a huge bug with the LAN multiplayer that at random intervals just ends the game with no warning and no way to go back to what you were playing. They never fixed it.
I loved RA2 and I really want this to be good.. but I know it won't be. And don't even get me started on the inevitably draconian DRM that will surely be included with the software.
DisgruntledTable  - 8 months 8 days ago 
Oh man, I played Red Alert 2 for thousands of hours. Judging from this, RA3 will do the same.
Sizzler  - 8 months 8 days ago 
I want this.

Bad. What graphics card will I need, though...?
Sizzler  - 8 months 8 days ago 
Oh wait, I can just get this on the Xbox 360, nevermind.
KillDrone  - 8 months 8 days ago 
Who plays strategy games on the 360?

That's like heresy or something...
TrIp13G  - 8 months 8 days ago 
The same people that played Diablo on the PS1, I'd wager.
magicwalnuts0  - 8 months 8 days ago 
Yeah I don't know why anyone would want to play this on a 360. Regardless this game looks like it might be alittle too fast paced for me. I had enough trouble keeping up with C&C 3
sniper430  - 8 months 7 days ago 
i wouldve played diablo on the ps1 if i knew it existed
and you can zoom in, quite well actually in c&c generals btw
gr8 reveiw tho
cheapojoe  - 8 months 7 days ago 
@KillDrone. Well said friend. Very well said.
hunter.s.b  - 8 months 7 days ago 
i wont get this game because my pc is slow like shit
GodlikeApe  - 8 months 7 days ago 
I'm so getting this.

Also, Tanya was blonde in Yuri's Revenge.
So nerrr.
jimsondanet  - 8 months 7 days ago 
you wanna know who plays rts on a console?
people who dont have computers or one capable of playing these games duh
pfft!
but anyway looks like this might be one for my 360
Corsair89  - 8 months 7 days ago 
During the infamous Russian winters, one would think that the Russian chick with the sniper rifle on page two would be wearing something, you know, warmer.
alazar  - 8 months 7 days ago 
QUOTECommand & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is, in a way, not a direct sequel to the events of Red Alert 2. See, after Albert Einstein went back in time to kill Hitler, inadvertently creating an alternate time line in which the Allies are battling the Soviets for control of Europe, the Soviets, facing defeat, have gone back in time to kill Einstein and remove his history-changing inventions (like the A-bomb) from the equation. This creates an alternate-alternate time line in which the Soviets were winning until the Empire of the Rising Sun came out of nowhere to claim world domination for Japan. (Also, in this time line Allied commando Tanya is blonde for some reason.) Does it make a lick of sense? No. Is it a fantastically over-the-top story that perfectly sets the tone for a huge battle with equally absurd units? Absolutely.ENDQUOTE

This is the first paragraph. It doesn't say anything that's necessarily inaccurate, but it needs to be pointed out that this consumes a whopping 20% of the entire article, and what is it? A plot summary with a little bit of fluff. I thought a review was supposed to, you know, REVIEW the product, not waste time with a history lesson. If you need to summarize the plot, then link to a preview or something. Reviewers have to keep their reviews short (in this case, it's under 800 words) in order to maintain user attention. That's sad in its own right, but when you waste 20% of your "allotted" words on basic facts that you could have linked to, there's something wrong....

QUOTE No one can accuse Red Alert 3’s graphics of not being bright and colorful enough, though it’s fair to say the gameplay may be too fast-paced for its own good. Why bother with notifications that your units are under attack when by the time you hear them and figure out where the attack happened, your troops are probably already dead? I also have the same problem here that I do with all C&C games: you can’t zoom out in any meaningful way. But any game in which a giant laser cannon pops out of Teddy Roosevelt’s head on Mt. Rushmore is a winner in my book.ENDQUOTE

1. This isn't SupCom. There's no need to zoom out. Just think about it. Use some simple logic. Maps are small, army scale is small, what POSSIBLE good would being able to zoom out do for this game? Not being able to zoom out is something you should be accustomed to in C&C games, meaning playing without zoom should be second nature. Why a non C&C player is reviewing a C&C game is beyond me.

2. Too fast paced????? LOL. RA3 is probably the slowest paced C&C game ever made. Not that that's a bad thing, but I'd just like to point out that saying it's "too fast-paced" is like saying the speed of light is slow. It's not a matter of opinion. It's a FACT that RA3 has slower production and combat pacing than any C&C game prior to it. If that's still "too fast paced", then I must question the point of your playing RTS games. Saying things like that in a review is frightening actually. It's a reflection of the sad state of the genre where everything is being slowed down and dumbed down at the expense of people who are capable of handling more.

3. Why bother with notifications? Because there's this massive plastic button on your keyboard called the space key. It gets you to the notification instantly. It would be useful to know such things before you make statements like that, because it actually has an impact on the validity of your complaint. It's a given that if you actually knew that, or could play the game at a competent level, then there would be no need for that sentence.

4. The last sentence cracks me up. Yeah that's right. Any game with frickin' lasers is a winner! Yeah ok MiniMe God forbid gameplay, puzzle solving, and interesting challenges make it into the winner's circle along with your lasers (absolutely NONE of which were mentioned in your review, other than complaining about the fact that they make the game "too fast" for you)

This review has about as much substance as ass vapor, and I have to wonder exactly WHAT the justification for the 92% score actually is. 92% is fine (I'm not complaining about the score), so long as it's actually backed by something more substantial than "Lasers FTW"

Verdict? FAIL.

Many thanks to AGM launcher for original text
physcodemon  - 8 months 7 days ago 
Did anyone else notice that Gina Carano must have been cold when they shot that photo?
lordkemo  - 8 months 6 days ago 
Is there any DRM with this game? If so what are the restrictions? I though PC Gamer said they were going to include this in games from now on????
Corsair89  - 8 months 6 days ago 
@ alazar:
Get over yourself. Seriously. No one gives a shit. It's just one review, so calm down and shut the fuck up.
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Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

Genre: Strategy
Release date: Oct 28, 2008
Published by: Electronic Arts
Developed by: EA Los Angeles
Franchise: Command and Conquer
Min system requirements: P4 2GHz, 1GB RAM, GeForce 6800/Radeon X1800, 6GB HD space, Internet connection
Recommended system: Dual-core CPU, 2GB RAM, GeForce 9800GT/Radeon 4850
Multiplayer Modes:
Online
8 player VS
9 AWESOME
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An alternate universe where strategy meets comedy
PC Review  -  Oct 24, 2008