Although the single-player/co-op campaign is great, multiplayer should give Red Alert 3 the same longevity that Tiberium Wars and Kane's Wrath have enjoyed. This is where the strengths and weaknesses of each unit become clear, and where distinct faction differences are even more palpable. For example, should you play Empire, you'll find that the lack of early-game antiair units makes you extremely vulnerable to Allied air attacks. As a result, immediate base harassment is all but necessary, unless you want your ore collectors and refineries to face early retirement while you spend funds on tech that will unlock the necessary units. Compared to previous Command & Conquer games, Red Alert 3 matches are more measured, thanks to the slower economy. This means fewer early rushes and greater emphasis on scouting, as well as a better chance to get the most interesting units into the mix. The big game-changer here are special powers, which can be terribly devastating and can dramatically turn the tide of the match.
You can issue simple commands to an AI comrade, though it's better to add a friend.
There are 28 maps on which to play, an impressive number indeed. The best of these, such as Secret Shrine and the cleverly named Reef Madness, pleasantly mix land, sea, and air combat thanks to varied terrain that encourages entertaining mixes of units. All in all, Red Alert 3 is, with a few exceptions, relatively well balanced and thus an obvious choice for competitive strategists who wish to showcase their battle prowess online. Ladder and clan matches are available and function much the same way as they did in Command & Conquer 3, and as before, the in-game BattleCast option lets you broadcast your game to others, even allowing for someone to provide on-the-fly commentary. Like C&C3, it even comes with telestrator tools that let you draw directly over the match in progress like a sports commentator giving a play-by-play. If you need offline practice, you can skirmish against the AI, though the short live-action video intros that obscure the minimap when you encounter an opponent were a bad idea here. These portraits are a fun feature of the campaign but are annoying during stand-alone skirmishes when the need for a functioning minimap far supersedes any amusement that these scenes provide.
The overall Red Alert 3 experience is a raucous one, but it lacks the technical tightness featured in the last few Command & Conquer games. Pathfinding is probably the most noticeable and annoying issue, particularly when amphibious units are involved. Units get stuck jogging in place against a wall or stopping at the edge of a plateau, and the addition of water to the terrain seems to confuse them even more. We also ran into a number of glitches: Units clipped into bridges and got stuck, performed incorrect animations (for example, units would swim across land), and in several skirmish games, we could pull the camera out indefinitely until the screen went black.
Red Alert 3's visuals pop right off of the screen. The colors are bright and vivacious, and therefore perfectly suited to the game's in-your-face mirth. Tropical maps are drenched in golden light, and multicolored beach umbrellas dot the shores, both contributing to and contrasting with the visual splendor of exploding hammer tanks. They also feature possibly the finest water effects yet seen in an RTS game, and the sunlight dances pleasantly on the turquoise waves. Electrical effects such as those emitted by Tesla coils also deserve particular mention for the flashiness of their violent zaps. Units are detailed and the most unusual ones look really cool, so though Red Alert 3 doesn't push a lot of polygons, its lovely design brings a modern look to an older franchise while running smoothly on a variety of systems. One interesting graphical feature is the yellow outline that surrounds selected units, which is a neat choice but a double-edged sword. On one hand, it lets you easily identify your own selection on the screen and can be a welcome visual cue. On the other, the outline is a bit too thick, which makes it difficult to identify which type of units you've selected. It also makes it easy to get confused if a competitor chooses yellow as his or her unit color in a multiplayer match.
The colorful visuals go well with the story's joyful cheesiness.
Along with buoyant visuals comes an upbeat soundtrack featuring a fun mix of ambient music and rocking battle cues, not to mention an array of boisterous explosions. Although much of it is unremarkable, there are some real standouts used during the campaign, such as a flowing new-age track used in Soviet missions, and some jolly Asian-inspired themes that set the mood during the Empire campaign. And what would a Command & Conquer game be without fun unit responses? When special unit Natasha asks if you like her scope in that thick, fake Russian accent, it's hard not to let out a guffaw.
A few problems aside, Red Alert 3's cooperative campaign and cool new faction offer plenty of enjoyment for players who don't mind a little cheese with their meat. This isn't exactly the genre's next step forward, but it's a slick and entertaining evolution of a classic franchise that's hard to dislike. Rest assured, that quirky exterior masks a strong campaign and an equally substantial multiplayer component that will keep you and your dolphins busy well into 2009.
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Where to buy
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (PC):
$27.99 - $29.95
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$27.99 | Yes |
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$29.95 | No |
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