Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

I had high hopes for this game, waiting 7 years since RA2 and followed the long promotional campaign EA ran. It could have been a great game but RA3 restricted itself by targeting too young an audience. The game has the comical entertainment of RA2 but lacks any serious tactical and strategic elements.

EA redeemed itself after Generals with C&C3 but RA3 fails to live up to this. The successful infantry squad element of C&C3 is gone - for some reason? The gameplay of RA3 is flawed. Its major failings are the co-op system which is frustrating, the general abilities which adds little to the gameplay and the campaign which is far too short. The re-introduction of naval units was a big let down as they are too similar to land-based units and there are too few naval missions. The characters are forgettable and the story is minimal, patchy at best and so, unlike previous C&C titles, I didn't find myself as the gamer engrossed - to be honest the promotional campaign was more interesting!! There is a serious longevity problem with this game in that I really do find it difficult to play again. It just seems so out of place in the C&C series. RA2 is much better if not a little out of date.

I would recommend this game to people who don't take strategy seriously and who like comic-book style graphics and simply want to be mildly entertained for a week or so. I have grown up with C&C games and having played them all in my opinion RA3 is by far the worst to date. I will be surprised if the RA series continues. It will be interesting to see which direction C&C will take next.

I am adding my voice to the many that are clearly disappointed with this product.

I have played the demo, had a go on a friends copy and found the game average.

However, the limited installs (limited to 3 machines!) with the daft uninstall policy and the securom haunting the background have made me not purchase this game.

I do not purchase games to hire them out. If I buy a copy I want to install it as many times as I like on both my laptop for when I'm travelling and my desktop for when I'm not.

One more lost sale.

Before I start actually reviewing I feel I must say this: Why don't we actually review THE GAME ITSELF, instead of whatever protection the company has put on it? Okay, granted DRM and Securom are both terrible things (I personally didn't have them as I bought it off Steam, but I have had them in the past) but we should be reviewing the actual GAME people!

Okay? Okay. Moving on...

If you're going to play Red Alert 3, you have to enter it with a certain mindset. Yes, giant Tesla Coils and Armoured Bears are rather silly, as are helicopters with Cry Cannons and giant Anime-esque robots. But that's okay. Red Alert is one of those series that is not meant to be taken serious. It runs on the rules of cool and audacity, using a What If? scenario mixed with a heavy dose of Cold War conspiracy theories to good effect. (But if you've played the other two you already know this part) Nowhere is this lack of seriousness more apparent than the graphics, which have taken a slightly exaggerated, slightly cartoony angle that presents itself extremely.

The new thing that Red Alert 3 brings to the table is a new faction, the Empire of the Rising Sun. Here EA seems to have taken the 'cool and audacious' approach to heart, with the Japanese having soldiers dressed in Samurai style armour, Ninjas (literally called 'Shinobi') Walkers that turn into jets, and a giant robot, eye lasers and all. How it builds structures is quite different from the others, so they might take some getting used to playing however.

Gameplay wise it's rather balanced, with each faction having its own strengths and weaknesses. Ore collection has gone from raking up fields of exposed gold however, to be replaced with a simple back and forth trip to mines. While some feel this a step backwards, I feel it makes additional refinerys more of a 'High Risk, High Reward' venture, which is brilliant when it pays off.

The live action cutscenes are also back, with such actors as Tim Curry playing Soviet Premier Cherdenko, and George Takei as the Empire's Emperor. Fanservice has increased a fair amount though, which some people may find rather tasteless.

Overall, it's a good game, and a nice addition to the Red Alert series. The singleplayer is engrossing, the online part is rather good and the AI is advanced enough to not make skirmish battles a chore. I'd reccomend it. It doesn't quite make the fifth star though, as it's not as mind-blowingly innovative as its predecessors.