The grand daddy of real-time strategies (RTS) returns on the PC in Red Alert 3 which allows players to micromanage all facets of their army from creation to battles. Speaking with another reviewer, they informed me that they were all “Command & Conquered out” which may be true for some gamers, however I’ve been out of the RTS picture for a couple of years now and was ready to lead thousands into battle.

Although Red Alert 3 may seem like another “Command & Conquer”, EA have added a few different twists to the game to keep it fresh and enjoyable to the gamer with humour being a huge key to its success.

The story revolves around the imminent fall of the Soviet Union who have created a time machine to murder Albert Einstein in order to remove their enemies technological advantage.

Unfortunately the “butterfly” effect has occurred and although the Western Allies are now weaker than the Soviet Union, their meddling with time has created a paradox with the creation of Japan as a new world superpower.

Japan now have an army of cyber Samurai’s thanks to nanotechnology who are complimented with psychotic anime inspired school girl commandos. Japan’s not the only one with over the top units as the Soviet’s have War Bear scouts who actually are bears, however you still cannot beat the Japanese and their giant robots. The wackiness of Red Alert 3 is brilliant and rather than boring tanks, the developers have added a variety of amusing units such as combat dolphins.

(Probably the best addition to the franchise, Jenny McCarthy)

That’s right, Red Alert 3 is not the Red Alert your father played, no… it’s far from it, it’s the 21^st century of RTS and gamers can control one three super powers in order to become the leaders of this new timeline.

The cutscenes in the game really helps progress the storyline and features some of Hollywood’s greats that includes Star Trek’s George Takei as the Japanese Empire and Playboy’s Jenny McCarthy as super commando Tanya. The most amusing actor involved in J.K. Simmons who plays the president of the United States who is oozing with insanity.

The soundtrack of Red Alert 3 is brilliant thanks to Tim Wynn, James Hannigan and Frank Klepacki who have created an engaging musical score which not only pays homage to the original games but has a healthy dose of Metal. Mach that with extremely professional and sometimes clichéd voice acting such as the Russians and the comedy aspect of the title just shines through.  

 

Featuring both a single-player campaign and multiplayer options, the single-player campaign boasts 9 missions for each of the factions with a total of 27 missions. Although the game is reminiscent of many RTS titles on the market at the moment, the single-player gamer shines through its bizarre storyline and strange units which is exhilarating entertaining.

The single-player mode is almost like a child suffering from ADHD as the gameplay is so fast and quite explosive at times. Match that with a brilliant co-op mode which you can play online against other players or the game’s AI and it recreates a truly unique experience thanks to the soul of this entertaining title.

The developers have ensured that each of the factions are quite different in terms of units with different strengths and weaknesses. For instance, the Soviets are quite strong in their ability to damage, whereas the Allies are more holistic in their approach and the Japanese rely more on stealth. Best of all, a variety of units created in Red Alert have a secondary power which does add the uniqueness of the title when compared to other games of similar style.

In conclusion, Red Alert 3 is a true 21st century remake of the RTS genre that features a healthy dose of humour which may be over the top but it actually suits the genre perfectly.

It’s the Cold War gone crazy and just shows what happens if you meddle with history (kidding). Even the reviewer that said he was all “Command Conquered out” changed his tune with Red Alert 3 and conceded that this was a fun game that added to the genre. Good graphics, brilliant cutscenes and engaging fun gameplay, Red Alert 3 is definitely one for lovers of this genre.

(Lucky bugger)