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Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3
May 1, 2009 | 8:38 PM PST
Kombo's Review Policy: Our reviews are written for you. Our goal is to write honest, to-the-point reviews that don't waste your time. This is why we've split our reviews into four sections: What the Game's About, What's Hot, What's Not and Final Word, so that you can easily find the information you want from our reviews.
What the Game's About
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 tells the tale of a world that never happened. The reason being is because the Soviets weren't able to build a time machine and change the course of history, specifically pertaining the events of Red Alert 2. The Soviet Premier uses a time machine to kill Albert Einstein before he can help the Allies build weapons to defeat the Red Army. What they didn't foresee is that the Empire of the Rising Sun would rise up and be a formidable foe and force a three way war when fighting back the Allies was tough enough. The war will have to be hard won and with plenty of unbelievable storylines and cameos to propel you to the end of the multiple endings.
What's Hot
Red Alert 3 is a finely crafted RTS game on the consoles. In fact, it is the best RTS game on consoles to date. No amount of Spartans can match the complexity and depth of Red Alert 3, while at the same time being extremely user friendly (especially in the controls department). The single-player experience is in the same class as past Red Alert titles and that results in an action packed strategy fest that is something you are going to remember versus forget. The biggest change is the fact that many of the units are amphibious and you can construct entire bases on water. It opens up battle maps for different areas of attack and defense. There hasn't been another RTS game that forces you to protect all your sides like Red Alert 3 does. For as good as the single-player mode is, there is a strange thing that happens when more than one player logs on to the PSN.
The hottest thing about Red Alert 3 is the unique co-op mode. RTS games are usually single player affairs where the only multiplayer games are those against other people online. Red Alert 3 adds the ability to be play as one of two commanders on every mission in the game. Not only does it add another layer of strategy, it provides two comrades the chance to enjoy a great game that is better when two people are playing. Do all you can to convince a similar minded gamer to spend an hour or two to play with you on the missions, you'll both be saying, "Just one more game." The staying power beyond the given set of missions expands into the online battles where you can form fragile alliances or go all out with a massive multisided war.
RTS games usually don't get a lot of acclaim in the looks department. Red Alert 3 has a few cool visual tricks like reflections on the water and loads of particle effects. The units are very detailed and brightly colored to stand out on diverse landscapes. The cut-scenes in between the gameplay are purposely shot with a cheesy premise to give the game a B-movie feeling that leads into some sweet action. The acting is so bad, it's good. The end to the Allies campaign still has one of the best video game cameos in video game history.
What's Not
Right on the box, the PS3 version is said to be the "Ultimate Edition." That claim might be true because of a few extra bonuses packed away on the Blu-ray. If you ask if it feels like the "Ultimate Editon," that is another story. It plays nearly identical to the 360 and PC versions with little difference. Not bad considering how well the other versions were received but with the extra time in the cooker, there should have been some more noticeable differences to really up the ante.
The one obvious improvement the PS3 version could have had was keyboard and mouse support. While the architecture of the console version might not natively support it without further development on the command wheel system, it would have been a huge plus to the game. It would have erased any nagging control problems and been the ultimate benchmark for console RTS games.
The camera feels too close to the battle at all times. The ability to zoom out just a tiny further would have helped control over the battlefield. The positive side to that is you are able to discern units faster than if you were zoomed out, but precision scrolling is much harder to do over large swaths of land. Staging multifront attacks is also more challenging because of the zooming issue as well.
Final Word
Red Alert 3 is the best console RTS game available. The mission co-op mode alone is something you need to experience firsthand if you have any interest in RTS games. The PS3 might be the definitive version of Red Alert 3, only slightly, by virtue of some extras but make sure you don't miss this game no matter what platform you can play it on.
What the Game's About
Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 tells the tale of a world that never happened. The reason being is because the Soviets weren't able to build a time machine and change the course of history, specifically pertaining the events of Red Alert 2. The Soviet Premier uses a time machine to kill Albert Einstein before he can help the Allies build weapons to defeat the Red Army. What they didn't foresee is that the Empire of the Rising Sun would rise up and be a formidable foe and force a three way war when fighting back the Allies was tough enough. The war will have to be hard won and with plenty of unbelievable storylines and cameos to propel you to the end of the multiple endings.
What's Hot
Red Alert 3 is a finely crafted RTS game on the consoles. In fact, it is the best RTS game on consoles to date. No amount of Spartans can match the complexity and depth of Red Alert 3, while at the same time being extremely user friendly (especially in the controls department). The single-player experience is in the same class as past Red Alert titles and that results in an action packed strategy fest that is something you are going to remember versus forget. The biggest change is the fact that many of the units are amphibious and you can construct entire bases on water. It opens up battle maps for different areas of attack and defense. There hasn't been another RTS game that forces you to protect all your sides like Red Alert 3 does. For as good as the single-player mode is, there is a strange thing that happens when more than one player logs on to the PSN.
The hottest thing about Red Alert 3 is the unique co-op mode. RTS games are usually single player affairs where the only multiplayer games are those against other people online. Red Alert 3 adds the ability to be play as one of two commanders on every mission in the game. Not only does it add another layer of strategy, it provides two comrades the chance to enjoy a great game that is better when two people are playing. Do all you can to convince a similar minded gamer to spend an hour or two to play with you on the missions, you'll both be saying, "Just one more game." The staying power beyond the given set of missions expands into the online battles where you can form fragile alliances or go all out with a massive multisided war.
RTS games usually don't get a lot of acclaim in the looks department. Red Alert 3 has a few cool visual tricks like reflections on the water and loads of particle effects. The units are very detailed and brightly colored to stand out on diverse landscapes. The cut-scenes in between the gameplay are purposely shot with a cheesy premise to give the game a B-movie feeling that leads into some sweet action. The acting is so bad, it's good. The end to the Allies campaign still has one of the best video game cameos in video game history.
What's Not
Right on the box, the PS3 version is said to be the "Ultimate Edition." That claim might be true because of a few extra bonuses packed away on the Blu-ray. If you ask if it feels like the "Ultimate Editon," that is another story. It plays nearly identical to the 360 and PC versions with little difference. Not bad considering how well the other versions were received but with the extra time in the cooker, there should have been some more noticeable differences to really up the ante.
The one obvious improvement the PS3 version could have had was keyboard and mouse support. While the architecture of the console version might not natively support it without further development on the command wheel system, it would have been a huge plus to the game. It would have erased any nagging control problems and been the ultimate benchmark for console RTS games.
The camera feels too close to the battle at all times. The ability to zoom out just a tiny further would have helped control over the battlefield. The positive side to that is you are able to discern units faster than if you were zoomed out, but precision scrolling is much harder to do over large swaths of land. Staging multifront attacks is also more challenging because of the zooming issue as well.
Final Word
Red Alert 3 is the best console RTS game available. The mission co-op mode alone is something you need to experience firsthand if you have any interest in RTS games. The PS3 might be the definitive version of Red Alert 3, only slightly, by virtue of some extras but make sure you don't miss this game no matter what platform you can play it on.
December 25, 2009
