These days one is inclined to think real-time strategies are a few steps short of being a dying breed. There are still a number of franchises considered as worthy contributions to the genre. EA’s cancellation of the shooter Tiberium turned out to be a step in the right direction for EA, which meant they could invest further into C&C as a strategy game. After all these years, C&C relies on a strong community and Red Alert 3 was built around that very idea.
Each scenario in the main campaign was designed to make players feel that they are not alone in their fight. If you cannot find a chum to watch your back in co-op, the game provides you with an AI-controlled ally to assist against enemy forces. For those who like to keep things solo, Red Alert 3 offers a rich and challenging single-player campaign, divided into plenty of missions to try out with three different factions – complete with unique units, structures and a variety of well-designed maps. In terms of co-op, there are some drawbacks. You cannot experience co-op play on a local network and getting into a co-op game online is not as intuitive and straightforward as we thought. For example, nothing appears on the screen to indicate your invite was sent. In other words, if online co-op is your thing, you usually won’t be able to jump into the action straight away.
Before entering the fray, players may choose to fight alongside the Soviet Union, the Allies or the Empire of the Rising Sun, each giving a sufficient amount of content throughout the main campaign. Storytelling is not something to look for in this game. Expect the occasional chuckle thanks to the appearance a few familiar actors in over-the-top military attire. Scantily clad female heroines are more likely to raise your eyebrows (amongst other things). Regardless, the narrative serves its purpose and goes well with the game’s colorful graphics and overall flashiness.
Red Alert 3 relies on traditional C&C gameplay mechanics, at the same time adding numerous elements from the RA series. Naval battles are the key addition here and can be a blast. There’s a huge selection of amphibious units at your disposal, making way for a variety of tactical approaches during missions. Factions base their power and military might on completely different technologies, which places a considerable choice of units into play. It may take some practice before witnessing the true benefits of each unit. The aspect of individual special powers has its advantage and nuisances. During one of our co-op missions, we were able to organize attacks by coordinating the use of specific abilities of certain units. When playing with Allies, I’d send four or five Cryocopters and a few Assault Destroyers into an enemy base, while my teammate offered support with his ground forces. The Cryocopters starting firing their ice beams at units and structures just in time for the Assault Destroyers to obliterate any frozen objects that lie in their path. My friend’s tanks and infantry would sweep the remainder of the opposing army. It’s quite a ride actually. Meanwhile, both our bases were well-defended and fortified with turrets and additional troops. Keep in mind, I’ve just scratched the surface here. There are so many ways to enjoy this game.
Now, it takes some time before you can grasp all the skills and powers of individual units. However, I enjoyed the diversity of combat and the unique tactics of the factions. The Empire of the Rising Sun’s, for example, features Imperial Warriors who can perform a daring battle charge while wielding their katanas, but they also prefer to occasionally upgrade their vehicles with explosives – if near death, these units detonate and cause extra damage to surrounding enemies.
Using Top-Secret Protocols is another strategic benefit. The Ruskies like to employ the Iron Curtain for temporary protection and a mighty useful space tractor beam, which sucks even the largest enemy units off into space. Later on, the same enemy units can be tossed back onto the ground using Orbital Dump – if you haven’t grabbed enemy units, satellites will be thrown at designated targets.
The problem with RA 3 is getting the most out of each of these features and no matter how skillful you are, the effort it’s going to involve some micromanagement. Not to mention the presence of hero units, with their own set of helpful abilities. It’s immensely entertaining, but maybe bit too much to handle for some.
That’s not the only reason why EA’s latest strategy game left us a bit frustrated. Pathfinding is a major issue, perhaps more than in any other C&C game. The armies awaiting your command are frequently pants-on-head retarded when they are given a simple order to head to a specific location on the map. This especially goes for amphibious units. Boats and destroyers get caught between islands when traveling across water and they easily jam on land as well. These problems weren’t uncommon either. They persisted and damn well made us lose key battles in both the main campaign and during online matches. We are not prepared to look the other way because of these issues, since they succeeded in ruining our experience quite a few times.
Okay, for arguments sake, if we don’t count the lousy pathfinding and awkward online invites, this is an admirably well-polished game. It worked brilliantly on our rig with all the visual settings beefed up to the max. Impressive water effects, highly detailed explosions and the tinniest unit animation make each battle a joy to behold. Composer Frank Klepacki created another fabulous tribute to the series with a terrific soundtrack. Each unit has a number of often witty responses when they receive orders. Overall, it’s amusing to listen and enjoyable to watch.
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 carries some qualities with it, along with unwanted technical mishaps. The gameplay mechanics are great, if you’re not bothered by micromanagement (mostly related to unit special powers). The dreadful pathfinding, as annoying as it sounds, in the end, doesn’t get in the way of a good game. As a strategy, RA 3 delivers both as a single-player experience and as a co-op ride. The multiplayer portion also features a staggering collection of 28 cool maps to enjoy with friends.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS
PIV 2000, 1GB RAM, 6GB HDD, GeForce 6800/Radeon X1800 or better
London – The International Rugby Board has confirmed that southern hemisphere sides have secured the top four positions in Monday’s pool draw for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
WEEK 1
The Boks are currently two from two on their end-of-season tour and even if they make it three from three, this tour t
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