Red Alert 3 is lots of fun, but this Command & Conquer still lacks something.

Author's Rating:

Pros: great graphics, fun gameplay, lots of action oriented campaigns, great back-stories

Cons: better suited for PC, a little clunky with the controller

The Bottom Line: 
The game is recommended if you really love the Red Alert series, if you plan on playing with friends, or if you can find it for a great price.

Author's Review
Red Alert 3 is the natural progression of a personal computer game to a console, and it is a rough migration.  For fans of the Red Alert series, the sequel has a lot to offer, but at the same time, it doesn’t really present a lot of originality in its concept or make itself capable of winning over new consumers.  The game looks and feels great, but it doesn’t quite give the same maneuverability that a mouse does, and the controllers seem at times to be a separate entity rather than a smooth tool with which to play.

In the world of Red Alert 3, America didn’t drop the bomb on Japan, leaving them to become a powerful entity along with Russia and for the purpose of the game, the U.S.A.  There are several other countries that come into play, but the whole point of the game is to pick a side and dominate the rest of the world.  Through the progressive campaigns, the player can take on the computer in level after level of intense war-like battles that pit the army of the player against his opponent.  The game can also be played in skirmish type battles, where the player takes on the computer, or brings in other players for the online multiplayer game.  2-4 can play at once, or 2 players can take on the computer in a campaign to rule the world.
 
There is a lot of back story presented within the game, which may seem like a real waste of time to those looking to jump right in.  They spent a little bit on the production values, brining in Jenny McCarthy, Tim Curry, and Jonathan Pryce just to name a few.  They act out scenes in real-life type presentations, all leading up to when the player takes over their vehicles and goes into battle.  If you don’t want to sit through these introductions you don’t have to, and quick gameplay is available by skipping right past all of the additives.  Players then take on infantry, ships on the sea, and vehicles on land to attack and take out the opponent.  The key to succeeding is building up your offense and defense better than the opponent. 

 There is a lot of strategy involved with Red Alert 3, and the gameplay is quite involved when it all boils down.  The problem comes in that this game is much better suited for a regular computer, and that makes some of the facets of the game hard to control through a console like the Xbox 360.  Red Alert 3 is still a lot of fun to play, and even more fun to play if you have a friend interested in taking it on, but it just seems to really lack that little thing that would put it over the top.  I do recommend it for its involved strategic value, but just barely.


Graphics: 10/10

Sound: 7/10

Control Interface: 3/10

Innovative: No

Replay Value: 6/10 

 

*Lean and Mean Review.