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(More customer reviews)For many real time strategy (RTS) games, the Command and Conquer franchise is something akin to Final Fantasy of the RPG genre or how Madden is to sports; they ARE the standard in their respective genre.Since the mid 1990s Command and Conquer set the bar high on how RTS games should be with building menus, console interface (ever tried to command whole units with just a cumbersome controller?), cut scenes, and story.Command and Conquer traditionally also have a stellar cast of characters played by big Hollywood actors including James Earl Jones, Michael Beihn, Michael Ironside, Billy Dee Williams, etc.
That said, after finishing up the last of the Empire of the Rising Sun (Japanese) campaigns, I am happy to say that Red Alert 3 lives up to the tradition set forth by its predacessors.
For those of you, who are not familiar with Command and Conquer or are a casual gamer, here is what you need to know.Red Alert 3 is a real time strategy game where you, utilizing a bird's-eye-view, build a base for your faction, raise an army and quell your enemies into proverbial dust.Simple enough?
Well, RTS games are typically for more advanced players (unless you're playing Starcraft j/k) but Red Alert 3 has an easy enough interface and, better yet, a multi-part interactive turtorial where the tanks from each faction teach you how to play.Despite being an avid RTS gamer, I thought I'd utilize the tutorial to see the new changes made to the interface (that and you get a gamer score for completing all tutorials) and it was worth it.Between the witty banter between the tanks (I swear, the Allied tank sounds just like Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear) and the gamer score, listening to what they had to say was worth it.
Once you have memorized how to play, you'll realize that Electronic Arts really improved the console interface.One of the largest problems with RTS games on a console as opposed to a PC is a loss of control.Ever tried to simultaneously command numerous units with a cumbersome controller?It can turn a great game into a nightmare and by that I'm refering to Supreme Commander.You feel like a lobster with oven mits on as you would traditionally try to carefully select the units you want, which would necessitate you move individual units first into a staging area to be selected in one group.Meanwhile, some 14-year-old in Germany is kicking your backside and cursing at you like some demon child in a foreign language.
EA considerably simplified the interface by allowing the player to hold down the "A" button and a small green circle appears that the user can move around the battlefield and select any units he or she wishes.Now, if you want to control a specific kind of unit, while having the units selected you hold the right trigger and a menu pops up allowing you to only select that kind of unit.As opposed to other interfaces, this makes things a LOT less cumbersome.
*On a side note, I have not yet played Kane's Wrath so I am unfamiliar with their interface so anyone feel free to correct me if they did it first*
To makes matters more simplified, EA fixed several issues that have riddled RTS games for well over a decade.One of them was that in many RTS games if the unit is moving to a location they will blatantly ignore everyone firing at them or plow clean through them.With Red Alert 3, a player can select a fire-move order that allows the unit to engage any unit they encounter along the way but continue once they have eliminated said unit.This makes a bounding overwatch movement (one covers while the other moves than roles are reversed) and other movements MUCH easier.
So, the controller interface is very much improved for console systems and makes commanding individual units and smaller squads MUCH easier.The next interface issue is the balance of power between the three factions.In Red Alert 3 you have the option of playing as the traditional Soviet Union or the Allies but EA has introduced the Empire of the Rising Sun or the Japanese.This makes the game much more interesting as you now have to rotate your tactics MUCH more now although I anticipate more gamers will play as the Japanese given their unique nature (that and, for some reason, gamers are obsessed with that bloody island of copy/cats).
Normally, RTS games with more than two factions fail due to a lack of balance.Even Starcraft possessed balance problems with the three factions they had.For once, the balance seems almost perfect whether it be the advantages and disadvantages of how buildings can be placed or how some weapons have secondary weapons.For instance, the most basic display of balance is how the construction yards work.For the Allies the construction yard takes a traditional method as buildings are built out of site, then you can place them on the field but they take a while.Meanwhile, the Soviet buildings are built out in the open but take less time.Lastly, the Japanese buildings are transported using core vehicles that unfold and deploy the structures.As such, they are highly mobile but also highly vulnerable.
Without going into insane detail, here is the basic run-down on all three factions.The Soviets have brute force power with cheap mass production, the Japanese are an expensive lot with highly technological equipment that requires a mastery to utilize effectively, and the Allies are a decent in between mixture of firepower and technology.
Now, there are some hilarious cultural, but not racial, stereotypes played out in all three factions.No where is this more noticable than the Japanese side.The Japanese have mecha and giant robots.The Mecha Tengu ships have a striking resemblence to Veritech fighters from Robotech and even transform into two of the same modes (Guardian and normal mode).Their giant robots are... well, giant samurais and their doomsday weapons are even larger giant samurais that feed on tesla coils.While this may seem silly, EA does do a good job of balancing the unit's abilities.Not to mention Red Alert 3 is known for its over-the-top nature.Even the units say witty things such as, "beats being in a gulag," or, "I heard the emperor's geisha girls will be there."
On to the more aesthetic elements.Graphics wise, Red Alert 3 is nothing truly remarkable but nothing to sniff at either.Good graphics on RTS are fairly few and far in between and for good reason as you don't want to slow down the console to a crawl since there can be up to hundreds of individual units doing their own thing on the battlefield.Unit animation is very smooth though with one exception.When the commando or spy goes from the water to the ground they can get glitchy and require the player to move them twice.Nothing truly annoying but a glitch all the same.
Next is the music.Marvelous!It inspired the title of this review!Between the heavy guitar music during battle sequences, that isn't overbearing, and the heavy Soviet chanting music I was very much impressed.The only song I did not like was the building music in the Soviet's New York mission.Saxaphone?!Give me a break!
Lastly are the cut scenes with the big Hollywood actors.There are a lot of them and the casting is hilarious.Between Tim Curry as the Soviet Premier, J.K. Simmons as the American president, Peter Stormare (the Russian astronaut in Armageddon) as the time scientist.. and Star Trek's George Takei as the Japanese Emperor, it's just priceless.Aside from the hot girls, who obviously were NOT chosen for their acting abilities (and by that I mean Jenny McCarthy), all the cast members really got into their roles.Heh, the game even includes a poster of all the pretty ladies.Gotta love fanboy service!!
My only beefs are that the endings are too ambiguous.Nothing truly amazing.Red Alert 3 was a very impressive game in terms of evolutionary innovation but still is nothing remarkable.Nonetheless, the beefs are very few and ranks this suck among some of the greater games this year.A must buy for any RTS fan.
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Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3Product Description: Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 from EA brings back the fan-favorite real-time strategy game with new features, powers, technologies, and a different world, all for the Xbox 360. In this newest version, you can play not just by yourself but also cooperatively with a friend as you take on the enemy in this glorious, over-the-top romp.
Co-operative mode lets you and a friend play together in campaign mode. View larger.
Wage battle on sea as well as on land and in air. View larger.
Players: Offline: 1-2
Online: 1-4
game play Modes: Single player offline, multiplayer online cooperative, multiplayer competitive.
Video Format: 16:9 Widescreen on HDTV 480p/720p/1080i/1080p
Audio: In-Game Dolby Digital
Intriguing Plot Twists In previous games, the war between the Allies and Soviets was coming to a close with the Allies nearing victory. In desperation, the Soviets created a time-travel device that they've used to assassinate Albert Einstein before he is able to develop the weapon technology the Allies later use to defeat the Soviets. Upon returning, they notice a new world, and there is a world war taking place between three groups for control of the world.
Red Alert 3 continues Command and Conquer's tradition of using live-action video scenes to tell the story. Presented in beautiful, high-definition video, Red Alert 3 features of an hour of footage with the largest cast ever assembled in the franchise.
Play As Three Different Factions for Varied game play In Red Alert 3, you have the choice to play as the Allies, the Soviets, or the Empire of the Rising Sun. Each faction has its own story-line and distinct units with advantages and disadvantages that you have to master in order to win. The new faction to the series is the Empire of the Rising Sun, derived from Imperial Japan, with an all-new cast of units and characters.
The three factions have many differences, which is exemplified by their wildly different types of units. The Soviets, for example, have armored attack bears, Allies have the Dolphin ship which can high jump and use a sonic attack, and the Empire of the Rising Sun features such quirky units as a giant transforming mecha and ninjas. As they've done with the series, EA injects humor into the game when possible, keeping a smile on your face as you wage war.
Fight on Land, in the Air, and on Sea Red Alert 3 has land units, air units, and naval units, all integral parts of the game. Unlike most strategy games that don't bother with naval warfare, Red Alert 3 makes controlling the seas an essential part of the game. Controlling resources in the seas and mounting attacks from all directions are strategies that must be employed to achieve victory.
Cooperative Mode Lets You Team Up with Your Friends Red Alert 3 has a fully co-operative campaign mode where you and a friend can play together to achieve victory. This means that you have to develop a strategy together, as well as execute it in synch in order to win. If your friends aren't online, you can also choose one of several AI commanders as your teammate.
Play Against Your Friends in Multiplayer With the different units and play mechanics of each faction, you and your friends will have a great time playing against each other, perfecting different strategies to best suit the units you have and the maps you play on. And thanks to the balanced game play, no one will have an unfair advantage.
Innovative Interface for Xbox 360 Real-time strategy games have traditionally been the PC gamer's domain, but thanks to a new and enhanced version the CommandStick interface implemented in Red Alert 3, Xbox 360 gamers will have a control scheme that offers the speed and efficiency of the keyboard and mouse.
For previous fans of Command and Conquer, Red Alert 3 will provide the same light-hearted game play, but with more units, more strategies, and more fun. Newcomers to the game will soon see what all the fuss and laughter is about.
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