Red Alert 3 retains the core Real time strategy (RTS) mechanics of the Command & Conquer series. The factions harvest resources using vulnerable collectors and then use those resources to construct military bases and forces on-site.

Structures form a shallow but wide tech tree with a variety of units and elusive super weapons. Weapon types are specialized to the point where a rifleman can withstand direct hits from an anti-tank cannon. Red Alert 3′s major refinements are the addition of the Empire of the Rising Sun to the factions of the sub-series, similar to what Tiberium Wars did with the Scrin faction, a co-operative campaign, and expanded naval warfare.

The “single-player” campaign is now fully co-operative. Each mission is played alongside an ally. When you play online, this is another human player, whereas if you play offline, one of several computer-controlled characters will be your ally. Teams share income and generally start with the same forces. Computerized characters can be given extremely simple commands, such as an order to take a specific position or to strike a specific target. The campaign has nine missions for each side. Each side’s plotlines are mutually exclusive, unlike Tiberium Wars and its preceding and following expansion packs, but like the rest of the Command & Conquer series.

Naval warfare is emphasized as another front. Executive producer Chris Corry has stated that many units are now amphibious, trading effectiveness for increased flexibility. Buildings and entire bases can be constructed on water, save for such things as ground unit production facilities, and players who “ignore the ocean [are] likely forfeiting a significant part of their potential economy to their opponents.” Further stressing this is the fact that, despite some campaign maps being entirely land based, all multiplayer maps have significant bodies of water in them.

The use of naval units and various unit abilities also helped stop players from sticking to one unit and constructing large amounts of them (or spamming) them early game. This was a standard strategy for Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars/Kane’s Wrath, where players would try to build more of one unit faster than their opponent.

Manually controlled secondary abilities are common to each and every unit in the game. How each ability is employed varies: some are toggled on or off, others are targeted, and still others are triggered the instant one presses the button. An Imperial constructor might be able to deploy once at a specified location, a Soviet conscript can switch weapons at will, or an Allied artillery piece can engage its shields with a button press but with a cool-down that requires a period of time to pass before the ability can be activated again are such examples of secondary abilities. All abilities are bound to the same key. The game also features experience points that are used to unlock upgrades to unit types as well as “commander abilities” used to call in air strikes, recon sweeps, magnetic satellite beams, etc.. Commander abilities have no resource costs but have significant cool-down periods.

Ore fields as resource sites have been removed. These originated in the first Red Alert as a functionally identical equivalent to Tiberius, with no justification given for the way they represent valuable minerals found growing out of the ground. Gameplay mechanics aren’t changed a great deal since fields have been replaced with stationary ore mines.

The physical environment in the game is mixed well with the sea, air, and mixes of unit fighters. The lighting and the glistening waters is an improvement of graphic greatness compared to other games (Check the screenshots section of Red Alert 3 game section). The lightning bolt of the teslas also shine and glisten as the battle raves onwards. The design and animation are magnificent. The water is beautifully rendered and animated as your ships move. The full motion videos in the game are great. Red Alert 3 presents a large cast of your favorite stars including Kelly Hu (Scorpion King), Ivana Milicevic (Casino Royale), George Takei (Star Trek), and more.

There are soundtracks that present rocking battle cues, explosions, and army themes. This can include the Asian inspired theme songs and the Soviet new age tracks songs. The sound is wonderful. The Soviet national anthem can be heard in versions of hard rock to rock orchestra. Several genres of music can be heard. The voice overs of music can also be heard clearly. The voice overs include great celebrities; as such from television shows, movies, and even models of popular magazines. The sounds make the game as if the player is in a movie. The sounds of guns shooting and the sounds of the units talking are life like and quite amazing.

The campaigns will interest the gamers may be a few times, and then become boring. At least there is multiplayer and that makes gamers want to play the game over and over again. The multiplayer can addict a player to try and conquer the enemies with long hours of playing. Definitely replayable, as you can play multiple and even many different players online. The player can use different strategies, and units depending on the war situations and the other players strengths and weaknesses. Player, beware of this great game addiction to Red Alert 3.

Reviewed by Den C.