Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 Xbox 360 Review

At last, the moment that many strategy fans have been waiting for: the return of the Red Alert series of Command & Conquer games. Making the multi-platform jump like its predecessor Tiberium Wars, the newest offering by EA, with its epic storytelling abilities seemingly intact, looks like it’s on to a winner.

The series has always been characterised by cheesy over-acting, which in all fairness, has never been of a genuinely bad standard. Its hammy goodness is rivalled by only the ridiculous plot twists.

This time, however, the series has used a number of famous faces: former glamour model Jenny McCarthy, George "Sulu" Takei, Hollyoaks' finest Gemma Atkinson and Rocky Horror himself, Tim Curry.

Even better, their relatively sound acting credentials actually makes the purposely awful acting much funnier to watch.



In a brief summary, I will try and encapsulate the wonderful tale that has been presented this time around.

In the Soviet Union, everything has fallen apart. The Allies have the upper hand and Moscow has become the scene of riots and Schindler's List-esque despair. Tim Curry, the sly old fox of a Russian leader, persuades his superior army friend to join him on a trip to the basement of the Politburo where a time machine awaits. Yes, that old chestnut.

After successfully travelling back in time and literally vaporising Albert Einstein - the scientist who gave the Allies their superior technology - our anti-heroes return to a world in which the Soviets remain on top. But UH-OH! Captain Sulu appears on the monitor to say that yes, his Empire of the Rising Sun will crush all that can be found standing in its way. This includes old Rocky Horror and his Red Army.

Cue the most amazing 30 seconds of invasion montage you will see in your life as the futuristic shogun warriors and amphibious craft storm an outlying bastion of Soviet delight. Is that a 100ft tall Japanese robot I see smashing Communist buildings? Why yes, I believe it is.

The live action element makes it all that more entertaining, and aside from the twists and turns of Fallout 3, I don't think I've seen as good a storyline in a game in a long time. This, of course, sets us up for the real action.



Red Alert 3 provides the player with all three factions and actively encourages the player to get involved with the tutorial mode. Comically presented by three tanks (one from each faction and all having their own personality) it guides the player through the ins and outs of the intricate control system needed to manage the map on a console bereft of the ever-dependable keyboard and mouse.

In all fairness to EA, the use of the task wheel to build structures, units and upgrades is really innovative. The raft of orders that are barked at you in a stereotypically hilarious fashion can sometimes wash over you but after a while, it gets clearer. The entire pad is used and quick thinking can be assisted with one-button touches.

Co-commanders, extra factions from your side assigned to aid you, also add depth to the game. You feel like you're not alone, even if their units are simply accompanying you to the enemy base.



The real fun in the game comes when you realise that every unit has a dual function. This is simply epic. The feature really opens out the gameplay when you know that units can attack or lay an EMP blast, or peacekeepers can go from shotgun blasts to full-force riot shield charges.

I mean, for crying out loud, the Empire of the Rising Sun creates helicopters and jet fighters that can transform into walking or hovering monstrosities. A little part of me remembered that life was sometimes enjoyable, what with the credit crunch making everyone insane.

The ability to build structures in the water, with units also converting to amphibious vehicles with meticulous graphical detail, is a delight. The world suddenly feels bigger and less limited.

However, a few things really seem to annoy me about this game. The first, weirdly, is just how plush and bright the graphics can be. It seemed fine in the previous Red Alert 2, where vibrant colours and cartoon-like representations of soldiers were relatively acceptable given the limitations of PCs back in the day.

Now it seems somewhat tacky, particularly when compared to the drab yet engaging realism of Tiberium Wars. When all units are the same two or three colours, your head can hurt and your eyes can bleed. Either way, you'll see a lot of red.



The mismatching of units in terms of strengths and weaknesses can also be a pain in the derriere. There was always a fair balance in Red Alert 2; for example, an APC bitch-slapping fighter jets yet being susceptible to tanks. Yet here, it's a little over the top. I once had a ten-strong force of Gatling gun-wielding Sickle Tanks mowed down by one defence turret. They didn't look like they were made from Styrofoam either.

Producing multiple units still has the annoying repetitive sound effect. It can be particularly evident in the training of conscripts for the Soviets or peacekeepers for the Allies, since they are so cheap to produce and hence very quickly churned out. This means I have to listen to the grinding repetition of soldiers reporting for duty. Luckily, Frank Klepacki's usually great music score is enough to keep the sound switched on.

The zoom function still needs work too, since I’m an excellent commander, I prefer to see more than half a battle at a time. Luckily the pull-down map seems like a good failsafe, even if the free-roaming camera sometimes makes it hard to go in the right direction.

Worst of all, you simply cannot control all of the units you need as you can with a keyboard and mouse. I found myself spending five minutes looking for a Natascha unit after a badly misjudged "select all" move rendered her invisible.



For all of its faults though, Red Alert 3 has some top-dollar production values, a really engaging storyline and other solid modes such as two player cooperative mission mode and online skirmishes. Still, there's something… missing. I can't quite put my finger on it. I just feel a bit sad that with a couple more weeks of play testing, this could have been a must-have. It still is for the fans, but casual gamers may not appreciate what it is aiming to achieve.

Red Alert 3 has everything that characterises the series: ridiculous units, hilarious acting, mass offensives and improbable settings. Possibilities are extended, but with it come some bugbears.

I just hope that each player gives it the patience it deserves - it will pay off. Console strategy fans rejoice - the perfect game for the genre is close to perfection.

8/10

Matthew Gardner