SCHUMI_4EVER
February 23rd, 2010, 15:05
Red Alert 3 : Red Alert better than ever
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-33-46-58.jpg
Now I realize this game is 2 years old by now, but I have not seen anyone do a review on it yet and it's an RTS gem not to be missed. It may look like the game is trying to fool you with cheap sex appeal and other gimmicks but there really is a very solid very fun experience underneath it all.
I would just like to say that this review is done from a purely single player point of view, so I have nothing to say about online play other than that Red Alert 3 has innovated multiplayer by allowing even it's campaign to be be player either with a friend online or with an AI commander. So friends no longer need to rely on frantic skirmishes against each other for online play but can also take on the AI together in the campaign missions.
Story: 8/10
Now RTS games are not exactly known for their story but Red Alert's has always been a highlight to me, I mean Einstein going back in time to try and kill Hitler, you just can't get that anywhere else and though the story in Red Alert 3 is not quite as good as those used to the previous Red Alerts it makes up for it by content. There are 3 campagins one for each of the factions each taking say about 7 hours to complete. So there's more here than in your average RTS, or at least any that I have played. The campaigns for each faction all follow the same sort of formula unfortunately but they still keep their appeal. The missions range from taking Tanya or one of the 2 new Commandos against enemy forces, rushing to stop a super weapon or just plain attacking and destroying your enemy. Along the way there's always additional goals and almost every mission has multiple primary goals to complete, basically the missions grow as you play them. Each mission also has a custom designed map so taking on your opponent never feels quite the same. Most missions have different ways you can complete them though there usually is just one best way. The side goals are not just random annoyances, they can actually really help you by giving you more resources, giving you extra troops or just crippling your enemy a little so they are more than just a gimmick to try and make the game seem better than it is without adding any real value. Between missions you can expect cutscenes with some sex appeal as well as a couple of hollywood actors like Tim Curry moving the story along and though the cutscenes feel cheap after a while they grow on you and feel like classic Red Alert. With the custom maps offering so much variety in scenery that replay value of the campaigns even ends up pretty good so there is plenty of content in Red Alert 3's story or perhaps I should rather say the campaign missions to entertain you when friends are not around, more than in previous Red Alerts or other RTSs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12009-02-2423-50-16-01.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12009-02-2423-50-06-91.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-37-21-55.jpg
Gameplay: 8/10
Huge changes from previous Red Alerts here as well as RTS innovations in general. Usually in a RTS the different factions give you slightly different buildings and units but Red Alert 3 has much more to offer. First of all there's no longer just the Soviets and Allies, the manga and anime inspirted Empire of the Rising Sun has joined the fray. Red Alert 3 has innovated and made each faction distinctly different not just by their units but already by the way they build buildings. The Allies build structures in the build menu, in other words you click on your Boot Camp (even the buildings despite having pretty much the same function have been given different names for each faction) and wait for it to finnish building in the build queue before you can build anything else then placing a complete Boot Camp on the map once it's done. Soviets build in the traditional manner so you place buildings in the field and they get built up over time. The Empire of the Rising Sun has perhaps the most unique way of creating buildings, one creates nano-cores, which basically act like units which can be moved onto any point on the map and deployed into their intentded building. Most building can also be built on both land and water allowing for greater emphasis of strategic building placement. Only the barracks and the armour facility can't be built on water and the Sea Port obviously can't be built on Land. If things go bad at one of your bases just pack up your headquarters and make a run for it and start anew somewhere else.
As usual buildings can sold for a refund or additional credits can be used to repair damaged buildings.
Your Resources are the same as before though collection has changed a little in the case of Ore. Your primary resource is still a limited Ore Reserve but rather than being fields found all over the map there are static Ore Mine locations, basically the same way Oil Derricks are just a building on a map that provides you with credits. So no more Ore Collectors travelling all over the map and often being targeted out in the middle of nowhere by your enemy, now there's just a short animation between the mine and the collection site, nothing more, similar to the helicopter and the containers in Generals so your flow of credits is not suddenly interrupted by you forgetting to build another Ore Miner after the last one was destroyed whilst ferrying back to your base as occasionally happend in previous Red Alerts. Then there's occasionally additional bonus Oil Derricks on the map all of which give you the credits needed to finance your army. Additionally you have to make sure your base always has enough Power Generators to keep all the buildings and base defences up and running, too little means the defences won't work and your buildings will produce units at a slower rate.
Units all have special abilities from transforming between a sub and a plane to shrinking opposing units making each unit distinctly different and allowing for unprecented combos with units like weapon jamming a tank giving infantry plenty of time to take them out, shrinking a large unit allowing smaller units to do far more damage and perhaps even just crush it and lots more.
Additionaly the units are just plain awesome, I mean there's no other game giving you ninjas, soviet attack bears, attack dolphins and units which transform between a sub and a plane, but don't worry favourites like like the Mammoth Tank and Kirov Airhsips are still around.
Additionally you have more control over your units than ever before, even a retreat can be done in a defensive offensive manner rather than just turning tail and rushing back to base, then there's waypoints, attack move orders and other strategic maneuvers at your disposal.
I suppose the only negative would be that units don't automatically use their abilities, so if you want your Cryocopters to freeze enemy units so your tanks can make short work of them you will have to manage that yourself.
Red Alert 3 is very balanced and just sending a mass force without any real thought to it will not work in most cases so you will have to carefull select your troops manage their battle and abilities in order to defeat your enemy.
The Super Powers are well thought out ranging from just a bonus to armour to spawning a random bomb or temporarily freezing your opponent in place. Each is different and each helps and even here combos can be found like sucking up opposing forces into space and then using an attack which pulls down space debris on enemy forces.
In short there's huge variety in the gameplay of Red Alert 3, more than there has ever been before.
The AI is generally pretty good so both your units and enemy move competently most of the time and your additonal control options mentioned before allow your units to strategically move from place to place rather than just heading to their goal not defending themselves at all so you can leave them to their own devices for a while.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-38-00-93.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-35-27-07.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-36-07-83.jpg
Graphics: 8/10
The cartoony candy-striped look of the game may not be for all but it certainly works, never has Red Alert or any other RTS for that matter felt this alive and fun.
Map design has improved over previous iterations so each map looks distinctly different but static buildings and and vehicles remain.
During the campaign you can even expect to see some famous locations all around the world exactly as in Red Alerts before it.
Units are well designed but do end up a little quirky, then again you and try make an attack dolphin not seem quirky.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-39-36-86.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-39-59-18.jpg
Sound: 8/10
Don't really know how to grade this category as I rarely dislike the sound in games but I would say it's pretty good. As usual Commandos have witty things to say and your normal units are also competent enough plus shrinking units makes them sound hillarious. Everything sounds and look as it should I would say.
Difficulty: 8/10
Red Alert 3 is frantic, don't expect to be given time to build up before you have to weather your first attack. You have to manage your base's power, it's defence and your own counter offensives comptently to survive, fall behind anywhere and expect to be crushed. The first attack often comes within the first 2 or 3 minutes and some missions even within the first couple of seconds so be prepared for rapid micro-managing. If you're looking for relaxed gameplay then you will either have to cheat (and even then you can't just slack off) or look for a different game because Red Alert 3 will definitely not allow you to fall asleep at the keyboard.
Final Score: 8/10
Red Alert 3 is a great RTS which offers unprecented variety and excitement which however goes a little underappreciated as people are turned away by the cheap sex appeal and candy-striped graphics. If anything in this review appeals to you I suggest you pick the game up as it's nice and cheap now and nothing else is quite like Red Alert 3, not even it's predecessors match up to the frantic zany fun it provides.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12009-02-2500-31-13-43.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12009-02-2500-31-16-53.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-33-46-58.jpg
Now I realize this game is 2 years old by now, but I have not seen anyone do a review on it yet and it's an RTS gem not to be missed. It may look like the game is trying to fool you with cheap sex appeal and other gimmicks but there really is a very solid very fun experience underneath it all.
I would just like to say that this review is done from a purely single player point of view, so I have nothing to say about online play other than that Red Alert 3 has innovated multiplayer by allowing even it's campaign to be be player either with a friend online or with an AI commander. So friends no longer need to rely on frantic skirmishes against each other for online play but can also take on the AI together in the campaign missions.
Story: 8/10
Now RTS games are not exactly known for their story but Red Alert's has always been a highlight to me, I mean Einstein going back in time to try and kill Hitler, you just can't get that anywhere else and though the story in Red Alert 3 is not quite as good as those used to the previous Red Alerts it makes up for it by content. There are 3 campagins one for each of the factions each taking say about 7 hours to complete. So there's more here than in your average RTS, or at least any that I have played. The campaigns for each faction all follow the same sort of formula unfortunately but they still keep their appeal. The missions range from taking Tanya or one of the 2 new Commandos against enemy forces, rushing to stop a super weapon or just plain attacking and destroying your enemy. Along the way there's always additional goals and almost every mission has multiple primary goals to complete, basically the missions grow as you play them. Each mission also has a custom designed map so taking on your opponent never feels quite the same. Most missions have different ways you can complete them though there usually is just one best way. The side goals are not just random annoyances, they can actually really help you by giving you more resources, giving you extra troops or just crippling your enemy a little so they are more than just a gimmick to try and make the game seem better than it is without adding any real value. Between missions you can expect cutscenes with some sex appeal as well as a couple of hollywood actors like Tim Curry moving the story along and though the cutscenes feel cheap after a while they grow on you and feel like classic Red Alert. With the custom maps offering so much variety in scenery that replay value of the campaigns even ends up pretty good so there is plenty of content in Red Alert 3's story or perhaps I should rather say the campaign missions to entertain you when friends are not around, more than in previous Red Alerts or other RTSs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12009-02-2423-50-16-01.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12009-02-2423-50-06-91.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-37-21-55.jpg
Gameplay: 8/10
Huge changes from previous Red Alerts here as well as RTS innovations in general. Usually in a RTS the different factions give you slightly different buildings and units but Red Alert 3 has much more to offer. First of all there's no longer just the Soviets and Allies, the manga and anime inspirted Empire of the Rising Sun has joined the fray. Red Alert 3 has innovated and made each faction distinctly different not just by their units but already by the way they build buildings. The Allies build structures in the build menu, in other words you click on your Boot Camp (even the buildings despite having pretty much the same function have been given different names for each faction) and wait for it to finnish building in the build queue before you can build anything else then placing a complete Boot Camp on the map once it's done. Soviets build in the traditional manner so you place buildings in the field and they get built up over time. The Empire of the Rising Sun has perhaps the most unique way of creating buildings, one creates nano-cores, which basically act like units which can be moved onto any point on the map and deployed into their intentded building. Most building can also be built on both land and water allowing for greater emphasis of strategic building placement. Only the barracks and the armour facility can't be built on water and the Sea Port obviously can't be built on Land. If things go bad at one of your bases just pack up your headquarters and make a run for it and start anew somewhere else.
As usual buildings can sold for a refund or additional credits can be used to repair damaged buildings.
Your Resources are the same as before though collection has changed a little in the case of Ore. Your primary resource is still a limited Ore Reserve but rather than being fields found all over the map there are static Ore Mine locations, basically the same way Oil Derricks are just a building on a map that provides you with credits. So no more Ore Collectors travelling all over the map and often being targeted out in the middle of nowhere by your enemy, now there's just a short animation between the mine and the collection site, nothing more, similar to the helicopter and the containers in Generals so your flow of credits is not suddenly interrupted by you forgetting to build another Ore Miner after the last one was destroyed whilst ferrying back to your base as occasionally happend in previous Red Alerts. Then there's occasionally additional bonus Oil Derricks on the map all of which give you the credits needed to finance your army. Additionally you have to make sure your base always has enough Power Generators to keep all the buildings and base defences up and running, too little means the defences won't work and your buildings will produce units at a slower rate.
Units all have special abilities from transforming between a sub and a plane to shrinking opposing units making each unit distinctly different and allowing for unprecented combos with units like weapon jamming a tank giving infantry plenty of time to take them out, shrinking a large unit allowing smaller units to do far more damage and perhaps even just crush it and lots more.
Additionaly the units are just plain awesome, I mean there's no other game giving you ninjas, soviet attack bears, attack dolphins and units which transform between a sub and a plane, but don't worry favourites like like the Mammoth Tank and Kirov Airhsips are still around.
Additionally you have more control over your units than ever before, even a retreat can be done in a defensive offensive manner rather than just turning tail and rushing back to base, then there's waypoints, attack move orders and other strategic maneuvers at your disposal.
I suppose the only negative would be that units don't automatically use their abilities, so if you want your Cryocopters to freeze enemy units so your tanks can make short work of them you will have to manage that yourself.
Red Alert 3 is very balanced and just sending a mass force without any real thought to it will not work in most cases so you will have to carefull select your troops manage their battle and abilities in order to defeat your enemy.
The Super Powers are well thought out ranging from just a bonus to armour to spawning a random bomb or temporarily freezing your opponent in place. Each is different and each helps and even here combos can be found like sucking up opposing forces into space and then using an attack which pulls down space debris on enemy forces.
In short there's huge variety in the gameplay of Red Alert 3, more than there has ever been before.
The AI is generally pretty good so both your units and enemy move competently most of the time and your additonal control options mentioned before allow your units to strategically move from place to place rather than just heading to their goal not defending themselves at all so you can leave them to their own devices for a while.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-38-00-93.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-35-27-07.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-36-07-83.jpg
Graphics: 8/10
The cartoony candy-striped look of the game may not be for all but it certainly works, never has Red Alert or any other RTS for that matter felt this alive and fun.
Map design has improved over previous iterations so each map looks distinctly different but static buildings and and vehicles remain.
During the campaign you can even expect to see some famous locations all around the world exactly as in Red Alerts before it.
Units are well designed but do end up a little quirky, then again you and try make an attack dolphin not seem quirky.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-39-36-86.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12010-02-2316-39-59-18.jpg
Sound: 8/10
Don't really know how to grade this category as I rarely dislike the sound in games but I would say it's pretty good. As usual Commandos have witty things to say and your normal units are also competent enough plus shrinking units makes them sound hillarious. Everything sounds and look as it should I would say.
Difficulty: 8/10
Red Alert 3 is frantic, don't expect to be given time to build up before you have to weather your first attack. You have to manage your base's power, it's defence and your own counter offensives comptently to survive, fall behind anywhere and expect to be crushed. The first attack often comes within the first 2 or 3 minutes and some missions even within the first couple of seconds so be prepared for rapid micro-managing. If you're looking for relaxed gameplay then you will either have to cheat (and even then you can't just slack off) or look for a different game because Red Alert 3 will definitely not allow you to fall asleep at the keyboard.
Final Score: 8/10
Red Alert 3 is a great RTS which offers unprecented variety and excitement which however goes a little underappreciated as people are turned away by the cheap sex appeal and candy-striped graphics. If anything in this review appeals to you I suggest you pick the game up as it's nice and cheap now and nothing else is quite like Red Alert 3, not even it's predecessors match up to the frantic zany fun it provides.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12009-02-2500-31-13-43.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v220/SCHUMIinSA/RA3_12009-02-2500-31-16-53.jpg