Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Demo

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a real-time strategy game where you will be able to practice your commander skills while choosing from one of three different factions.

Players will be transported into a parallel universe where after the Second World War, the Soviet Union decided to continue pushing West thus threatening the Allied forces. Slowly the Soviets forces have been pushed back, yet they have a secret weapon just about to be unleashed.

For the past 12 months, some of the top scientists in the Soviet Union have been working on a time machine. Before everything goes to ruins, they manage to travel back in time and kill the one man that made the Allies invincible by supplying them with weaponry: Albert Einstein.

The Soviet plan succeeds, yet changing a single thing about the past can have devastating consequences in the future, so after successfully returning from their time mission, the Soviets discovered yet another mortal enemy: The Empire of the Rising Sun.

There is a campaign where players will get to choose from the three sides: Soviets, Allies, Empire of the Rising Sun. The campaign features nine different mission for each side and the most notable thing is that they can be played in co-op. Players will be able to choose from an AI ally or a human one. Co-op with a human player requires an online connection.

Red Alert 3 is similar to the previous Red Alert games in terms of gameplay. There are some differences, the most notable being those about naval warfare and resource gathering. Unlike past games, players should not be ignoring the water as they can now build almost every structure in the game on water platforms. Powerful amphibious units can make a notable difference when the power ratio is tight.

The ore fields that use to take up lots of space are now replaced with depletable ore mines. Several trucks or refineries can be constructed to gather from one single mine. After there are no more resources, you will have to find other mines.

The graphics are highly improved and lots of different units have been added. Some units are over-sized while other are small yet, very effective in combat. In addition to featuring great visuals, the game also impresses by the addition of full-motion videos featuring real life actors.

Beside the simple commands of move and attack, players can also choose to give more advanced commands to the units: a defensive stance or an offensive stance can make the difference between a unit getting destroyed or not. One can also choose the mode of the unit so shooting while moving to a specific location can most of the times save a lot of clicking.

Almost all units have one or two abilities players can use: they can vary between jumping large distances to switching between attack and defense. There are other abilities upgraded using the skill points gain in battle. One will be able to scout for the enemy base or slow the infantry and tanks in battle with the click of a button.

Bottom line is that with many improvements in both gameplay and graphics, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a base pillar in the Parthenon of real-time strategy gaming.