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Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

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6.9 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 37 critic reviews
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Based on 13 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Los Angeles

Genre(s): Real-Time Strategy

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: November 11, 2008

Summary

Red Alert 3 breaks new ground in the RTS genre, featuring a fully co-operative campaign while bringing back the series’ light-hearted style and classic, action-oriented gameplay. In Red Alert 3, the desperate leadership of a doomed Soviet Union travels back in time to change history and restore the glory of Mother Russia. The time travel mission goes awry, creating an alternate timeline where technology has followed an entirely different evolution, a new superpower has been thrust on to the world stage, and World War III is raging. The Empire of the Rising Sun has risen in the East, making World War III a three-way struggle between the Soviets, the Allies, and the Empire with armies fielding wacky and wonderful weapons and technologies like Tesla coils, heavily armed War Blimps, teleportation, armored bears, intelligent dolphins, floating island fortresses, and transforming tanks. Red Alert 3 asks the question "What If?" What if every bizarre research project and technology experiment for the last 70 years had actually borne fruit? What if the Philadelphia Experiment, time travel theory, teleportation, invisibility, Tesla technology, and a hundred other intriguing research projects had all paid off and gone mainstream? What if the Soviet Union survived and thrived; what would it look like 10 years in the future? What if the Japanese Empire had never fallen and instead became the ultimate high-tech military superpower? The end result is an imaginative and playful vision of an alternate future filled with possibility. [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Official Xbox Magazine

Red Alert keeps getting better as you play. [Holiday 2008, p.82]

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360 Gamer Magazine UK

By blending high-end strategy with vaudeville spectacle it really does offer something special in a relatively weak genre and should not be missed.

Impulsegamer

In conclusion, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a brilliant game on the 360 with great graphics (you really need a high definition TV to enjoy the title), decent console gameplay for a real-time strategy game and a kick ass story that features a bevy of Hollywood's greats in this "B" Grade Science Fiction experience.

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GamingTrend

Red Alert 3 is exactly what it claims to be – a fast-paced RTS with over the top acting and units.

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ZTGameDomain

Red Alert 3 is chock full of charm and deserves to be experienced by anyone who enjoys a good strategy game.

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Worth Playing

Overall, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a great RTS. I enjoyed it for the ridiculous story line and humor, and I found the gameplay to be quite captivating. While the controls work and establish that consoles can handle these types of games, they just aren't as convenient as they are on a PC.

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Console Monster

Red Alert 3 adds some welcome changes that really add to the C&C formula.

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HellBored

If you played the first Red Alert and the various add-ons for that, then you have a much better idea of this latest release than you might think you do. If you liked the first one, you’ll love this. Its modernisation hasn’t come at the cost of playability, and while it’s not the best game out this Xmas and it’s not the best RTS on the market, it’s still damn good fun.

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Xbox360Achievements

A splendid RTS and one that provides plenty of enjoyment, especially if you can find a co-op partner to take along for the ride. This version is not quite as good as the PC equivalent but you won’t find many better on the 360.

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Planet Xbox 360

The sheer range of units is impressive, especially the naval ones, and even if they don’t quite transform the battlefield tactics in the way they’re intended to, their unique special abilities do provide plenty of fun.

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games(TM)

Red Alert 3 is full of elements that you’ll be surprised haven’t been used before and plays like the genre always should have yet never has. [Christmas 2008, p.100]

Cynamite

Classical, colorful, challenging: Red Alert 3 offers only little new. Instead we get solid strategy, funny comic graphics and very pretty ladies.

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X360 Magazine UK

Crazy acting, crazy units and a crazy story but the gameplay is solid and the visuals are highly stylised. A great edition to the Red Alert series.

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GamePro

The RTS genre's notoriously slower pace and complex controls can be a bit snooze-inducing to newcomers, but Red Alert 3's smooth interface, fast-paced action, crazy-ass weapons, and endlessly entertaining cheesy style should keep even the most short attention-spanned gamer engaged.

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G4 TV

Other than the addition of co-op campaigning everything feels more or less like it did 12 years ago, though prettier of course. Even so, with the new faction and new units those old game mechanics still make for a good time.

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WonderwallWeb

A strong RTS and easily the best on the console market.

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Giant Bomb

Red Alert 3 makes compelling changes to the C&C brand of real-time strategy without abandoning the core of what makes these games tick. If you're a longtime fan, that's great news, though if you don't typically go for strategy games, but are still feeling the attraction of the game's stellar cast and full-motion video, you may find that the thrill of the cutscenes isn't quite enough to keep you moving through the missions.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

Strategy fans will be in heaven, but thanks to the slick production, amusing cutscenes and accessible controls it could also get a few converts to the RTS cause. It's certainly a great place to start.

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Talk Xbox

Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 includes many elements that can make real time strategy games successful on consoles.

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Gamers' Temple

Overall I had fun with Red Alert 3, but most of it came from playing through the campaign. If you play strategy games primarily for the multiplayer action, then you may be a bit disappointed with the game, through.

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Gameplanet

Red Alert 3 builds well on its predecessors. The console iteration does feel cluttered and hampered by an overloaded controller, but the game itself is great. RTS's on consoles seem like they are here to stay, and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is certainly not to be sniffed at, particularly if you are a fan of the series.

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PTGamers

Red Alert 3 is an interesting RTS. However, besides the cooperative mode it doesn't add anything even remotely new. It's still solid, the production values are high, but the missions could use more creativity.

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MS Xbox World

If you can’t grab the PC version of this game, you should receive a very similar Red Alert experience with the Xbox version.

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Armchair Empire

It’s similar enough to Red Alert 2 to feel really comfortable and though there’s been a lot of extra things added to the toy box (and not all of them work), it’s still fun.

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1UP

If you can get past the interface issues, RA3 is wonderfully balanced, in terms of both units and maps, and it features gameplay that's fast without delving into breakneck territory. Even better, it's designed to incorporate cooperative play in both the single- and multiplayer modes -- every mission is played with a "co-commander." Bottom line: RA3's not bad, but if you have a good PC, you're better off buying that version instead.

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IGN

Though I didn't have much fun with the campaign and found the friends-only co-op play limiting, there is something worth looking at in the versus mode. Only a classic skirmish is available, but thanks to the interesting units and factions, Red Alert 3 can offer up a decent gaming experience.

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3DJuegos

Red Alert 3 is a remarkable RTS. The tactical aspect is weak and we could name it "the arcade version of the RTS", but is also fun and cool at the same time and it works fine with the Xbox 360 pad. A blockbuster entertainment that prioritizes the aggressiveness and the speed, than the intelligence or the smart tactics.

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Cheat Code Central

The cutscenes are a bit too bad (even though it's intentional), and the game's style is far more over-the-top than it needs to be. But, it has its fun moments, and there's a sense of accomplishment in learning how to beat a mission.

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Xbox World 360 Magazine UK

Gleefully naff fun, bristling with good ideas, but it never feels like a 360 game. [Jan 2009, p.71]

Xbox World Australia

It is a solid and streamlined sortie through the RTS battlefield, if a little flawed in parts. I have to mention again how impressed I was with how easy it was to pick up and play.

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Eurogamer

Overall, between the inconsistent campaigns and the botched co-op feature, there's enough here to nibble away at what is an otherwise enjoyable RTS game, and you can add the finer points of control to that list of grumbles as well if you're an impatient sort.

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Game Over Online

I will say that it is worth playing through once, if only to see the movies, and the multiplayer adds some more mileage to it. But as an entry into the C&C universe, it demonstrates a series well past its peak.

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GameSpy

It's not a game that will redefine strategy gaming, but it is an enjoyable ride.

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GameSpot

The Xbox 360 version of this humorous strategy game can be fun, but it falls short in a few key areas.

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GameZone

While certain issues are there, such as the lack of battling random people online or the slight framerate issues, other promising features have risen from the destructive ashes of rebuilding a franchise.

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Game Informer

The 360 version of the game is identical to the PC incarnation, but the control blows. [Dec 2008, p.113]

Team Xbox

Whatever small fun that can be gleaned from Red Alert 3 is not worth the hideously poor attempts at humor and bargain basement production values that envelop the final product like a shroud.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 6.9 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Brandon C. gave it an8:
This is everything Red Alert 3 should be. I believe that with this game EALA has done Westwood proud. It retains the same proven and fun gameplay from Red Alert 2, and it manages to keep the silliness, corniness etc without going overboard which is what I was afraid of. My only complaint? The campaign missions are strung together horribly! In Red alert 2 you had an idea of what was going on in the world and where you were going for your mission. It always felt like there was a reason for going there. In Red alert 3 the missions seem totally random and I have no clue whats going on in the war. Where did the Japanese invade? How much of Russia do they hold? How much of Europe is left under allied control? Who knows because the only time you see a map with countries listed is in a cinematic, but they didn't even bother to make it fit with the RA universe. Its a world map straight out of 2008 with Russia's current borders. But the campaign missions ARE extremely fun and the AI isn't bad at all. I do highly recommend playing them online though as that is how it was meant to be played.

Andrei L. gave it a9:
Although generally the follow-ups to the first and most beloved Westwood strategy series, C&C and Red Alert, couldn't quite live up to my expectations and failed to introduce revolutionary gameplay improvements, RA3 surprises through its fresh re-design and new take on the well-known universe. It comprises some of the best cutscenes ever to be seen in a video game, fresh, stylish and attractive graphics, an almost flawless gameplay in the tradition of the series, nice tutorials and a whole army of easter eggs in a very enjoyable single player component. The cooperative mode rocks and is a very welcome addition (personally I'm very pleased to find it in games such as Call of Duty 5, Left 4 Dead or WorldShift) and even the multiplayer skirmish takes all the C&C juice over the top, being brilliant and well balanced. The self-irony and tasty jokes really spice up its appeal. EA Los Angeles had quite some balls to build the game the way they did and as far as I'm concerned, it proves they were right to do so. After all, these studios are all that's left of Westwood. Overall, the biggest positive surprise of 2008. I wasn't expecting much from this game but I was proven wrong, which is refreshing and makes me a very happy gamer!

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Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3

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