1up writes:
"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."
"I love real time strategy (RTS) games. I love the thrill of building up an impregnable fortress; watching your villagers expand your economy, attacking an enemy with a well rounded army. Those are the things I crave in an RTS. When I was young, I constantly played games like Age of Empires II, Starcraft and Rise of Nations (I still play them today), as well as Empire Earth, Command and Conquer, Homeworld, and Age of Mythology. Those games define the "classic" era of RTS games. Nowadays, the classic RTS games are impossibly hard to find. It seems that the industry has hit a slump. Sure, there are some bright spots (like Sins of a Solar Empire), but overall there are very few RTS games on the market. How did the RTS market come to this? How did a flourishing genre suddenly grind to a halt? The answers are very unsettling." -from Reid!
A good RTS is hard to come by now. I miss the good ol days when i used to play Command & Conquer, Age of Empires 3, Rise of Nations, all those classic games that i would spend hours on every day...its a shame there are no developers that are willing to step up to the plate and create a true killer, next-gen RTS.
Aaron Simmer: "I'm a fan of the Red Alert series, warts and all. It's just too much fun for me, whether playing with people through the co-op campaign of Red Alert 3 or the single-player aspects of Uprising, it's all goofy fun. And that's mainly what I want from my games: fun."
The Good
- Ultimate Edition (PS3) is brimming with a good game and tons of cool extras
- Uprising (PC) concentrates on the single-player experience and I actually liked that better
The Bad
- For Ultimate Edition there's quite a steep learning curve for those unfamiliar with console RTS games
- Uprising's single-player campaigns are over too fast and the Yuriko missions could have fleshed out more
PSi writes: "Red Alert 3 is by no means a revolutionary RTS, even on a console. But, what it lacks in the ability to push the genre forward, it makes up for with fun gameplay. The "ultimate" branding doesn't offer enough incentive for PC or 360 owners to invest in another copy, but first-time players in the market for a good strategy game should be satisfied with what Red Alert 3 has to offer".
