These units are simultaneously less sci-fi orientated and more wacky and outlandish than in the Tiberium Sun universe, more so even than in the previous Red Alert games. Each one loosely represents the cultural imagery of its national faction. For example, the Soviets have Tesla Troopers and mechanically armoured War Bears, the Allies have ‘peacekeeping’ riot soldiers, and the series’ new faction, the Empire of the Rising Sun, has giant anime robots and hovering psychic schoolgirls. If all this sounds serious with nary a hint of tongue to cheek contact, then it’s perhaps representative of Red Alert 3’s ambivalence with regards to its off-the-wall subject matter.
One of the hallmarks of the Command and Conquer series is its hilariously kitsch live-action cut scenes. They’re here once again, but this time they take themselves a little more seriously than is necessary, or given their hammy nature, possible. There’s still the obligatory teasing innuendo and big-breasted intelligence assistants. Also, bearded Soviet generals harping on about the glory of ‘Maathaar Raassha’ always raises a smile, but some of the actors not in on the jokes don’t know whether to take their parts seriously or not. While Tim Curry suitably hams it up as Russian Premier Anatoly Cherdenko, George Takei, also famed for his status as an icon of pop-culture camp, look genuinely confused.
Playing as Emperor Yoshiro of the Empire of the Rising Sun, he doesn’t know whether to play his part as a pantomime villain or a man who is genuinely serious about world domination. If both the Soviet and Empire teams are characterised by their curious mix of over-the-top and deadly serious acting, then the Allies are by their complete lack of it. They’re obviously supposed to be influenced by NATO, or more specifically, the American arm of NATO, but they lack any definition of national stereotyping. It’s almost as if the developers are afraid of making them too American, as if to see such excess as a weakness. Instead, they play out the role of righteous stasis-quo, the neutral all-rounder’s who are both tactically and narratively defensive. They swap a more obvious characteristically comedic Southern pomp with a host of silky-voiced Brits. All these drawbacks, despite bringing a few laughs to break up the gameplay, contribute to a cinematic experience, which is disjointed, and at odds with its own comedic ends.
That’s not to say Command and Conquer – Red Alert 3 is a bad game. The graphics are impressive: identical to the PC version, and EA have been thoughtfully generous in adding both online competitive and co-operative play over Xbox Live. For series veterans, the game has all the familiarity of previous Red Alert titles, and for newcomers to strategy, it provides an easy way into the genre. 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.
