Real-time strategy games sit right next to first-person shooters and massively multiplayer online games as a PC staple, but few games in any of these genres are as revered as the Red Alert series of Command & Conquer. The series first appeared on PCs in 1996 and offered an alternate time line in which Hitler never existed and thus an equally powerful Western coalition and USSR battle for supremacy of a future Earth. The game released to rave reviews from critics and gamers alike and garnered a huge following and eventually a sequel C&C Red Alert 2 and a subsequent expansion Yuri’s Revenge.
Now, almost twelve years after the birth of the franchise, and seven years after the last game in the series, Red Alert is back. Continuing the art style and action oriented gameplay of previous games in the series, Red Alert 3 promises to deliver everything you would expect from a true sequel to one of the best RTS franchises of all time, while at the same time adding several new additions to the series. Red Alert 3 will feature a first for not only the Red Alert series but a first for the RTS genre in general; by allowing you to play through the campaign with a friend in 2-player co-op. Also, alongside the Western coalition and USSR, the Japanese are being added as a third faction, although EA has been tight lipped about details surrounding the new faction.
Perhaps in an effort to prove to the legions of rabid fans that they are in fact staying true to the Red Alert franchise, EA has released an almost fifteen minute demo video showing off some of the cool and unique stuff you will be able to see and do in Red Alert 3. As a huge fan of the franchise, after watching the video above, I have to say EA is doing one hell of a job. The game looks absolutely beautiful, from the bright colors, unit design, to the mixture of land and sea battles, everything screams Red Alert.
Development is well on the way for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, and while the release date is TBA, hopefully we will be able to get our hands on the game before the end of the year.
