14 DAY TRIAL // A few days ago we have reported that two game magazines will come with some fresh information regarding the newest member of the beloved Red Alert series, Red Alert 3. But since Electronic Arts knows that neither us, nor the fans can wait until April to find out more, they released a few bits of information, just enough to keep us interested and asking for more.
First of all, in what could be a dream come true for many real time strategy (RTS) fans, anyone gets a chance to enter the beta tests if they buy a copy of C&C3: Kane's Wrath (why doesn't that surprise me?). Further details will come, however, later this year.
The new Red Alert RTS game comes asking the "What if?" question - what if every strange technology man has ever thought of would have actually existed? 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? We'll get to see all these in the game and, therefore, get an answer for each question, in a true Red Alert style!
The newly confirmed strategy comes, for the first time in the game's history, with a new playable faction - The Empire of the Rising Sun, joining the classic Allied forces and Soviet Union. The reason for this implementation (story-wise only) is that the leaders of a doomed Soviet Union travel back in time to change history and restore the glory for Mother Russia. But the time mission goes wrong, an alternate timeline is created and the World War III is ready to be fought. The Empire of the Rising Sun has risen in the East with armies fielding weapons and technologies like Tesla coils, heavily armed War Blimps, teleportation, armored bears, intelligent dolphins, floating island fortresses, and transforming tanks. A bit of Dune, Age of Empires and Stracraft in only one new faction! And that's not bad at all!
"It's been too long." said Chris Corry, executive producer at EA Los Angeles. "Fans have been waiting for a new Red Alert game for seven years, and we're working hard to ensure its well worth the wait. The team is staying true to the series' roots while adding new elements like a co-operatively played story-driven campaign, an astounding new faction that will shake-up the Red Alert universe as we know it, and units that will help make Red Alert 3 everything our fans have been waiting for. And by bringing naval combat into the heart of the game design, we're transporting that fast, fun and fluid C&C gameplay to the high-seas in ways that you've never seen before."
One of the most promising game aspects we've heard of is the co-op campaign. Let me repeat that: Co.Op.Campaign.Mode! It's going to be great, hopefully. And there will be enough space for everybody: Red Alert 3 is going to be released on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC. Date: TBA.
