Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 review "Land of Games&quot

Darlz Chikkens
Source: Country Games № 21 2008	20.11.2008

Red Alert, subcycle great series Command & Conquer, - the best proof that the strategy should remain where they were born, and not move on the sly on the console. The reason is simple: playing in the RA, one hand holding a mouse, a second finger tapping hypnotic rhythm ageless Hell March Frank Klepaki - in time to the buzzing of power rings to them. Nikola Tesla and the explosions of bombs with hefty Kirov. Japanese instrument of retribution replenish energy through corporate Soviet defense facilities. Shogun does not forgive and forget! Ferocious General Kryukov threatens to show the capitalist dogs gruel and bomb the Brighton Beach. Communism vs. Democracy In 2000, the studio released a sequel Westwood Red Alert, had time to time purchase unconditionally cult status. In place of Joseph Vissarionovich came clown-Premier Alexander Romanov, as the main visual attraction was the mighty airship "Kirov", reminiscent of floating in the sky menacing shark. And the very Red Alert 2, and the addition of Yuri's Revenge, came to the rescue in a year, like fans and journalists, although the success of the first game is not repeated. The Secretary-General Cherdenko (Tim Curry) and the mustachioed chief Nikolai Kryukov (Andrew Divoff) felt in the Kremlin wall is not completely secure. You bet! These very walls of jolted regularly, beyond anything bubuhalo and Babakhan, the people raged on the streets - there's not a portrait of Lenin would be nice to evacuate, not that the main people in the country. Because in Soviet Russia, as we know, all my hopes only on the leader of the proletariat, and this time it was he who saved the key people of the Motherland: a bust of his head was a key revolutionary-red color, which Cherdenko, to the surprise Kryukov, and clicked.A few minutes later the two were already in a secret underground bunker where they were met by Dr. Gregor Zelinsky (Peter Stormare) is obviously forgot to take a sedative. Cherdenko, personifies the confidence the extent that it allows an unparalleled artistic talent of Tim Curry (as it is neither more nor less, Pennywise in "It," Dr. Thornton Poole Linguistics in the "Oscar", Thurman Rice in "Kinsey" and dozens of other roles, the higher test ), not wanting to hear that the machine has not yet been tested, caused an accident pulling the scientist to send the three of them in Brussels in 1927 - the fifth Solvay Congress. Soviet time travelers materialize right behind the scenes, which with the next report, he himself, Albert Einstein - is it Alliance troops were obliged to its incredible technological podkovannostyu, and all the rest of the world - the atomic bomb. Very soon, the great physicist who willingly agreed to meet Cherdenko, died about the same as Hitler from Einstein's own hand in the first Red Alert (which, in turn, reminded the culmination of a scene from Burton "Batman", which saw the Joker with the leaders of gangs Gotham City). Thus, Bohr and other proponents of quantum mechanics have lost their last opponent. "Sprang" back, warriors and scientists are faced with three facts: the Kremlin - is intact, the concept of "nuclear warhead" does not exist, and in the Third World War has become a party anymore. The Alliance is weak, and this led to the emergence of the Empire of the Rising Sun - a powerful threat from the east, finished almost at a stroke wipe out the Soviets and the Allies. British General Robert Bingham (Jonathan Pryce, left) in anticipation of the possibility of once again poddaknut U.S. President Howard Ackermann (JK Simmons). Lieutenant Eva McKenna (Gemma Atkinson) awkward hints special agent Tanya Adams (Jenny McCarthy), that its methods of work with the prisoners a few disagree with the principles declared by the countries where freedom and democracy are sacrosanct. This willingness to provide the descendants of the samurai three factors: a truly heroic fighting spirit, move infantry used swords and shuriken on a par with photon cannons and machine guns, outrageous achievements in science, by which the strategy of fighting real hard bending, and the amazing schoolgirl Yuriko Omega, victimized by white men so as padawan Darth Vader throws stormtroopers in Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Without doubt, over the third force in the EA worked with an eye on Japanese popular culture in general and anime in particular. Even the theme music which sounds during the opening movie of Japanese campaign, as if ordered Kenji Kawa - the similarity with the main tracks, "Ghost in the Shell" and "Innocence" is shocking from the first sounds. Or take, for example, transformers dzhet-tengu/meha-tengu and VX. The first - very clear copy of the Valkyries "from" Macross "(which, although in a fur-like form only an intermediate form of creation Shoji Kawamori - a sort of fighter with his arms and legs, rather than manned armor), and defense-second variation of a passion as smacks of the "Gekko" from the fourth Metal Gear Solid. Generally, the mechanism of the Empire of the Rising Sun due to a lot of bright moments.Unit "King They" - the high iron demonic robot - stands out even amid unusual and memorable fighting units of Red Alert 3: on the battlefield, he does the same thing as the giant robots from dozens of anime series of different eras - burn anything and everything laser beams, destroying the enemy's bulky metal fists and feet, goes for the ram, carrying in pieces of construction equipment and who are not lucky enough to be in his way. Once a player happen to touch the secret development of engineers of the Empire, of which, I confess, even to write scary. Just imagine: three, if I may say so, the legs, three body, the same number of heads, six arms and three swords - all put together, and all that - once a year or two taller than the large building. At first you want to compare with Godzilla or Ultramenom, but the parallels here are relevant only in a context of feeling. During the administration of this monstrous gizmo you feel in the session "Godzilla vs. Motrya" in the far-nineties, but instead Motrya here - the imposing Soviet army, who, nevertheless, practically zero chance of survival. Each step - an explosion and running along the ground electrical discharges, the helicopters break directly on the corpus, where is it, do not leave any buildings or bridges, or buildings - nothing but chaos and ruin. So if you sometimes eat breakfast cereals, and adore shred them in milk, the Empire of the Rising Sun - your choice. The Japanese have brought to the Red Alert a range of unprecedented sentiment that they will probably be your main memory is connected to the campaign of the Soviets - the battle with the emperor, who, deprived of all the generals and military power, sits in a private manned armor and sent to fight you alone. Red spider-like robots (one more hello universe "Ghost in the Shell") occupying Western Europe. Taken aback diktorsha BCN (probably, typical BBC and CNN) as it tries to explain the credulous West that communism is evil already looking for Albion and was preparing to threaten to Her Majesty. Alliance and even the Soviet Union after a colorful show look less advantageous, but with enough surprises. Dolphins are expensive, so trained and modified by the West, which they generate sound waves cause an absolutely devastating loss - small flock of these flippers can in six seconds to deal with dozens of dreadnoughts and "Shogun." By the way, naval battles, which fell on the last part is not so much as we would like in Red Alert 3 where relevant, because almost all (more precisely, all net of barracks and factories of heavy machinery) elements of the base easily installed on water, and most units are able to move on any surface. The latter is particularly pleased to see an example of the Soviet Tesla launches "Stingray" which picked up to the land, instantly produces three pair of mechanical legs. While certainly much funnier looks circus, played by the Soviets with the help of APC Toad "and armored bears, which our Communist superpower as if delivered from the universe of" His Dark Materials "by Philip Pullman. The conveyor is equipped with a special gun, effectively firing loaded into her grunts (namely, the category includes bears, serving the hammer and sickle) on the long haul.Bears Parachute into the camp of the enemy - it is almost as touching as the alleged Russian swear word coming out of the mouth of Jimmy Pegorino in the final Grand Theft Auto IV. Stalin vs. everybody "In 1946, Albert Einstein invents a time machine and" jumps "in 1924, the first to deal with Adolf Hitler and change history, so that it becomes a tyrant Joseph Stalin" - so begins the original Command & Conquer: Red Alert (Publisher - Virgin Interactive, the developer - studio Westwood), which appeared in 1996 on the PC, and later - on the PlayStation. In 1997, he published a supplement Counterstrike and The Aftermath, passes for another year - and, providing a small bonus, join in the collection of Retaliation for PlayStation. In May of this year's version of Red Alert for the PS one has been optimized for the PlayStation Portable and posted on the European PlayStation Store, and most recently the PC-version was free. The traditional Red Alert mad rhythm of battles finally to flavor something fancy. In the third part of the scheme in principle does not work "to rebuild the most necessary, to equip an army to the loss of momentum and nothing to worry", which in past C & C fit most applications. Although this time it was decided not to load the player maniacal planning framework and surveillance of harvesters, the fight for additional resources allocated qualitatively more important role. Strictly speaking, it is the seizure of mines and oil rigs, which are far from the base - a top priority, and only then can, relatively speaking, vdarit Kirov at the Statue of Liberty. And the contenders for third-party sources of income are not only enemies but friends - you can always act on par with other generals. They managed a second player, or AI, and in the latter case it is better not to trust the protection of critical facilities. Again, it is important and that often these same facilities are located on the surface of a transparent and there to defend them in the order is heavier - can not do without messing around with alternative features of each group of troops. Twice as likely to have to deal with this under the leadership of the US-British troops, which the authors explicitly nedodali firepower, trying to compensate for weakness in this curious set of capabilities. Mostly, though, came not too useful, though terrorize foes kriokopterami who know how to convert units in a piece of ice or Lilliputians - is still fun. With three times the force it wants to suffer after the video inserts with brazen Emperor Yoshiro (George Takei, who played in uyme television series, from the classic "Star Trek" to the recent "Heroes"), which hates similar to the one that wakes up in a staunch Christians when referring to "Darwin's Rottweiler" by Richard Dawkins. However, on something this Red Alert 3 and kept - on a variety of strong emotion caused by many different things in the game, which lead to war, fight and fight, but in between missions, select only the Continue, do not even look at the Quit and diabolical reluctant to go to the Save. Capitalist Alliance boat, it is unclear how to behave on the water, the last effort extends to the money. Ranged dreadnought - a real pride of the Soviet Navy. Simple statement: Red Alert is back, and EA, in principle, could not adapt to today's world even better. Those who are waiting for new words in the genre, it is worth cross out the numbers on the calendar, parallel laying money on the collector's edition of StarCraft II. Red Alert 3 - a game for those whose fingers are already 12 years old will remember how the rhythm of Hell March.