Review: C&C Red Alert 3: Commander’s Challenge (XBLA)
Command & Conquer. The franchise that pretty much defined the RTS genre (& was coincidentally my first introduction to the genre). It started over a decade ago & where RTS games like Warcraft have evolved into something else entirely or Age of Empires whose fate seems to have been tied with the demise of it’s developer, this franchise has survived it all. From Westwood Studios (the original developer) being absorbed & eventually dissolved by EA to the uprising of living-room game consoles as being the dominate form of hardware (which aren’t very RTS friendly), the original Tiberium series & Red Alert, it’s progressively light hearted spin-off, are both still very successful with a fan base that continues to grow with each new release. It’s even tried to branch out into the FPS genre in the not-so-well received Command & Conquer: Renegade. Even though the formerly PC-only franchise dabbled in the console market back in the 1990’s (there was a version of the first game on the original Playstation), it didn’t fully embrace the console market until this generation. With digitally distributed content being all the rage these days, one shouldn’t be too surprised to see the Command & Conquer universe finally making it’s way on to Xbox LIVE Arcade (& the Playstation Network)…
The Red Alert side of the franchise was originally conceived as a prequel to the Tiberum series of games. When tying it all together didn’t work out so well, they kept the spin-off as it’s own series. The first game was fantastic, but as it delved down the comedic path, it became more & more silly, which further diversified itself from the Tiberium line of games. Red Alert 3 launched on the PC & Xbox 360 around this time last year with the Playstation 3 version landing in early 2009. Now we have Commander’s Challenge. You could probably define it in a couple of different ways, but the short version is if you like Red Alert on the consoles, you’ll probably want to give this one a spin.
Essentially this is a stripped down version of the Uprising expansion pack for Red Alert 3 (which was released for PC’s back in March). The game focuses on the “Commander’s Challenge” part of the expansion pack & takes you on a quest to dominate the globe. To do that, you must complete various “challenges” (which is another way of saying skirmishes). You’ll start off with a small selection of units & can play through each skirmish as any of the three factions (Allied, Soviet, & Empire of the Rising Sun). As you complete each challenge, you’ll unlock new challenges & new units. There are only 13 main scenarios, but in addition to that, there are another 37 optional ones bringing your total to 50 missions.
The first thing I found out is that you must play through the tutorial. I tried to jump right in (like i did on the PC version), but the menus are fairly deep & the variety of options & controls will leave you a bit lost. I really wasn’t that happy with it. The circle menus just felt awkward. I can’t really knock EA for that though. Sure, the controls for Halo Wars were a bit smoother, but the issue here still comes down to the hardware. Maybe if I didn’t have my RTS background on a PC, I would have fared better as my expectations would be different. But since I did, the conversion to a control pad just doesn’t feel right no matter how hard I try.
The challenges are varied in both intent & landscape. But ultimately you’ll start out the same way: build your base, build your army & then go kick some enemy tail. The trick is to build up an army that can counter your enemies units. For example, one of the early challenges has you on an island with you vs 3 separate Empire of the Rising Sun opponents. They all have Steel Ronin & are gunning to take you out. I began with the Soviets. My Tesla troopers seemed to be the best thing I had to throw at them, but it was a long & arduous battle. Playing through the second time as the Allies, I found that several of my units were well suited to fighting the steel-clad Japanese (and were much more effective than the Soviet units). This time around the challenge was much easier as I had a faction that was better equipped to deal with the opposing force.
Probably the biggest issue I had with the game is the lack of multiplayer. I love playing strategy games with my friends just as much as I enjoy playing through the storyline. Not having multiplayer here is just a brutal blow. In fact, quite a few of my friends only play games like this in multiplayer. They don’t even touch the single player. Most of the time in RTS games, the AI is poor, so they prefer to play against human opponents.
But, all is not lost in the land of killer dolphins & satellite bombardments. While the visuals won’t impress & the controls take some getting used to (plus the lack of multiplayer), the game is fun. With 50 different challenges plus a “par time” set on each one (for even more challenge) & 3 different factions to control, there’s a lot to play here for the price you’ll pay. 800MP ($10) isn’t bad at all considering your get at least 30 to 40 hours out of it. Even though there’s no real story line, the AAA cast makes all the full motion videos (one of the trademarks of the franchise) a treat to watch (including 16 time World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair, who is the newest cast member to join the franchise). If you liked Red Alert 3, or if you enjoy RTS games in general, you should pick this up. If not, I’d say at least give it a trial run & check it out…
You can queue up the Xbox 360 demo here or pick up the full version here…
Rating: 
I also have a copy to give away thanks to folks at EA & Aaron “APOC” Kaufman. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me about your fondest Command & Conquer memory. If your new to the series, let me know what you’re looking forward to from the game. The contest will end at 11:59pm MST on Friday, November 13th, 2009. Once it ends, I’ll randomly pick a winner & send you the code. Good Luck!
9 Responses to “Review: C&C Red Alert 3: Commander’s Challenge (XBLA)”
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The only one ive played is Comand And Conquer Generals. I loved the game and i think it was ahead of its time in terms of graphics and the actual AI of the units. I am most looking forward to playing a rts on my xbox as it will be a challenging and rewarding(achievements) experience
Semi New to the C&C series haven’t played it since it first came out and I was just getting done playing dune 2000
Looking forward to great strategic tactics and looks like the graphics have improved tremendously since I last played.. just Looking at some of the vehicle, weapons and defenses from the above screenshots have me salivating!!
Actually the first time i played command and conquer was with Tiberian sun on a 56k connection with friends. But my best experience with the franchise was probably seeing the game in full glory 3D real-life size in Command and conquer: Renegade. Also playing the game on a console (Nintendo 64) was a pretty wierd experience but very fun and enjoyable.
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I’ve never played anything in the C&C series before. I look forward to conquering the world with these great units if I win.
I remember playing the very first C&C back in the day. I had been a fan of Dune 2 so I naturally had to pick C&C up. From then on I was hooked on this great strategy game. One of the best moments was picking up Command and Conquer: The First Decade for the PC. I sat down and played straight from the first to the last. It’s great to see C&C on the Xbox 360 and now on XBLA. Great review!
C&C is the best Strategy game ever !
I played it as a child on Sega Saturn, and i want to play it on XBLA
it’s a epic game !
The winner is: #3 (OregonSlacker). Thanks everyone for participating!!