Red Alert 3 is very fun, even with a few good and bad changes to the gameplay.
Following in the footsteps of Red Alert 2, RA3 continues with super-paced gameplay. For gamers wanting both strategy and loads of action, RA3 won't disappoint. There are three campaigns of average length. That obviously includes the Allies and the Soviets, but the new addition is the Empire of the Rising Sun, which brings a new twist to the series. The Soviet and Allied campaigns are unfortunately easy, but the difficulty rises a bit in Japan's later levels. Like in RA2, you will need to mass-produce units and raze your enemy's base as quickly as possible. Not as much strategy involved as other entries in the franchise, but the adrenaline-pumping action makes up for it. However, the amount of strategy in RA3 takes another blow with the change to resource-gathering. Instead of a harvester used to go and pick up ore out of fields, you now simply buy a building in front of an ore mine, and your harvester travels the miniscule distance between the two until the mine runs dry. So now there are no real strategic points on the battlefield to fight over, resulting in a more brainless (albeit still fun) game. All three factions have their huge advantages and disadvantages, but overall RA3 does an excellent job of being balanced.
The obvious change to the gameplay is the completely cooperative campaign. When playing the campaign alone, players are stuck with an AI-controlled teammate, which is doable if you can get over the overall lameness of the friendly AI's intelligence. You can tell them where and what to attack or defend, but it can be annoying to get used to. For the higher difficulties, you definitely want a human ally, either over a local connection or the internet. That is where the game truly shines, as pummeling the AI takes a long time to get boring despite a weak invitation system. Like with previous C&C titles, you can also compete against people online in 1-on-1 or 2-on-2 (and so on) battles. Again, the well-balanced factions result in some good battles. However, the slow resource-gathering drops the rate of early rushes, adding the bigger need for more critical thinking when building units early on. While this is fun in its own right, the battles can sometimes drag on longer than in previous C&C games and result in more lackadaisical battles that are more casual-friendly than ever before. Even with plenty of fun to be had in this area, I can't help but feel disappointed in the direction EA has taken the franchise.
RA3 follows up on Tiberium Wars with its graphical prowess; one of the better-looking RTS's on the market. While it doesn't have the heavy use of shaders that Tiberium Wars had, the lighting effects are sublime, and the textures buildings, units, and the environments are very well-polished. Running it maxed out, the beautiful attacks from multiple units are one time will light up your computer screen with a stunning array of colors. The huge amount of units on-screen makes for some awesome battles, especially with RA3's very smooth overall performance. The cut-scenes are wack, but funny, and get the job done nicely with RA3's purposely inane plot. The music is strong, but gets repetitive, especially late in the game. Not really bad, but it just doesn't add anything to the fun the way a soundtrack should.
Getting over the lack of strategy during the campaign, the general absence of difficulty, and somewhat lethargic online mode can be a tough pill to swallow. However, the hectic campaign and its wonderful fully cooperative gameplay add a new dimension to RTS gaming. The pure fun to be had in Red Alert 3 simply cannot be denied and the pretty graphics just add to the experience, even if they're not as awesome as in Tiberium Wars. More casual-friendly, Red Alert 3 is easily recommendable to people who are just starting out in the genre as well as long-time fans of the series. It's certainly not one of the best games in the franchise by any means, but there are still many hours of fun to be had.