Command & Conquer Yuri's Revenge Updated Preview

By , GameSpotPosted Sep 13, 2001 6:54 pm PT

Read our impressions on the latest build of Yuri's Revenge.

Westwood Studios claims that Yuri's Revenge, the upcoming add-on to Red Alert 2, is the most ambitious expansion pack the developer has ever made. That statement certainly rings true. Yuri's Revenge does more than add some new missions to Red Alert 2--it adds a third faction into the fray and expands the arsenals of the original two sides. The expansion is the end result of ideas that Westwood designers wanted to implement in Red Alert 2 but didn't have the time to, as well as feedback from fans of the original game. In fact, Westwood recently invited a number of fan site editors to get some hands-on time with the gold version of Yuri's Revenge at the company's Las Vegas offices. It's a testament to how seriously Westwood takes the suggestions and criticism of its players.

A lasher tank sneaks up on an enemy base.

Yuri's Revenge takes place immediately after Red Alert 2. Romanov is in prison, and the Allies think that peace will finally preview. That is, until Yuri resurfaces. Psychic dominators constructed during the war are being activated around the globe. These devices have the ability to control the minds of the world's population. The Allied forces in San Francisco were able to knock out the power of the psychic dominator on Alcatraz, but time is running out. Fortunately, they have a plan: Einstein has invented a time machine that the Allies can use to destroy the psychic dominators before they can become operational. Don't count out the defeated Soviets, though--the wounds from their recent defeat and their fury over Yuri's betrayal have left them thirsty for vengeance. Their campaign requires you to capture the time machine and return to the past to not only stop Yuri, but also to change the outcome of the war to achieve Soviet victory.

Yuri's Revenge will offer 14 new campaign missions, seven for the Allies and seven for the Soviets. There isn't a campaign for Yuri, because Westwood wanted him to be the common hated enemy. Besides, it'd be hard to craft a campaign for his side since it's on the brink of victory in the present and it didn't exist in the past. The expansion also adds 10 cooperative missions that you can go through with a buddy.

New missions are nice and all, but most fans are interested in the changes made to the multiplayer mode and unit balancing. The first thing fans will notice is the changes made to Westwood Online. A quick co-op button was added, but the biggest change is the ability to create a game with up to six players. Next, when setting up a game, you'll not only see the starting positions of players on the map, but you can also choose where to start yourself. Other than the ability to head straight for a your opponent(s) early on, this feature really doesn't change the gameplay at all, since you'll still need to scout the map to remove the shroud. Besides, the game's units are now balanced in a way designed to counter early rushing.

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jakeboudville
Posted Sep 10, 2006 7:40 pm PT

kinda impressive
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