Red Alert 3: Uprising First Impressions

A hallmark of the real-time strategy genre has always been expansion packs, so Uprising will certainly be no surprise to Command & Conquer veterans. After introducing a wide range of wacky, improbable, and ingenious contraptions in Red Alert 3, the team at EA LA are adding a dozen more with the first expansion, Uprising, which is being released for the PC later in March. Senior producer Amer Ajami was on hand to showcase the pack during a recent media event at EA's Guildford offices.

Uprising kicks off after the events in Red Alert 3, taking place after the Allies have won the war. Despite being victorious, it's not all easy going for the new global watchdog and all-round peacekeeper, and the Allies will still have a fight on their hands as the Soviets and Empire of the Rising Sun continue to wage war. Uprising will also shed some light on private military contractor Futuretech, which was briefly mentioned in Red Alert 3, and how it has enabled the Allies to stay at the forefront of military technology. In addition to introducing three new "minicampaign" modes--one each for the Allies, Soviets, and Rising Sun--Uprising also introduces a new mode exclusively for fan favourite Yuriko. The Japanese schoolgirl will have a number of commando-style missions to undertake, and the action centres on the Shiro Sanitarium, where she was empowered with her psionic abilities. Ajami told us that other characters will return for Uprising, including our personal favourite Lt Eva McKenna, played by British bombshell Gemma Atkinson.

Yuriko's sister Azumi, a new (and presumably nonplayable) character for the series, sends you a psychic video message telling you to escape using your special abilities. Yuriko's "one-man army" missions are essentially dungeon-crawling exercises and will be familiar to those who've played previous instalments in the series. You can't build structures or call for reinforcements and instead will have to rely on her powers to get you through.

During her campaign, you'll unlock several powers that let her lift and squeeze enemies to a pulp, unleash an Akira-like bubble that destroys nearby infantry, mind-control up to three nearby enemy units, as well as use telekinesis to throw objects in the environment at her foes. Yuriko is still sensitive to enemy fire, and you'll need to be careful when attacking other troops, but thankfully there are healing stations scattered throughout the Sanitarium that will let you recharge when you stand within a certain radius. While battling your way through the facility, you'll encounter terminals on which you can unlock secret files and new abilities. EA LA has also updated the game's physics system, including new rag-doll physics specifically for this mode, which makes sense given the smaller, indoor war zone.

Commander's Challenge is another new addition and is similar to the General's Challenge in Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour. In it, you'll fight skirmishes against AI-controlled commanders. There are 50 skirmish maps to complete, and each features a par time to beat; we're told that you'll unlock some extra goodies if you manage to finish the whole mode under par. It looks as if this will offer a challenge to experienced players, given that Ajami managed to miss the seven-and-a-half minute par time for the level being demoed by a clear 30 seconds.

The exact number of new units is still being finalised, but expect to unlock up to a dozen as you progress through the expansion's Campaign, Skirmish, and Commander's Challenge modes. Although Uprising is a purely single-player experience, Ajami told us that the team will decide in six months or so if it will update RA3 with a patch to let new units be playable in multiplayer matches. We saw two new units during the presentation: the Allies' Pacifier, developed by Futuretech, and the Rising Sun's Giga Fortress. The Pacifier is a hovertank equipped with twin miniguns that let you mow through groups of infantry in no time. The secondary attack can be used only on land, given that it turns the tank into a devastating, long-distance field artillery unit. Cruising around the battlefield with one of these, Ajami was able to lay waste to enemy structures within seconds of deployment.

If the Pacifier sounds menacing, wait until you see the Rising Sun's Transformers-like Giga Fortress. This city-sized behemoth can float on water, resembling a lotus flower, or it can transform into a floating sphere to effortlessly glide above the ground while raining missiles on foes from on high, with a giant laser as its secondary attack. Apparently the Giga Fortress is immensely powerful, making victory almost certain, provided that it's not destroyed during the lengthy one-minute build time.

Red Alert 3: Uprising is due out in March and heading exclusively to the PC. For more on Red Alert 3, read our full review and watch our exclusive interview with Amer Ajami on this week's episode of Start/Select.