No, it's not as good as a PC RTS.....but, it's one of the best console RTS I have ever played and it's a lot fun.
I have played many real-time strategy games (RTS) on the PC. One of my favorite development companies is 'Blizzard' solely due to the fact that I grew up loving the 'Warcraft' & 'Starcraft' games. One of the unfortunate problems with being a console gamer now, is that I rarely get to play one of my favorite genres (the RTS) anymore. Or I should say I rarely get to play a GOOD RTS.
While I liked EA's 'Lord Of The Rings' RTS, it wasn't near as good as a PC game. Then I tried the 'Command & Conquer 3' games that they ported over to the Xbox 360 and I didn't like them much at all. I felt the problem with the games was that they didn't lower the difficulty and slow the game down a bit for us console gamers who are stuck using a game controller as opposed to the mouse/keyboard setup. In my opinion, they were frustratingly difficult due to the controls not letting you keep up with the gameplay.
Now we get 'Red Alert 3', which I was excited about since I loved the series on the PC. I had the same trepidation going into this game as I did the others, but at least I would get the crazy fun of the 'Red Alert' series. This series has always been a bit looney (in a good way), in my opinion, because it really doesn't take itself seriously at all. The units, cut-scenes, voice-work, etc. is in a fun & campy style. The gameplay is basically the same, but the series has a lot of character that many can't match.
So how does the game fare on the PlayStation 3? Surprisingly well, in fact. The controls aren't much different that the previous Xbox 360 games I mentioned, but the game is much easier overall. The maps are smaller and the difficulty isn't as high, so the frustration level stays at a minimum. There is less scrolling around the map which is always welcome. This still isn't even close to replicating a PC RTSm however. To me, that's ok if you know that going in. There are LOTS of options here for maximizing your controller, but most of them I didn't even use. It is nice to know that they are there if you want to use them though.
Another problem console RTS's have is the fact that you are playing on a TV. Now having an HD resolution helps, but it's still not as good as a monitor. There are many very tiny units in the game and sometimes they are very hard to click on individually. With that said, this is another area where the game is improved on over the other C&C games for the 360. Units are a bit larger here and it makes a big difference when trying to control them.
The game looks very nice for a console version and there is no slowdown at all. Even when you have huge armies on the battlefield, the game never hiccups. That is a HUGE improvement over EA's 'Lord Of The Rings' RTS. That game was so bad it was almost un-playable at times. Thankfully, it seems that is a problem of the past.
And how could I write a 'Red Alert 3' review without mentioning the incredibly cheesy cut-scenes. Yes, they are bad. But they are bad in a good way. It's filled with B & C list actors and are done in a very fun and 'hammy' sort of way. And any game that features Gemma Atkinson as much as this game does, gets a lot of credit from me.
The game isn't going to win any 'Game Of The Year' awards, but the flack this game is getting from critics is shocking. Previous C&C games for the 360 received very positive reviews, and I have no idea why this one was rated lower. Maybe I am just more of a fan of the 'Red Alert' series than most, but if you are looking for a fun and crazy RTS for your PS3.......this is game you have to check out.