As you can probably tell from my
review of it, I loved C&C Red Alert 2, the
pseudo-prequel to this. Reason I add in that prefix, is
because while it is a sequel in terms of plot, it isn't
called one by the creators/publisher, but it's made out
to be more of a side story. Whichever Westwood will deem
true, it is definitely a whole new plot in this
"What If?" post-WW2 universe.
Red Alert 2 basically gives you more of the same, but
any negative connotations you'd be quick to associate
with that phrase don't have a place here. However,
anybody that played through the excellent campaigns of
RA2 will love what Westwood has done with this expansion
pack. Yuri, Romanov's right-hand-man from the previous,
now has his own race, including the "Yuri's"
(or Psi-Corps Troopers) and Cloning Vats from the Soviet
side in the original, and several other new units. Of
course, the Soviets have lost the Yuri's and Vats, but
making up for this is the new Siege Chopper. The Allies
have also gotten a new unit, the Battle Fortress, which
literally runs over enemy tanks. The Fortress functions
as a super-IFV, allowing five infantry units to attack
from it's many gun ports. The Guardian GI's are another
new Allied unit. These GIs are excellent against
vehicles and most types of air units. In a Battle
Fortress, their anti-air attack exceeds even the Aegis
Cruiser. Both the Soviets and Allies have new Structures
as well. Allies get an Ore Purifier and the Soviets an
Industrial Plant. The former increases the cash from the
ore brought in by miners, while the latter decreases
unit cost and speeds up build time. That's about it, as
far as what's new for the two original sides. The
biggest new addition is, of course, the new race - Yuri,
who uses mind control, flying saucers and magnets to win
battles.
The package comes with a Soviet and Allied campaign.
Since it's on a single disc, both campaigns are much
shorter than the Red Alert 2 ones. Both have only seven
different missions each, meaning that the combined
time-value of the Single Player mode is 8 or 9 hours or
even less if you don't play on Hard. But that's not
really a problem considering that it's an expansion.
What is a problem, is the lack of a Yuri campaign. I
mean, in RA2, you could play as the enemy (Soviets).
Here, both the Soviets and Allies are "good",
so why can't we play as the "evil" Yuri side?
I wouldn't mind combining both the Soviet and Allied
campaign, since they fight together later on anyway, and
making room for a Yuri campaign. The disc would hold it.
Thankfully, you can at least play as Yuri in the Single
Player Skirmish or online modes.
One notable improvement is an increase in difficulty in
the campaigns. As I mentioned in my review of it, I
played RA2 on Hard, and it was, wait for it, Hardly a
challenge. With Yuri's, there's no more child's play.
It's more like teen/early adult play. Still isn't very
hard for someone with the same mastery of RTS gameplay
as me, but at least the enemy seems to be less of a
pushover.
I didn't find the multiplayer in Red Alert 2 to be
anything special. Sure, it was fun for awhile, but so is
spamming a chatroom. But things change, people change,
life changes, and so does this series. Now, while the
campaigns have deteriorated, the online play has gotten
so much better with the new units and maps. Had they
packaged the multiplayer alone, it would be worth the 30
Canadian, 20 American price tag.
The gameplay is no different from the original. For
those that aren't aware, Yuri's Revenge is a Real Time
Strategy title, meaning that you take the place of a
"Commander" and command both the construction
and defenses of a base, and movement/attacking of a
fleet of units. Not unlike most RTS, you control the
game from a top-down perspective, and are limited in
what you see to where your units are. The difference
here is, that you can also see everywhere your units
have been. The Allies even have a Spy Satellite allowing
you to see the full map.
More of a reason to be happy, this time around Westwood
has fixed the little balance issue from RA2. Conscripts
have been weakened somewhat, you get an improved attack
for certain Allied units, and with the new Allied
Guardian GI and Battle Fortress, the Soviets have a
dreadful weakness. Thankfully, the Terror Drones balance
things out for the Soviet Side, not to mention the
long-range Siege Chopper attack when it's deployed.
Some would also claim that the Yuri side is too limited,
and thus at a disadvantage. However, I beg to differ.
Not since Starcraft has the balance between three sides
been this perfect. Where Yuri lacks in attack power, the
mind controlling aspect evens things out. It can't
control machines, and the new Allied Robot Tank and
Soviet's Terror Drones balances things out for every
side.
Overall, the game is very addictive, but only in the
multiplayer online mode. The new Campaigns are great,
but I am somewhat disappointed by the lack of a Yuri
side. Thus, I wouldn't recommend Yuri's to anybody
without internet access. This doesn't mean you, in case
you were wondering, but for the few that don't, even the
lower price for this expansion is too much. Since
they'll most likely play it on Normal, both Campaigns
could be beat in four or five hours.
Graphics
Westwood has put more on screen this time. While this
makes gameplay more user-friendly, it also, in many
cases, slows things down. I wouldn't doubt that the
detail level has been upped somewhat as well.
There's not much else to say about the graphics. Things
haven't changed much apart from what I mentioned above.
Basically, the graphics are very impressive; almost
life-like at times. Even the smallest element of a map
is well-detailed, and the new Intermissions, not without
vivacious Tanya, are also in here.
Sound
About the only new differences sound-wise is a new theme
for the main menu, and new unit-specific voice overs. A
few of these are laugh-out-loud funny, making the
B-Acting intermissions look like The Talented Mr. Ripley
by comparison. Theres probably a racial insult or two in
the accents "certain" phrases are said in, if
you misconstrue it like free-world people love to do,
but I could care less. Call me Politically Incorrect,
because it's funny, and I love it.
Overall
Buy it for the multiplayer mode. The campaigns are
decent, but the lack of a Yuri campaign which would be
the most interesting of any campaign were it in place is
a big disappointment. So play online instead, as I've
mentioned, it's much better with the new units. For an
expansion pack, Yuri's is unmatched in it's level of
depth.
9.1
