Ok Red Alert 2
fans, Its finally here, the moment of truth. Will Yuri’s revenge be nearly as
good as Red Alert 2? Will it hold up to most gamers anticipated needs? Will
it be the most incredible expansion ever? My answer is ABSOLUTELY! Here is
an idea of what you get for your 30- something bucks.
New tech
buildings:
Civilian power plant- you capture one of these it will greatly
enhance your current power supply. Machine shop- You capture this and all
your damaged vehicles will automatically begin repairing regardless of
location. Secret tech lab- You capture this and you are able to build a
special unit that you are not normally able to build. Though the Hospital is
not new, the fact that once you capture this, all your infantry units begin
healing regardless of location. (Now the hospitals are worth getting)
New Allied
units and structures:
Guardian GI-
when deployed cannot be crushed and fires a weapon used both for anti tank and
aircraft.
Navy Seals-
equipped with a machine useful against infantry and vehicles. They can also
plant C4 charges like Tanya, but not nearly as good looking!
Robot Tank- The
main strength of this unit is that it cannot be mind controlled. It can also
hover over water. The down side is they will cease to function with low power
or if robot control center is destroyed.
Robot control
center- builds robot tanks and can be built after war factory.
New Soviet
units and structures:
Boris- Highly
effective rate of fire is awesome against infantry. He uses a laser
designator to call in an air strike of Mig fighters to decimate any structure
he lights up.
Siege Chopper-
when flying its mobile and effective against enemy infantry units. When
deployed it reveals a massive weapon that will destroy stationary objects from
a long range.
Spy plane- When
the soviets build a radar, they immediately begin development of a spy plane.
When fully charged it can be deployed anywhere. As it passes over the
terrain, it reveals the shroud allowing the soviets to see new areas of the
map.
Battle bunker-
It really doesn’t have any defense of its own, but can be occupied by
conscripts and has the effect of a garrison building.
YURI’S ARMY
(WIHOO)
I will list all
the new units and structures here, but unfortunately I will not be able to
elaborate much do to the vast number.
Yuri units:
Initiate,
engineer, virus, Yuri clone, brute, Yuri prime, lasher tank, chaos drone,
gattling tank, MCV, magnetron, Master mind, Floating Disk, Amphibious
Transport, Boomer Submarine, Construction yard, Bio Reactor, Slave Miner,
Barracks, War Factory, Submarine Pen, Psychic Radar, Psychic Reveal, Grinder,
Battle Lab, Citadel Walls, Tank Bunker, Gattling Cannon (a couple of these are
fantastic for air defense) Psychic Tower, Cloning Vats, Genetic Mutator, and
Psychic Dominator. More on these units at
http://www.westwood.com/.
What does all
this mean? New units + New strategies = A ton of fun
There are 14 new
campaign missions (7 allied and 7 soviet) though rather short, very
entertaining. We still have the movie clips with all our favorite actors
including my personal favorite TANYA! She has lightened her hair a bit but
still gorgeous! Like any great sequel, bringing back the same characters and
actors is important, and this is a job well done. We still have all those
great units on the allied and soviet fronts so don’t worry if you have your go
on units like I do, they are still here. Your strategy just might have to be
altered a bit as there are many new changes to contend with. The new Yuri Army
cannot be played as a campaign, but can be used in the skirmishes as well as
in multiplayer.
Multiplayer
games have taken on a new twist as well. Now your ranking can only be
tabulated through quick matches. The new quick co-op allows you to team up
with another human player and tackle the computer AI. You and you partner
will fight against two computer opponents on a map with random settings. You
can also choose a multiplayer option called team alliance that uses maps
specifically designed for team play. Each side has starting positions in close
to each other allowing allies to begin in close proximity.
I can honestly
say I would not change a thing. When I hear expansion, this is what I have
always envisioned, but have been let down. Yuri’s Revenge has just raised the
bar on what a good expansion is supposed to be!
Installation:
Easy
Gameplay: 9.7
Smooth, fast fun, and from what I have
found, bug free.
Graphics:
9.5
Ok, it might not
be eye candy but the graphics are done very well. Considering all the moving
units and multiple battles going on, the graphics are excellent and do not
require the latest video cards to enjoy.
Sound:
9.5
Some new voices
and taunts, great music and sound effects.
Difficulty:
10
So many choices
you can make this game as difficult as you can handle
Concept:
9.7
Everything an
expansion should be
Multiplayer:
10
Easy to use and
free! New multiplayer modes and co-ops make this a ton of fun.
Overall:
9.7
At time of
review…I wouldn’t change a thing! WAY TO GO EA and WESTWOOD!!