After seven years, the wait is almost over. The return to the over-the-top, time-altered universe of Red Alert – where parachuting armored bears, George Takei, war dolphins and psionic Japanese school girls can co-exist without question – is almost here! EA Los Angeles is announcing today that Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 has gone gold for the PC and will ship to retail stores on October 28th, 2008.

Red Alert 3 brings back everything fans enjoy about the series, from the fast, fluid and fun gameplay, to the humorous tone and distinct art style, while adding new innovations for the entire genre including three separate campaigns designed for fully co-operative play and an unprecedented emphasis on naval gameplay. And it would not be a Red Alert game without live-action cinematics featuring the largest cast in the history of video games, starring in over an hour’s worth of high-definition movies, including the likes of Gemma Atkinson, Gina Carano, Randy Couture, Tim Curry, Kelly Hu, Jenny McCarthy, Jonathan Pryce, Autumn Reeser, J.K. Simmons, Peter Stormare, George Takei and more.

Aside from the standard edition of Red Alert 3, EA is also offering die-hard Red Alert and Command & Conquer fans the Red Alert 3 Premier Edition – a limited edition package that includes a bonus DVD with over an hour of exclusive content, including interviews with the cast and a behind the scenes look at the shooting of the game’s cinematic sequences. The Premier Edition is also packed full of additional Red Alert 3 goodness, including exclusive multiplayer maps, strategy tips from the development team, the official soundtrack and an exclusive beta key to a future Command & Conquer game.

The single-player demo includes the entire 7-minute opening cinematic from the game, along with three of the game’s interactive tutorials and one campaign mission from both the Soviet and the Allied campaigns for a full-blown taste of Red Alert action:

• Krasna-45: Circus of Treachery – The second mission of the Soviet campaign, players will immediately be introduced to battling the series’ newest faction, the Empire of the Rising Sun, escorting the Soviet’s commando Natasha to a launch facility, protecting her from the Imperial ambush division waiting to attack.
• Heidelberg: The Famous Liberation – Players will then switch their attention over to the Allied cause, in the third mission in the Allied campaign, teaming up with an in-game Co-Commander to take out the Soviet’s powerful Iron Curtain and headquarters in Germany.

The demo gives gamers a great opportunity to try out Red Alert 3 before the game’s first major patch is released later this year. The upcoming update will include the WorldBuilder, the game’s map-making and mod tool and a community favorite, enhancements to AutoMatch for multiplayer, balance fixes and an easy-to-use de-authorization tool that will allow players to de-authorize previously authenticated machines that they no longer wish to play Red Alert 3 on, ultimately giving them the freedom to play on an unlimited number of computers.

System Requirements:

• OS – Windows XP / Vista (32-Bit)
• Processor – XP: 2.0 GHz (Intel Pentium 4; AMD Athlon 2000+; Multiple Cores) / Vista: 2.2 GHz (Intel Pentium 4/AMD Athlon 2200+/Multiple Cores)
• Memory – XP/Vista: 1 GB
• Hard Drive – Media: 6.0 GB / EA Link: 12.0 GB
• DVD Drive - 8 SPEED
• Video Card – NVIDIA GeForce 6800, ATI Radeon X1800 or higher end DirectX 9.0c compatible gfx card
• Sound Card - DirectX 9.0c compatible (Creative Sound Blaster Audigy cards require a Intel P4 2.6 GHz or similar under Vista, Yamaha Xwave-512 not supported)
• Online Multiplayer – 512 Kbps or faster; 2-8 Players
• Input - Keyboard, Mouse
• Optional – VoIP Headset

Command & Conquer fans eager to experience Red Alert 3 before anyone else can get early access to the beta (PC only) by picking up a copy of C&C 3: Kane's Wrath or the Command & Conquer 3 Limited Collection later this year. By ordering C&C 3: Kane’s Wrath and registering with the Beta Key before September 15th, 2008, you are guaranteed a chance to play the multiplayer Beta before Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 releases.

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 on PC will ship Oct. 28, while the Xbox 360 will launch on Nov. 11th, 2008.

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