Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 (2008)

Author: Ea Los Angeles

It's fair to say that most strategy games take themselves very seriously. There's a tendency to be as historically accurate as possible and give a hard look at the stresses of the setting or period. Then came Red Alert 3, a game that bundles history with sci-fi in a cheesy, humorous experience. Except that's likely an understatement. The title starts, for example, with a live action cutscene, featuring Russian leaders who travel back in time to kill Albert Einstein. The idea is to cripple the allies' technology, but instead, Japan rises. It dominates the world with giant mechs and a huge ground force, having to defend Pearl Harbor from the allies rather than attack it. As the player, you can take the helm of any of those three factions, presenting a different, yet equally hilarious campaign. Though there are no huge differences in mechanics, there's enough diversity in units and gameplay restrictions to provide hours of entertainment. That's only heightened by the game's co-op mode, which was one of the first in the genre. Then there's multiplayer, which is the best in the series. You'll be part of a three-faction land, sea, and air battle, pushing the advantages of your faction to its limits in a well-balanced meta. Advanced casting and spectating features make for a perfect competitive scene, and community support means it's still active nine years later.