EA Offering free Command & Conquer games

Electronic Arts is celebrating the 13th anniversay of its Command & Conquer PC real-time strategy game franchise. Although 13 may not be a traditional number to celebrate in gaming, it's good news for gamers. Anyone who logs onto www.redalert3.com can get a free download of the original game, which spawned the 25 million unit-selling franchise. In addition, EA is offering Comand & Conquer Red Alert 2 free to anyone who pre-orders the new Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 game, which ships October 27th. That means you can get all three PC games for just $50 (or $65 if you buy the Premiere Edition of Red Alert 3). The game also ships for Xbox 360.

I got a chance to play the new game at E3 and it's come a long way. One of the newest features is the ability to create bases on water and have naval battles with ships above and below the surface. This adds a whole new dimension to the strategy combat. The graphics have also come a long way. And in keeping with tradition, the new game features 60 minutes of full motion video cinematics starring Hollywood actors like Jenny McCarthy, Gemma Atkinson, Autumn Reeser, and Kelly Hu. You can check out clips from the new game on the main website.

The story behind the new game focuses on time travel, as the Soviets attempt to kill Albert Einstein before he creates the technologies that will allow the allies to win the war. Although they eliminate that threat, they've opened the door for a new enemy, the Empire of the Rising Sun. World War III ensues with the player in control. New this time around is the ability to play cooperatively in this campaign mode.