To that effect, a survey has been doing the rounds, listing several planned features for the title, and even going so far as to directly reference the name “Command & Conquer 4″.

Some of the highlights include:

Command & Conquer 4 allows C&C fans to finally experience the epic conclusion to the 15-year Tiberium saga with innovative RPG-like player progression, persistent in both single player and multiplayer modes, co-op play, and new stylized, live-action cinematics.

And…

Which of the following features would you like to see in a future version of Command & Conquer?

* Play in the first RTS game with MMORPG like player progression in which you are rewarded every time you play. Every unit you kill in single player, multiplayer, or skirmish gives you experience points that allows you to level up your abilities and unlock new units, powers, and upgrades to your arsenal.
* Play with all new, bigger and badder, units from GDI and Nod, including the Crawler, the first ever mobile base in RTS games
* Play the campaign on your own or tackle it with a friend, as co-operative campaigns return
* Play in epic 5 vs 5 online multiplayer with all new objective-based game modes
* Introducing the first mobile base in RTS games: The Crawler. Focus on the action as the Crawler becomes your all-in-one base, which can be deployed and redeployed anywhere on the battlefield for even more strategic options
* Dive into an all-new story written by a new scriptwriting team and told through trademark C&C cinematics taken to the next level with grittier, stylized FMVs in the vein of Minority Report.
* Play in the first ever class-based C&C game – a new challenge for C&C and RTS players to master.

In other words, “did you like what Relic did with Dawn of War II? Because that’s what we’re looking at here”. I’m a little sceptical about some of that other stuff, too, especially the “first ever mobile base in RTS games” bit (it’s not) and the ” trademark C&C cinematics taken to the next level with grittier, stylized FMVs” bit (no thanks, we like our cornball).

But hey, it’s just a survey. Not a press release, not a product announcement. So don’t panic just yet.

Survey Suggests Command & Conquer 4 Details [Shacknews]

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3: Uprising is now available. and EA has released this helpful video detailing the Yuriko campaign, which turns the real-time strategy title into a dungeon crawler.

By far the most interesting addition is the Yuriko campaign, which follows the story of the little psychic Japanese girl who was kidnapped as a child and experimented on by Japanese scientists. The player controls Yuriko as she attempts to escape from her captors. As Red Alert 3 story and cinematics producer Mical Pedriana explains, it’s more like a dungeon crawler than a traditional real-time strategy game, pitting a lone unit against multiple enemies. It’s nice to see a developer doing something so different in an expansion, rather than just tossing more of what we’ve already played through.

Word on the street has it that the upcoming PS3 version of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is a doozy. Which is probably why EA are going to be releasing a demo.

It’s scheduled to arrive in “a couple of weeks”, and should give PS3 owners the chance to check out the fancy, upgraded visuals EA LA were able to squeeze out of Sony’s machine. In the meantime, bored C&C fans are urged to check out the special Command & Conquer PlayStation Store Destination (like the Capcom one, only for C&C), where there’s a bunch of Red Alert 3 stuff to get you in the mood for Bear Wrestling.

Red Alert 3 PS3 – Demo, DLC, and Details [PlayStation]

When Command & Conquer Generals was released six years ago, it was released minus one of the game’s original levels. This level was deemed too “controversial”, and has only just now been released.

Called “Black Sheep”, the mission tasks you with driving one of the Global Liberation Army (ie the terrorist faction) chemical weapons vehicles around a “town that had been corrupted beyond salvation by the USA’s propaganda”.

Coming at the height of the WAR ON TERROR, EA decided back in 2003 that such a mission may have been a little much, and cut it from the game when it shipped. With the world slowly moving on by 2009, however, EA reckon it’s totally cool to release it now, and anyone with a copy of Generals can grab it from the game’s website.

Black Sheep [EA]

And again, the Red Alert 3 marketing team outdo themselves, somehow taking Ric Flair and his figure-four leglock and turning it into a heart-warming Command & Conquer-related Valentines Day message.

It’s just one in a series of videos EA threw together for the day, some featuring British working class vixen Gemma Atkinson, others the slightly dead-eyed Australian Holly Valance, but sadly, none featuring Tim Curry or JK Simmons.

[Red Alert 3 @ YouTube]

Seems that our sources at Electronic Arts are correct. Professional wrestler and Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3: Uprising star Ric Flair was indeed fighting bears in Los Angeles. Here’s video proof.

In part one of the “To be continued” series of Flair Vs. Bear spots, Mr. Flair is assaulted by a Russian bear, imagery that should get the ire up of any red-blooded American male.

I can certainly relate. Despite not being much of a professional wrestling fan, I do tend to have discussions with my biceps while recounting my accomplishments. Never been knocked out by a Commie bear, though.

There’s a good reason PlayStation 3 owners have had to wait to play Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 on their console. EA’s been busy packing the ULTIMATE experience onto a Blu-ray disc!

Or so says the EA Store, which now lists the PS3 “Ultimate Edition” port of the latest Red Alert real-time strategy game. What’s different, besides new box art that features 100% more Russian booty?

This stuff: “Bloopers & Outtakes, Behind the Scenes, developer strategy videos, and new battleground maps not found anywhere else! Enjoy your favourite songs from the soundtrack and study tactics with the Unit Profiles video encyclopedia. Watch the women of RA3 heat up the camera in the ‘Girls of RA3′ featurette -all presented in HD Blu-ray with enhanced visuals, and only for the PS3!”

That’s how you make something ultimate, we suppose.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 Ultimate Edition [EA Store via PS3 Fanboy]

Fortunately, EA has a helpful workaround to help gamers in need. Try to guess what it is.

No, that’s actually the solution. Customer support suggests “guessing” the missing character. Start with “A.” If that doesn’t work, try “B.” No? “C” then? Keep going. “D” is next. If it’s not a letter, it might be a number. Try those too. The good news is that three dozen failed attempts to activate your game won’t lock you out of your copy of the game.

From the official C&C customer support page.

There is currently a work around that may allow you to bypass this issue. Since you have the first 19 characters of the code already, you can basically try “guessing” the last character. To do this, simply enter your existing code, and then for the last character, try the letters A-Z, and then the numbers 0-9. You should eventually get the right combination, and be able to play the game.

We’re guessing at least one of the 259 of 1540 people who claim they found this answer helpful are lying.

Gamers alphanumerically challenged can always contact EA via its online “contact us” form or by good old fashioned telephone.

What can I do if my Command and Conquer Red Alert 3 install code is 19 characters instead of 20? [EA via Digg]

Chris Corey, executive producer for Red Alert 3, says that McCarthy is a “badarse” Tanya, that’s she’s more than capable to tackle the role of the special ops commando. After co-piloting a two-player coop demo of the PC version of the real-time strategy game, Corey tried to allay fan fears that the former Playboy Playmate wasn’t ready to fill the tank top. Corey sounded pretty enthused to have her on board.

Hey, if they’re happy, I’m happy.