When comparing Hearts of Iron 3 vs Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, the Slant community recommends Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for most people. In the question“What are the best Alternate History games on Steam?” Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is ranked 3rd while Hearts of Iron 3 is ranked 5th.
Specs
Ranked in these QuestionsQuestion Ranking
Pros
Pro Mods available that improve historical accuracy
For those interested there is a mod that improves historical accuracy called the Historical Plausibility Project. This mod features many improvements to the game such as complex politics that were not originally in the default game.
Pro Good graphics and colorful visuals
Pro Fun campaigns for all three factions
There are three factions that the player can choose to play as (Allies, the Soviet Union, and the Empire of the Rising Sun), each with their own story which makes for plenty of gameplay and a different experience each.
Pro Has a co-op campaign
The main campaign was designed with co-op in mind which means you and a friend can play through the main story together.
Pro Long-lasting skirmish single player
Pro I still play this game due to the fun side game.
Cons
Con Difficult to get into
The game is really difficult to learn all the mechanics of and how to control, like most Paradox games. For those that like this difficulty there is a lot to like but for the most part it only appeals to the die hard fanatics.
Con Game is FPS locked
Framerate locked to the engine at 30 FPS.
Con Occasional pathfinding issues complicate unit placement
Due to slight issues with pathfinding, player units can become stuck at certain parts of the map, causing frustrating situations when those units are needed to be in a particular placement but were unable to do so.
Con AI opponents possess few strategies allowing it to be easily manipulated
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3's AI reuses a limited selection of strategies, which therein allows the player to identify what actions the AI will most likely be performing next. With this knowledge of what the enemy AI will be doing, skirmish matches and campaign missions will be easily beaten, providing little to no challenge for experienced players.