The very first gameplay footage from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 has been released today. In development at EA Los Angeles, the studio behind Tiberium Wars, RA3 will add co-op campaign play, new units and a new Japanese faction.

The game is slated for release this October; a beta test is scheduled ahead of its release.

EA has revealed that it is working on Tiberium, a new tactical first-perosn shooter set in the world of Command & Conquer. Here’s the deal:

Tiberium is a mysterious extraterrestrial crystal that shatters the energy output of traditional fossil fuels. It has the power to save our civilization; it also has the power to destroy it. For eleven years, an alien tower has stood dormant, looming like an unholy mountain over a wasteland once known as the Mediterranean Sea. The tower was thought to be a relic of the Third Tiberium War; a devastating war fought for control over Tiberium crystal. It is not a relic. It is not dormant. Deep within the tower, plans are in motion for an alien invasion. This is where the Tiberium adventure begins.

The game has players don the role of Forward Battle Commander Ricardo Vega, as he assembles an elite squad to combat the crisis. Tiberium will feature both shooter and tactical squad combat, having players control multiple infantry, armor and air squads.

Chris Plummer, executive producer at EA Los Angeles, said: “After two years of pre-production, it is exciting to finally reveal this game and its rich fiction to the world. We’ve put a lot of effort into evolving the tactical shooter experience by taking core gameplay compulsions like commanding, choice and dominating your enemies and delivering them in first-person. Some of the weapons and mechanics are truly innovative for a first-person game. We’re very proud to be part of a project that has the potential to really make a mark on the canon of sci-fi fantasy fiction.”

It is being developed at EA Los Angeles and will be available worldwide in Autumn 2008 for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

The Command & Conquer series has marched its way through a decade of awesomeness. To celebrate that, EA announced a new compilation title dubbed Command & Conquer Saga, which includes all of the Westwood Studios and EA titles as well as the recently-released C&C3: Tiberium Wars.

The package consists of 13 titles in total and will be released sometime this month for $50. Below is the full list:

• Command & Conquer (August 1995)
  
• Command & Conquer - The Covert Operations (April 1996)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert (October 1996)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Counterstrike (March 1997)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert - The Aftermath (September 1997)
  
• Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun (August 1999)
  
• Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - Firestorm (February 2000)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (October 2000)
  
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 - Yuri’s Revenge (October 2001)
  
• Command & Conquer: Renegade (February 2002)
  
• Command & Conquer: Generals (February 2003)
  
• Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour (September 2003)
  
• Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (March 2007)

RTS-junkies who never played the original Command & Conquer can now say they can. The game’s website is now offering free downloads of the original game to celebrate the franchises 12th anniversary.

The original Command & Conquer Gold is up for grabs; it is the same version included with the collectors pack Command & Conquer: The First Decade and is compatible with Windows XP.

Instructions to download, burn and install the game is included on the website, which also reveals that more is coming as they plan on celebrating the decade of the venerable RTS series.

On the Command and Conquer website is the v1.01 update for C&C: The First Decade, updating the recently released bundle. The update fixes missing moves from Covert Operations, Red Alert and its expansion packs.