Though EA specifically uses the term "expansion" to describe it, Uprising will be a standalone product. The single-player component will contain four mini-campaigns. There will be one section for each of the game's three factions that will continue the story where RA3 left off, and also a bonus campaign that serves as an origin story for Yuriko, the Empire's commando unit. There will also be a Commander's Challenge mode where players can play against nine of the game's AI commanders in 50 different challenges. Each will have specific requirements and rules.
The campaign mode will also feature some new full-motion video. The info out so far makes it sound like only Gemma Atkinson and Ivana Milicevic will be returning, but they'll be joined by "an all new set of stars."
Here are the words straight out of Amer Ajami's mouth on all this:
“Uprising is a game that in many ways reflects the feedback we have gotten from the Command & Conquer community,” said Amer Ajami, Senior Producer at EA Los Angeles. “We’re giving gamers more of what they want – more of the fast, fluid and fun gameplay, more of the story we began to tell in Red Alert 3 and more cutscenes featuring top-notch Hollywood talent. At the same time, we’re excited we’re going to be able to bring new things to the mix, including new units and the Commander’s Challenge, which is a great way for players to hone their skills and get deeper into the combat.”
It's interesting to see that this is going to be a digital-only release, and it sort of makes me wonder how well the game did on PC if they're not putting this expansion into stores. Also of note is that the product has been announced as being "exclusively for the PC." Sounds like Xbox 360 owners won't get a chance to continue the story. But there's still a PlayStation 3 version of Red Alert 3 coming along at some point... maybe it could ship with the Uprising content already on the disc? Possible, but I'm not holding my breath.