Red Faction: Guerrilla is the third installment of the franchise and is a blast to play.
Smashing apart buildings with your sledgehammer and detonating large quantities of explosives is basically what it's all about.
If you have played previous games of the franchise you'll find this new game a little different from the others.
This time around it's a third-person shooter but like previous titles it plays out entirely on Mars in the year 2075.
Set
in a sandbox style, Red Faction: Guerrilla offers a number of side and
story missions in its single-player campaign. There are also a
multitude of multiplayer options that make for some explosive fun.
You
play as Alec Mason, a newcomer to the planet. Before you know it your
brother is killed by the violently oppressive Earth Defense Force or
EDF and you find yourself fighting for the Red Faction resistance
movement.
The object of the game is to liberate six zones on Mars, each with its own set of side and story missions.
In
order to bring the EDF to it's knees and liberate each zone, you have
to bring the control rating of that zone down. There are a few ways
this can be achieved by using guerrilla tactics and
guerrilla actions.
Guerrilla actions include:
Guerrilla Raids
– If you hear a call go out about raiding EDF locations, head there and
help out. Killing drones and destroying EDF buildings boost morale.
EDF Assault
– Listen to your radio for any guerrillas expecting an EDF raid.
Killing off all the drones will lower their control over that sector.
House Arrest
– EDF is the law on Mars and they will lock you up whether you like it
or not. So when that call comes across the radio of fellow comrades
being held hostage, head over there and free any prisoners. Getting
those people to a Safehouse will boost morale.
Demolitions Master
– Hone your skills as a member of the Red Faction. Find these terminals
that are placed around Mars that will teach you how to demolish
buildings quickly and more efficiently. Pass the test and earn salvage
for your effort.
Collateral Damage
– A guy named Jenkins will call you on the radio and he will ask you to
ride shotgun as he drives around. You have to destroy as much EDF
property as possible. Cause enough damage and you will boost morale.
Transporter
– Find vehicles around all sectors that have intel, weapons and other
gear stashed inside. Entering the vehicle triggers a hidden transmitter
which prompts you to bring the vehicle to the designated Safehouse.
Interception
– Techs are monitoring EDF frequencies for information. Anytime a call
comes across the radio about an EDF delivery they will ask someone to
go after it. Track the courier down and kill him for the intel.
Convoy – EDF
convoys more around regularly and are carrying vital equipment.
Sometimes you have to capture a certain vehicle and other times you
have to destroy the convoy altogether.
Heavy Iron
– basically stomp around and destroy any EDF in sight, creating a
diversion so that the Red Faction can operate in the area undetected.
As you can see there are quite a few different things to keep you busy.
Now
one of the most important things in this game is salvage, as you use it
to purchase and upgrade weapons and tools. This includes everything
from remote mines, a variety of sledgehammers, better armour, devastating
thermobaric rockets and even a jetpack.
Salvage
can be collected by mining crystals, roadside wreckages, finishing
certain missions and destroying EDF building or vehicles.
Through
the use of the games Geo-Mod Technology 2.0, blowing stuff up has never
been more fun. I spent hour after hour smashing stuff with my
sledgehammer.
The new destruction engine is one of the most realistic you'll see to date.
Red
Faction: Guerrilla delivers an impressive sense of destructive freedom,
as structures and objects can be crippled and demolished not only by
using explosives or your sledgehammer, but also any vehicles you see in
the game world.
The map system has an easy to use layout that
allows you to set way points to your next destination and makes looking
for your next challenge easy.
After performing enough missions
the EDF control in a sector will eventually drop to zero, opening a
final liberation mission.
Once you have successfully
completed the final liberation mission you secure the land in the
name of the Red Faction forces.
You'll then move forward
in the story, which at times is delivered through radio chatter and at
others through cinematics, that draw you deeper into the story (and they
look cool too!).
Graphic wise, Red Faction doesn't seem to stack
up, the graphics is probably the only point in which I was let down. The
surface of Mars isn't rendered in much detail and the architecture of
the buildings is boxy and ugly. This is a shame because that newGeo-Mod Technology 2.0 works so well.
But
I'm sure you will be too distracted floating around on your
jetpack (once you have unlocked it) and launch rockets into buildings
as you watch them collapse into the ground to even notice the bland
backdrop.
The
online experience is also one to remember. The same destruction carries
over into the online experience. Deathmatches are a free-for-all and
team variety stand out from the normal affair due to the third-person
shooting gunplay.
One standout of the online multiplayer is the
variety of jetpacks available , ranging from stun-inducing shock
waves to jump jets and extra destructive power. The fun is endless.
I
highly recommend giving Red Faction: Guerrilla a look in, great
gameplay, easy controls, wide variety of missions and, side missions to
keep you busy and not forgetting you can pretty much destroy everything
in-game. What more could you ask for.
Game: Red Faction: Guerrilla System: PS3
Players: 2 Online: Yes Developer: Volition,
inc.
Distributor: THQ Games
