Red Faction is a game that came out of thin air (or at least seemed to), but thanks to the fantastic demos (single and multiplayer) the game has a healthy online community that I only see growing over time. The change of pace and new style of play, both almost flawlessly executed, will have gamers coming back to Mars for years to come. Outside of a few minor single player issues Volition has nailed this game and has the first big surprise of 2009 on its hands.

Game Details			Loading Reality Scoring
Format	Xbox 360 (all 360 reviews)		Score Meaning: Fantastic game! In spite of small flaws, this game brings something different to the table and executes incredibly well. Any game receiving this score is a contender for game of the year.
Publisher	THQ
Developer	Volition
Category	Shooter		Presentation
ESRB	M		Gameplay
Online Players	16		Graphics
Offline Players	4		Sound
Price	59.99		Value Factor
Release Date	June 2, 2009		Final Score

Red Faction: Guerrilla

I am going to start this review off in the area just about every other reviewer has messed up: the online portion of Red Faction is so fantastic that it deserves the spotlight.

Many developers may be asking this very important question: “How do I get my game noticed among the giants of COD and Halo?” The answer to this question is simple, go do what Volition has done. The team over at Volition has silently crafted one of the most engaging multiplayer experiences I have ever seen seemingly out of thin air. Let me explain how you make a game stand out in these very picky times.

What Red Faction has is a great hook. The destruction in this game simply has no rival. The closest to this would be the Frostbite engine from D.I.C.E., but those that have played that game know that the destruction is simply pre-determined sections that are blown out of buildings. We have yet to see what their engine can do with the next version of Battlefield, but for now Volition is the king of destruction. Imagine a game engine so impressive that it calculates thousands of points on each structure as you slowly hammer away at the support sections. In Red Faction you can actually see a building buckle under the stress after key sections of the foundation are removed. Once you witness this in person you should be blown away.

I remember a while back when Volition mentioned that they were pushing the 360 and PS3 to the limit and many of us blew it off as dev talk. I am here to eat my crow as it is obvious this engine is working overtime on these machines.

The second thing needed for a game to make a dent in the online community is tight controls that feel right. From the amazingly satisfying hammer to the basic assault rifle Red Faction has the feel down to a science. Not since Halo 1 have I been this impressed with a game and how it controls. Any shooter fan will be able to instantly pick up the controller and jump into an online game and have it feel great. This may be the most impressive aspect to Red Faction seeing as so many games get this wrong.

The next bullet point to a great game is a solid matchmaking system. Now many PC gamers will spit at the thought of matchmaking as they love their server lists, but us console gamers love the ability to party up and have the system find another team without having to rely on a host. Red Faction has the best party system in any game this side of Halo 3. Well done Volition.

The final piece to a fantastic online experience is fun and unique game variants. Red Faction has the typical Deathmatch and CTF modes which still have twists with the destruction that is included in each game but Red Faction really shines when your party joins a Siege or Destruction game. This is where Volition shows they know what they have as a product. The goal of both of these modes is to simply cause destruction. In Siege your team is tasked with having to destroy certain buildings in a specific time while the other team defends and rebuilds the structures. The teams then switch sides to see who can take down the buildings the fastest. Having your entire team hammering away at the same building is amazing. Destruction picks a VIP if you will to do the destruction. The rest of the team either defends your VIP or attempts to kill the other teams chosen destruction king. Both modes are so unique to Red Faction and are only possible in this game due to the impressive engine.

If you are looking for a game with a fantastic variety of unique weapons that feel great as you use them then Red Faction is also the game for you. Not since the Halo 2 sword have we had a weapon as satisfying as the sledgehammer. The way you swing this hammer combined with the destruction and feeling of instant death when you land that perfect swing will never get old. I believe this is the reason Volition went with a 3rd person view as the first 2 games in the series were first person shooters. The game also features a backpack system which shakes up online games in a way I have never seen before. You may spawn with a certain backpack or be forces to search for one on the many racks within the game but each pack brings a unique skill that mixes up online games in the most amazing way. Perhaps Jetpack is your favorite, or the Rhino which allows you to plow through any building or person with a burst of speed. The variety of packs adds another level of depth to this already deep online game.

Beyond the massive and impressive online portion you will have a chance to free Mars from the EDF (who you were a part of during the first 2 games). Think GTA on Mars with better explosions and a main focus to destruction. The single player campaign is operated very similar to other open-ended games where you can pretty much go where you would like and run the missions in any order you see fit. The world is broken up into sections and you are tasked to liberate each section before moving on to the next. For the most part this works great and gives you just enough variety to mix up the feel of the game. Any game that asks you to take down buildings with remote charges or rockets is OK by me.

The game will at times fall apart and it is my advice to stop being a tough guy and just play the game on Causal. Anything above that will have you throwing your controller in anger a few times during the game. On Casual you will die but it usually makes sense. The other issues I have are the random missions that pop up during your play that can throw you off your main objectives.

Those not into collecting things may also find a few issues with the single player portion of the game. We have billboards to destroy along with EDF supply crates and the many sections of ore that you need to take care of in order to land all of the achievements/trophies. The EDF supply crates are important as they actually do receive less supplies if you take them out. Luckily for them they have about 4 billion soldiers who have no regrets when it comes to throwing their own bodies at you for the cause.

Story-wise you get the typical beaten down group of people who are slowly rising up against the evil forces that rule over them and the characters within the game are, for the most part, very boring. But as you progress through the game you come to realize you did not land on Mars for the story but for the destruction.

Once you have finished the storyline and are taking a break from multiplayer you have even more options to blow stuff up. You and a local friend can grab one controller and jump into a Wrecking Crew game where you set everything from weapons to unlimited ammo and you take turns trying to destroy as much as you can in a minute. This is a great party mode and more proof that Volition know what they have in this game engine.

I want to also give Volition credit for their sense of humor. As you unlock hammers and equipment via the XP online system, the last hammer you get will be an actual ostrich. This weapon was spawned from a joke made about early Red Faction screenshots over at NeoGaf and the team has enough of a sense of humor to put it into the game. You will literally be smacking people with a full size ostrich. Beyond that you will find cool things like the actual rover that NASA sent to Mars in the single player. The world needs more devs like Volition.

4.5 / 5

Written by :

U2NUMB

 

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Tiger

Game Review: Red Faction: Guerrilla Jun 17 2009 09:00:22 Nice review Ryan. Was looking at this mainly for the campaign, but the m/p sounds amazing and has pretty much sealed the deal for me.

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Kyle

Game Review: Red Faction: Guerrilla Jun 18 2009 06:01:44 Give it a try Tiger and see what you think. It's well worth the money. Out of the 3 games I've gotten so far (Prototype, Fuel, and Red Faction) Red Faction's got much more play time with me. We play almost ever night if you want to join up and play some with us. GT: M o n s t 3 r

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