Red Faction: Guerrilla

Review from Cav - Wednesday, 10 June 2009 @ 3:58am

Firstly, I have never played a Red Faction game before ..... there you go, I’ve said it

Let me give you a quick rundown on what’s happening in Red Faction Guerrilla:

• You rock up to Mars, which has been overrun but the Earth Defence Force (EDF)

• You catch up with your brother, who tells you about a resistance movement known as the Red Faction.

• He gets a cap in his ass and you suddenly become the go to man for the Faction and leader of the Guerrillas

• You have to liberate the planet by rescuing hostages, stealing vehicles, stopping couriers and convoys and pretty much go about blowing shit up, knocking shit down and generally screwing The Man over again and again and again.

Wait for the DLC: Red Faction Dukes of Hazzard

...and what kind of gamer doesn’t enjoy blowing shit up! Hell I’d even give it a go on Nintendogs if someone could re-write my kids cartridge for me! Destruction would be the ultimate sell point of RF:G. The Geo-Mod 2.0 engine, which generates some of the prettiest and most visually beautiful destruction I have ever seen, is an awesome bit of kit. One thing you must do: I want you to stare into the flames, then try and tell me they are not the best looking flames in a game so far. The rolling plains of Mars are gorgeous, panning out into the distance beautifully. Not only that, but the actual delay in structures falling down is spot on. Having to hit main load bearing points in a building is an awesome touch. I don’t know fuck all about engineering, but my step dad is a civil engineer and I was pretty good with Lego, so in my tainted “expert” opinion, it does a good job. There is a good level of satisfaction when you strategically place three or four mines in precise places on a building or tower and see it crumble to the ground with one press of a button.

More DLC: Red Faction Paris to Mars to Dakar Rally

So how do I take these buildings down I hear you ask? Well there are enough weapons in Red Faction: Guerrilla to make Q from James Bond say “Dang bi-atch! That’s a butt-load of toys, dawg!”... well that is if he was actually a gangsta rapper from Harlem and not a well spoken, creative English scientist working for MI5. You start with the basics: Mines for blowing the bejeezus out of things, and a sledge hammer: apparently a staple tool for any interplanetary miner. I thought a pick axe may have been more of a miner’s tool and also make for more fun in multiplayer when lodging it on an opponent’s skull. No, wait... I smell Classification Board. I’ll just shut up now. Anyway, as you progress and collect salvage, the main ‘currency’ for the game, and you can have more weaponry created for you by another member of your resistance force - Samanya, a bit of a techo guru, who knows nothing other than the mining way of life on Mars. She whips up all sorts of goodies, my favourite being the Grinder, which launches saw blades. The results from the use of this weapon aren’t as graphically satisfying as you think it would be, but its fun none the less.

With the game play area being so expansive, vehicles are a must and amazingly there a quite a few on Mars. Those of you who pre-ordered this game from EB got yourselves a model AmRuKuo Heavy Walker. Come to think of it, those people who already have this game aren’t reading this, unless you care to hear what theCAVman has to say... and I know you all love me. You really, really love me. The economy model of the Light Walker looks just like the machine Ellen Ripley kicks extra-terrestrial arse in Aliens. Some of the vehicles available are great for ramming structures and control really well, but others are just terrible to drive and you’ll find yourself frustrated as hell when you have to use that specific vehicle in a mission.

Now the crossover! Red Faction vs Halo

When you take the main protagonist, Alec Mason, on a rampage over the Red Planet you can have some real fun. Say you have to go and rescue some poor saps who got nabbed by the EDF, you have two choices: wander in the front door and politely shoot everyone on your way through OR go to the back of the building and quietly..... blow a big freakin’ whole in the wall, taking all the stealth out of your approach, and rush in and hope the scores of EDF who are now alerted to your presence don’t come in and beat you down quicker than a group of Melbourne nightclub bouncers on CCTV. If you are lucky, people in the vicinity of your actions will join you in your exploits and start to attack EDF members, aiding you in your quest. Many hands make light work.

So although I've set the scene with the where, how, why and what with ... I haven’t gotten to the part where I feel RF:G falls down: How many. As in how many times must I do the same sort of thing to advance with the story. I must have too much old school RPG in me because I just couldn’t deal with blowing this up, blowing that up, rescuing him, rescuing her. It just seemed too repetitive for me. One rescue mission, one recon mission, one major installation hit, one hit and run. I'm saying that a little more variety would have been better, although it may or may not have shortened the game a smidge, depending on the creativity of the story writers. I was also disappointed when I liberated one whole area, there was no real fanfare, just a 'get your arse to the next section and fix their problems'. Reminded me of my UFC review where I won the title belt and got no recognition from the boss. Here is a message to THQ and the developers they work with: We gamers are simple creatures. Yes we get kind of excited when the little trophy appears on our screen, but sometimes that just isn’t enough. Just a little bit love goes a long, long way.

Bonus hidden Easter Egg! Transformers 2 sneak preview! Okay, not really

In regards to the multiplayer, I think I’ve played way too much COD4 Multiplayer, as I longed for the ability to play First Person. Multiplayer action is pretty good, finding a game isn’t that hard and I didn’t notice any lag in any of my sessions which as Aussies is ALWAYS a bonus. I did find that there is a little too much to the controls when you are under the pump, just as I did with main game. The backpack pick-ups are great. I love the Rhino pack but it’s kinda useless in multiplayer. I never had the headset on, but I’m sure someone out there has let slip the classic X-Men 3 line “I’m the Juggernaut, bitch!” as they crash through a building.

Pros

Attach a mine to a foes head and watch him run about freaking the hell out – a huge laugh. Visually pleasing. Online multiplayer is satisfying enough to hang onto this just to play online.

Cons

Rinse / Repeat syndrome. Some vehicles control like a tricycle with two buckled wheels. Missing some significant cut scenes. Play through again? Maybe not

Summary

Red Faction Guerrilla sees me torn once again. I have seen quite a few reviews rating this right up there, but I just don’t see this. Shoot me down when you discuss this topic on our forums, I’ll be happy to elaborate on my opinions. Multiplayer seems to be a winner though.