After more than three years in development, the moment of truth has finally arrived. Has THQ and Volition's gamble to completely overhaul the Red Faction franchise with a new third-person perspective, a GTA-inspired open-world gameplay mechanic and a brand-new, built-from the ground-up Geo Mod engine resulted in a revolutionary game that both long-time fans and newcomers alike will get on board with? Well, the short answer is, if you aren't on the bandwagon already, you need to get on it, NOW.

Gameplay:

Taking place 50 years after the events of the original Red Faction, players take on the role of Alec Mason, a drifter who comes to Mars in search of work at the suggestion of his brother, Dan, an independent miner and demolitions expert on the planet. However, before their first day of work together ends, Dan is arrested by the ruling Earth Defense Force under suspicion of being a member of a rebel group called Red Faction (he is), and is killed on the spot. Before Alec can suffer the same fate, he is rescued by members of the Red Faction and now must take up arms alongside them, not only for his survival and the eventual chance for revenge, but also because he and Red Faction are the only hope for Mars’ liberation from the EDF oppressors.

With a lengthy, original story to tell and a wealth of gameplay to boot, Volition has wisely borrowed much of RF: G’s on-foot and vehicle control schemes from games like Grand Theft Auto 4, Gears of War, and Halo 3, so anyone who has played these kinds of games in the past will be able to jump right in without having to make too many mental adjustments. The basics of GoW’s cover system, health meter and “roadie run”, GTA’s driving controls, and Halo’s floaty jumps and lethal melee attacks are all there, and aside from the cover system being a little dodgy depending on what weapon Mason is holding, playing the game will feel like an old, familiar glove to veterans of the above titles. Plenty of assistance and customization is also available for beginners in the options menu and the helpful “Guerrilla’s Handbook”, both of which can be accessed by pressing the Start button.

That isn’t to say that liberating Mars will be easy. The habitable areas of Mars are divided into six sectors, Parker, Dust, Badlands, The Free Fire Zone, Oasis and Eos, and each one of them is ruthlessly controlled by the EDF. In order to liberate each sector, you must complete enough “Guerrilla Actions” to weaken the control of the EDF in the sector until it is reduced to zero, at which point the EDF will pull out. While this might seem like another variation on the “Turf War” mini-game from GTA: San Andreas, there are several other dynamics at work that give it a fresh approach. Successfully completed missions will boost morale of both the Red Faction as well as regular civilians in the sector, which in turn will increase both the number and response time of allies that come running to your aid in a firefight, as well as increase the amount of ammo you receive from ammo crates found in the homes of civilian supporters. These two perks alone go a long way in maintaining the sense of belonging and immersion in the story as you fight with the Red Faction, but there is more. Nearly any structure or vehicle that you destroy will reward you with salvage, which can be used as currency at any of your safehouses to upgrade your weapons into even deadlier tools of destruction, which you will absolutely need to have a fighting chance against the superior firepower and seemingly endless ranks of the EDF. So while you will certainly be blowing things up (and enjoying it immensely thanks to the superb Geo Mod 2.0 engine), no destruction in the game is purely for destruction’s sake. Or at least you can tell yourself that.

And RF: G gives you plenty of weapons to blow things up with. In addition to the old standbys like EDF pistols, assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns and rocket launchers, the Red Faction have also adapted several of their mining tools into makeshift weapons to help even the odds against the EDF. For instance, the ultimate melee weapon that is always in your inventory and can be relied upon at any time is the high velocity Sledgehammer, which is perfect for close quarters combat and can also make short work of any minor obstacle. Within seconds you can bust straight through the wall of a building and create your own shortcut to the heart of battle, or make a quick escape. The satchel charge from the previous Red Faction games has returned as the Remote Mining Charge, which when thrown will stick to any surface, be it a wall, vehicle or even a person. Several can be laid at once and they can be detonated simultaneously at will, so the possibilities are endless, and once you acquire Proximity Mines and Smart Proximity Mines (which only detonate when enemies approach them), all hell will break loose. As you complete more Guerrilla actions and collect more salvage for the comely weapon-smith Samanya, you’ll gain access to even more fearsome inventions, such as the Arc Welder (a lighting gun) the Grinder (a nasty tool which fires spinning saw blades), and the awe-inspiring Nano Rifle (an advanced weapon derived from top secret Ultor Corporation tech with destructive capabilities that must be seen to be believed). The EDF also have lethal, cutting edge weapon technologies like the Rail Driver and the Singularity Bomb to keep the Red Faction at bay, but just like with all weapons in the game, if you can get your hands on them, you can use them. Last but not least, vehicles, such as jeeps and trucks with mounted weapons, EDF tanks and construction walkers bring up the rear of your arsenal, giving you even more means to lay waste to structures, convoys and enemies, as well as providing transportation and added protection.

It simply cannot be stressed enough how much the Geo Mod 2.0 engine factors into just about every aspect of gameplay in RF: G. About 90% of just about any building or structure in this game can be completely flattened, both in the single-player campaign as well as in multiplayer. This means that over the course of a battle, the combat environment can change dramatically, such as building cover being reduced to rubble within seconds, or a tower that has just fallen providing cover that was not originally there. Geo Mod 2.0 does all of this on the fly – no building ever collapses the same way twice, walls and glass shatter differently and shrapnel and debris fly in different directions every time. Also, the architecture of each and every building is based on real world physics, which means that the quickest way to bring down a building is to focus one’s attacks on the supports. Consequently, players’ attack strategies can fully take advantage of Geo Mod 2.0 to change the course of battle. For example, it is completely possible to single-handedly take down a building containing EDF soldiers by rigging a truck with remote charges, drive it straight towards a support pillar, jump out of the vehicle, watch it plough into the building and detonate it while running away. And that is just one of the many scenarios that could occur based on what weapons the player has on hand. What is truly amazing though is how well Volition has integrated the Geo Mod 2.0 engine into RF: G without making it a gimmick or a showpiece that overshadows the rest of the game; it just simply belongs.

While the single player campaign is not as gargantuan as that of a GTA title, there is still no shortage of things to do and missions to complete. There are 10 main mission types in all, including key "Mission Objectives" that advance the narrative and must be completed before the Red Faction can move on to the next sector. The other mission types offer great variety as well, such as Attack and Defend missions, ("Guerrilla Raid" and "EDF Assault"), stealth/rescue missions ("House Arrest"), destroy-everything-in- sight missions ("Heavy Iron" and "Collateral Damage"), fetch missions ("Transporter"), optional search-and-destroy or ambush missions (“Interception” and “Convoy”) and a highly challenging and addictive game mode which Geo Mod 2.0 was made for, “Demolitions Master”. In this mode, you are challenged to take down certain buildings and structures within a certain time limit with a specific combination of weapons or tools. As these challenges are infinitely re-playable, they provide excellent practice for developing quick and effective demolition strategies for use in other missions in the game as well as for hitting random EDF-owned buildings scattered throughout each sector. In addition to the main mission types, there are also EDF-controlled facilities and structures in each sector that are ranked in terms of Medium and High Importance, and destroying these targets will severely weaken the control of the EDF and boost morale in the sector, not to mention harvest extra salvage for upgrades.

A nice added touch to RF: G is the noticeable effort made by Volition to have gameplay and plot elements dovetail as much as possible, which further adds to the player’s immersion and the overall cohesive feel of the game. For example, when speaking to a fellow guerrilla who triggers a “House Arrest” mission, you’ll often be informed by that person that the hostages you are attempting to free were arrested because they took the blame for an attack that you instigated in a recent Mission Objective, implying that by rescuing them, you’ll finally be taking responsibility for the mess you left behind. Likewise, “Guerrilla Raid” missions will sometimes focus on a High Importance target surrounded by Medium Importance targets, so that when the mission concludes, players can immediately move on to the surrounding targets without missing a beat.

There are a couple of small issues that could impede some players’ enjoyment of the solo campaign, but neither of them are game-breakers. On Normal difficulty, The EDF are relentless when responding to an attack on their facilities (outside of the main missions), and somehow are able to summon endless reinforcements, which means you’ll often have to turn tail and run before you’ve had a chance to collect all the salvage you’ve unearthed. Thankfully, the difficulty of the game can be adjusted at any time without penalty, so it’s recommended that beginners turn down the difficulty to “Casual”, at least in the beginning, in order to make collecting salvage for upgrades easier. The A.I. of your allies could also be sharper, as they will come to your aid in a firefight, but unless they are programmed to ride with you in a vehicle, they often have a habit of getting in your way when you are trying to drive off. On the bright side, if you are ever stranded on foot, it won’t be long before a guerrilla drives up, hops out and offers you his or her car.

Graphics:

Without a doubt, Red Faction Guerrilla is the best looking game to ever take place on Mars, and while there are few games to have this distinction and even fewer that are actually good, this should be taken by THQ and Volition as a compliment of the highest order. The Mars of RF: G is not the barren, inhospitable “movie Mars” of Total Recall or Red Planet, nor does it resemble the dull, low-gravity surface-worlds of one of the many “filler” planets in Mass Effect. It is a populated, living, breathing, terra-formed Mars, with each sector becoming more developed as you progress through the game. For example, the typical scorched terrain and smog-obscured skies of the Parker mining sector and the industrialized Dust sector differ greatly from that of the white-collar, green grass utopia of the Oasis sector, and the Marauder-controlled Badlands are literally a world apart from the Eos sector, the seat of Martian government, science and technology. Even more impressive is that each sector’s individual look is reflected through its architecture and vehicles with the same sort of consistency one would expect out of a well-crafted Hollywood film, and this same level of art direction can also be found in the designs of the multiplayer levels as well. Complimenting the designs are dynamic (time elapsed) day and night effects, complete with real-time shadows. Character designs are well detailed; particularly that of Mason and Samanya, and the animations and rag-doll physics of Mason, his allies and enemies are fluid, even in the heat of battle when the game engine is working overtime.

Of course, it would be remiss to discuss the graphics in Red Faction: Guerrilla without mentioning the star attraction of the game, the explosions. If it isn’t already obvious by now, RF: G blows up good. REAL GOOD. Like the icing on a cake, spectacular blast effects, flames, sparks, heat distortions and smoke accompany every explosion and building collapse rendered by the Geo Mod 2.0 engine, and the results are so worthy of your attention that even while you are scrambling for your life you will gladly risk running blind into enemy crossfire just so that you can look back over your shoulder and take all of the beautiful destruction in. The weapon effects are equally stunning, particularly those of the sci-fi variety, like such as the matter-disintegrating Nano Rifle and the armor-penetrating Rail Driver, but many players will find the Remote Mining Charge to be their personal favourite, as setting off several of them in an explosive, rapid-fire chain is the virtual equivalent of setting off a cherry bomb during school recess…it never gets old.

Sound:

Red Faction’s jaw-dropping visual effects would mean nothing if the game did not have phenomenal sound to back it up, and Volition has done a fantastic job here as well. Just about every weapon, vehicle, and explosion sounds authentic, which is no easy task in a game where half the weapons and vehicles have no real-world equivalent. Buildings on the verge of collapse audibly creak and buckle as they approach structural failure, and when they finally collapse, they are discordant music to a mad bomber’s ears.

Volition also needs to pat itself on the back for producing some of the best ensemble voice acting in a game of this generation. It’s unlikely that any of the voice actors will walk away with any individual awards for their work in this game, but their work deserves to be commended nonetheless, if anything but for the simple fact that there is rarely ever a moment that you are forcibly taken out of the story by a weak voice talent or a horribly stereotypical accent, a crime that even some of the best story-driven games commit. Mason in particular has a voice fitting of an archetypal hero for the masses, soft-spoken yet weighty, and thankfully free of the gravelly, “anti-hero” accent that seems all the rage in videogame protagonists these days. “Collateral Damage” wheelman Jenkins and his “Free Mars” rants are a riot, and Samanya’s seemingly cold tone and demeanour gradually melt away as Mason’s cynical humour gets her to open up about her own past. Players won’t necessarily fall in love with these characters, but they will at least like them for not ruining the enjoyment of the game.

Finally, the soundtrack of Red Faction: Guerrilla is the final element that pushes this game over the top. Composed by Tim Wynn of Sonic Fuel and performed by the Skywalker Symphony Orchestra, the soundtrack is literally of Hollywood Blockbuster calibre, and thanks to the game’s excellent sound design, the music changes dynamically to reflect the tone of what is happening on screen. While dynamic soundtracks are nothing new in videogames these days, few games execute them as seamlessly and convincingly as RF: G. Superb.

Longevity:

Red Faction’s system link/online Multiplayer and exclusively-offline Wrecking Crew modes have been covered at length in MSXBox-World’s preview articles, and I was looking forward to trying these modes out in the final game, but as of this writing there are too few review copies in the wild to provide a final assessment. However, based on my experiences with the near complete beta of the game last March as well as the multiplayer demo currently available on Xbox Live, I have little doubt that these modes are what will keep Red Faction: Guerrilla spinning in many players’ consoles long after they have completed the robust single-player campaign. The Multiplayer mode supports up to 16 players, features 15 unique maps, six unique modes, and on top of the full roster of weapons available in the single-player campaign also brings 10 ability-granting backpacks (such as Jetpacks, Stealth Packs, Heal Packs, etc.) into the mix, adding a completely new dimension of unpredictability to the gameplay. Meanwhile, Wrecking Crew takes the addictive “Demolition Master” mission type from single-player and runs with it, combining the competitive Pass-the-Controller gameplay of the Burnout series’ Crash Mode with Geo Mod 2.0’s own special blend of destruction. With six maps, four special modes and support for up to four players, Wrecking Crew is sure to inspire several heated debates and drinking games in living rooms and basements worldwide. It’s only a shame that there is no online equivalent provided for those who don’t have many friends, but perhaps this can be addressed in the near future via DLC. Finally, there are several Easter eggs and items waiting to be unlocked in both the solo campaign and multiplayer modes (including character unlocks for use in multiplayer), giving players even more reason to stay invested in RF: G for weeks, if not months.

Overall:

THQ and Volition have truly outdone themselves with Red Faction: Guerrilla. They have effectively “mined” the eight-year-old franchise and struck gaming gold, combining several recent yet tried–and-true gameplay mechanics with a spectacular physics engine, top-notch production values and a great story, resulting in a worthy (and easily the best ) sequel to the franchise as well as a highly original product in its own right. How often does that happen? For action-adventure and shooter fans looking for a fresh, solid and fun title to last them well into the summer, this is a day one, “must buy” purchase.