Red Faction Guerrilla (Xbox360/PS3)
Developer: Volition Inc
Publisher: THQ
Released: June 2, 2009

Red Faction Guerrilla is a third person open world game that is trying to fully realise the potential of that old geomod gimmick from all those years ago. If you think you know exactly how this equation is going to work out then think again because this is one of the best games to come out this year.

The game starts as Alec Mason is transported to Mars as a minor simply wanting to work, however it soon becomes very apparent that a giant isolated desert is surprisingly not the greatest of work locations. Alec’s brother, who had convinced his older sibling to come to the red planet soon divulges that Mason’s skills should be used for a greater purpose than merely harvesting ore. The Red Faction, a rebellion group, is trying to push back the omnipotence of the Earth Defence Force (EDF) and they are in need of support. Before the word ‘no’ can even leave Alec’s mouth, he is forced to watch the EDF murder his brother and in turn finds a reason to fight.

Red Faction’s story is simple and basically never really elaborated on from this first instance as the player is given just enough incentive to continue playing to the end with minor cut-scenes and narrative. The real positive of the plot is that Volition cleverly realised that people would rather be blowing shit up than listening to whimsical tales from the voice of Crackdown. This may come as a surprise to those wanting the inspired storyline of the developer’s previous title Saints Row, but if Red Faction tried to explain why you are spraying sewerage on old-ladies with logic I probably would have stopped playing.

Instead, nearly everything of importance is explained thinly via in-game radio communication between you and the leaders of Red Faction. Why you are so important or even more qualified than any of the other hundred people sitting around doing absolutely nothing is never explained but hey, take it as a complement. All of the game’s elements are attached somehow to the conflict between the two warring groups so you never feel that your talents are being wasted on menial tasks. Through all this the story is actually very well implemented, it won’t make you think about life’s purpose but it will make you feel like a badass on a vendetta... on freaking Mars.

Like I said before Red Faction Guerrilla is definitely an open world game in every possible aspect. It is broken up into six sectors as you would expect, however contrary to the norm the majority of the map is basically open from the get go, leaving only a relatively small section closed for the finale. This may be seen as a positive compared to the frustrations of arbitrary blockades between islands but the possibility of long drives to objectives becomes regular very early on. Thankfully very little will force you to stop driving on your way there, so large distances can be traversed in rather little time.

The real problem with these long drives is it becomes painfully obvious that the massive landscape is all very alike. There are only so many red mountains that can be dawning on the horizon before everything just looks the same. To be fair this is probably an accurate description of a baron wasteland, but it is easy to forget that, when the ground and sky are burned into one constant image on your retina. The occasional blend of brown dust and white snow is appreciated, but they are both far too infrequent to break the monotony.

Volition seemed to realise both these problems, as well as a few more that people may find in the game and address them all through the upgrade system. Throughout the campaign special features will be available to purchase and each one comes just at the right time when a particular feature starts to really annoy you. The drives taking too long, they give you a teleport mechanic, the difficulty curve starts kicking your arse, they give you armour, you want a jetpack... they give you a jetpack!

Everything has a price however; some people may have asked for money, Red Faction just wants scrap, lots and lots of scrap. This can be found all over the map and is used as incentive for many collectables scattered around the place, the primary example being an incredibly expensive looking metal which begs the question why don’t they just want that instead of rusted iron? Either way it provides a means to buy awesome weapons such as a rifle that disintegrates people, cars, even buildings all in the name domination.

This brings up the most integral part of the game, destruction. Every element is based on the simple human need to break everything in sight and it is a beautiful sight when it’s crumbling down in front of you. The much discussed third evolution of the geomod stands up to the hype, allowing every building collapse in an amazingly realistic way. Every component has its own weight and physics leading to endless possibilities. A giant smoke stack can be angled using explosives to fall on an objective below, avoiding all conflict or three walls of a bunker can be obliterated and five minutes later the rest will fall of its own accord.

The side-missions hinge on this factor, as they range from destroy an EDF control point, to destroy a building and save some hostages, to the ever popular destroy waves of soldier’s faces with a sledgehammer. All these objectives not only lower the control of the Earth Defence Force on a certain sector but also raise the morale of the Red Faction, causing reinforcements to come to your aid in battle.

You may think at this point Guerrilla is a mediocre third-person open world game with an incredibly fun destructibility system and you would not be wrong in saying that, but until you experience the multiplayer you have no real insight as to how great this game is. The random devastation and sweet weaponry carry over and all the afterbirth that is the grind of the campaign is left behind, leaving one of the most robust, unique multiplayers that has come along in years.

Games modes vary from the common deathmatch and capture the flag to the more exciting control point and siege modes, which entail annihilating certain objectives and taking turns attacking and defending selected targets. Classes are maintained to in-game backpacks that add just an extra layer of choice and skill. It is all laced together with a great lobby system that allows party allocation, exceptionally deep custom match integration, mode choice and tells you exactly what the server is doing. As well as this the whole process is remarkably quick at finding matches and in my many hours of playing has only lagged once.

If the fun in multiplayer wasn’t already enough it also is accompanied by an experience system that allows for avatar customisation and a perpetual drive to continue playing for the next character or sledgehammer. Hidden challenges and stat tracking both tell you exactly how much of your life has been sucked away blowing up bridges when half of the opposing team is walking over them and even the drunkards are accommodated with an offline ‘do the most destruction in a time limit extravaganza’ mode.

Overall Red Faction is an average open world game with one of the greatest gimmicks in recent memory. The story will justify any time spent on it and the multiplayer is some of the most fun you can have with a vibrating controller. If you have ever looked at someone who was getting on your nerves, thought about the possibilities of a sledgehammer and smiled then this game is for you. If I didn’t just described you, buy it anyway... it’s just that good.

9/10 (Nine's are exceptional games that have one or two minor flaws holding them back. Steal small children's money and shoes to get your hands on this game.)