Red Faction Guerrilla Preview

Volition's Revolutionary War Moves To The Surface Of Mars

Apr 30, 2009 Andrew Hemphill

With only a month to go until the revolution begins, Volition have upped the ante with a carefully planned set of preview material.

The original Red Faction was well received by critics, who hailed its patented 'Geo-Mod' system, which allows the gamer to actively deform the landscape, as a literal revolution. Red Faction 2 was less popular, pulling back on the Geo-Mod feature to concentrate on epic battles and shinier graphics.

With Red Faction Guerrilla (RFG), Volition have gone back the the drawing board and created a game world just begging to be blown up time and time again.

Red Faction Guerrilla Preview- Plot

Set 50 years after the events of the first Red Faction, the Earth Defence Force (EDF), one-time allies of the revolutionary group, have turned into hated oppressors, kidnapping miners and forcing them into work camps- or worse.

Into this nightmare steps Alec Mason and his brother, lured to the planet by promises of work and stability. Before long, Alec's brother is murdered by EDF troops and he joins the splinter group Red Faction, committing himself to freeing Mars from oppression, uncovering conspiracies and blowing everything in sight to splinters.

Red Faction Guerrilla Preview- Gameplay

“You decide who, when, where and how to battle. Utilize guerilla tactics, improvised weaponry, and modified vehicles to lead insurgent attacks on EDF targets. Launch attacks based on your own gameplay style, take on missions in any order you choose, or engage in destructive activities to weaken the EDF’s grip on Mars.” THQ, 2009

With RFG, Volition have abandoned the first person viewpoint of its predecessors, instead settling on a third-person view- all the better to see the destruction. Also unlike the previous incarnations, RFG will take place on the terraformed surface of Mars, not in the underground caverns of Red Faction or the windswept streets of Red Faction 2.

With the EDF spread across an open-world, free-roaming map, Alec must find and complete missions to advance the story, or take side jobs to earn upgrades for the many weapons and vehicles on offer, of which there are predicted to be more than 34, including the massive and deadly mining walker- which can rip a building to shreds just by walking through it.

Red Faction Guerrilla Preview- Weapons and Destruction

“Use destruction to your tactical advantage, setting ambushes or chain reaction explosions to attack enemy strongholds and permanently modify the game environment. Leverage fully-dynamic physics-based destruction to improvise on the fly: blow holes in a wall or floor to set an ambush or escape, take out a staircase to stop your pursuers, or drive vehicles through blown out walls.” THQ, 2009.

The weapons available are to be both brutal and effective, ranging from remote mining charges to a wide selection of machine guns and explosives, backed up with 'backpacks', such as a jetpack or the 'rhino' pack, which will allow the gamer to run through walls.

The destruction offered by 'Geo-Mod 2' changes the gameplay at every turn. The game can be tailored to each gamer's personal taste, whether it be sneaking through a checkpoint, destroying a building with no more than a mining hammer or driving a truck filled with mining charges straight into the heart of a building, then pressing the button. RFG will allow each gamer to chose their own path.

Red Faction Guerrilla Preview- Muiltiplayer

Also included will be a comprehensive multiplayer mode, with all the destructive perks of the single player thrown in. Gamers will no longer be able to hide behind a wall, as each wall is just waiting to be demolished by the trusty mining hammer, and each gamer will also feature a further selection of backpacks, changing the game dynamic every time.

A further addition is the 'wrecking crew' mode, where gamers will compete to demolish a building in a set amount of time and using a certain weapon or piece of equipment, and is certain to become an Xbox Live favourite.

Red Faction Guerrilla Preview- Conclusion

Offering a blend of open-world action, decent multiplayer and unilateral destruction, Red Faction Guerrilla will bring the series into a new light, and backed up with the sturdy Geo-Mod 2 system, it is sure to be blast.

The demo is available for download on the PS3 network or from the Xbox Live marketplace.

The copyright of the article Red Faction Guerrilla Preview in Video & Online Games is owned by Andrew Hemphill. Permission to republish Red Faction Guerrilla Preview in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.