TITLE : RED FACTION GUERRILLA  PLATFORM : PS3/ XBOX 360/PC DEVELOPER : VOLITION PUBLISHER : THQ RELEASE DATE : OUT NOW
It’s one of the main selling points of the game and the GEO-MOD destruction engine is really impressive, even though other reviews seem to brush it off as just a novelty act just a “little bit of fun” to blow stuff up that you will soon tire of, I found it truly compelling, having a back ground in structural engineering I found that the destruction engine does actually work true to life, finding the structural weak points of a building sneaking in planting your explosives sneaking back out and watching your carefully placed charges take down the building is very satisfying. That being said you can also just launch a pile of rockets at it and blow it to pieces too !!.   In true 80’s sci-fi style the game is set on mars which has been terraformed to be able to sustain life. Mars is not much more than a giant mining operation with a few towns that have sprung up around the industry everything looks like you would imagine a mars mining operation would look like all the vehicles are large work horse’s whether they are dump trucks, pickup trucks or buggies they are all heavy duty pieces of machinery. Choosing the right one for your mission is as important as choosing the right weaponry. Turning up to a jail break with a single seat dune buggy is no good when you need to get 3 people back to the safe house. The terrain unsurprisingly is red and dusty with very little other than rocks and cliffs to look at yet it’s strangely compelling I guess that’s just my fascination with the planet.  The building’s are a combination of steel and concrete some rather impressive some no more than a shack thrown together to keep the occupants’ out of the dust. But all venerable to your attacks. So to the game itself I guess the quickest way to explain it is if you took GTA4 set it on mars except this time made it actually good. But thats a little bit too simplistic there is much more to this game than that, so to expand in the year 2075 the mining operation on mars was under attack from the guerilla movement the Red faction. The EDF was called in to restore order which they did. For the next few years the locals prospered under the new regime but 50 years have now passed and as the EDF take control of the mines and towns and as they became more oppressive pushed by greedy corporations back on Earth they start to drive residents from their homes the workers begin to get restless but the EDF’s response is to instill a curfew, beatings, detention centers and mass arrests. Out of this resentment towards the EDF a small group calling themselves the Red Faction have popped up. You play the role of Alex Mason who has arrived on mars looking for some work as he tries to start a new life no sooner has he landed than this dream evaporates. Mason meets up with his brother who has become involved with the Red Faction, Mason is quickly drawn into their world after his brother is gunned down in front of him and he is forced to flee with the faction members.  This is where the game starts off. It’s an open world game the missions are set out for you to choose as you wish there is no set order and you will also get other missions popping up from time to time cargo convoys that need to be intercepted or couriers that are carrying sensitive info that needs to be stopped. There are different types of missions in the main story some are blowing up buildings crucial to the EDF’s industry or armory, other are jail breaks for captured Faction members some are for the benefit of the local workers. As you complete tasks the locals warm to you and the EDF’s presence is undermined locals will even take to arms and join in with you on your missions. The AI on this is fairly good and when you are stuck in a bind the helping hand is very welcome.
You have an interesting array of weapons along with the standard machine guns, shotguns and rocket launchers you have arc welders, grinders, proximity mines and if all else fails your trusty sledge hammer which is great fun!! You are up against the EDF soldiers these guys are trained professionals and you…. well you’re not.  If you try to take them on head on you will quickly loose. The AI is again very good, EDF soldiers will duck and dive out of the way take cover and flank you, you name it if you aren’t running away they will get the better of you they care about nothing, the EDF will happily throw 20 soldiers with expensive vehicles and armor at you with little regard for anything or anybody around you. They will happily rip through a building to get you. Remember smash and dash a dead hero is no good to the cause. The main Story follows the struggle to free the workers from under the oppressive control of the EDF. Mars is split up into different sectors each sector has a distinctly different feel to it, the overall look of the terrain, buildings, vehicles and even the patron’s clothes all change as you move through the game. To free an area you must drop EDF morale to 0%. Do this and they will pull out. This opens up the next section and so on. To do this you complete the missions or smash the EDF buildings but be warned blowing up buildings doesn’t go unnoticed and the EDF troops will quickly decent on your location. After smashing buildings you can then collect the salvage this is where you make your money with this cash you can buy weapons and upgrades. The side missions or Guerilla actions are optional but its recommended you do attempt some as they do pay dividends unlocking new weapons etc. The main story will last at least 20+hours this can be padded out even further by doing all the side missions too.  You have 2 more multiplayer game types first up is wrecking crew this is perfect for 3 or 4 friends to play on the one console passing the controller over and back it involves setting up environments for your friends to tear down any way they see fit. This is the section to go mad and just have fun this is a welcome release and actually having the option stops you wandering off smashing stuff in the single player game that was such a problem in the GTA games for the short attention span gamers !!
The 2nd multiplayer option is the standard online battles this is a lot of fun. Made even more interesting  due to the backpack system. The incredible almost endless amount of customizing that can be done and the interesting game modes means this will keep you going for quite a while yet. Being able to smash your way through walls as well means there is little chance for people camping and picking off the others as they are forced around the same old route time after time. This time you just make your own route.  Overall : A very enjoyable experience and not just a novelty act this will keep you going and the multiplayer aspect is being well received which in today’s market is the making and breaking of a game. Some slight problems the graphics are at times a little off, the game does have a tendency to have small rocks just grow in front of you as you drive along and the mountains in the distance also suffer from this not a major problem but not one you expect on a next gen console. Some of the mission can be quite similar and the salvage ones are pretty boring the Jail breaks can be frustrating as you try to escape and the hostages you have just freed just wander around getting shot. But these are fairly minor problems to get over and are soon forgotten as you smash your way across mars.  SCORE 92% REVIEWED BY ANTHONY

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