Red Faction Guerrilla sees you take control of Alec Mason, who has came to the planet Mars in order to find some work, however given that there is a war going on between the violent Earth Defence Force and the rebellious Red Faction movement, it isn’t long before you find yourself helping the rebels in trying to take back control of the planet.

 

 

Playing the missions to help liberate the planet really is a joy, basically you have six zones, each of which are controlled by the Earth Defence Force and in order to liberate a zone you must complete all of the missions for that zone and destroy as many of the enemy buildings in the area as you can find. This game really is all about destruction and since Alec is an expert in this field, who better to go about these tasks? There really is something very therapeutic about throwing charges at buildings, detonating them and then repeating until what was a building is just rubble on the floor. If you wish you can also use a more hands on approach by using a sledgehammer to do the deed or any of the games many other weapons. Not only can you use weapons to destroy buildings but also any of the vehicles that you will find parked or driving around, in fact there are just so many ways to destroy your target that it’s fun just finding new ways.

 

Each time you complete a mission or destroy an enemy building, the Earth Defence Force will lose some control of the area, this is measured by their on screen control rating. Once you have managed to get the control rating to zero, the Earth Defence Force will then lose control of the area completely, allowing you to move onto the next zone. The more you lower the control rating, the more your moral will boost, this is very handy as not only will you gain more salvage which is basically the equivalent of money and allows you to boost your weapons and equipment and also purchase new items, but it will also boost your chances of survival as computer controlled companions turn up and help you when you are in the middle of a fight.

 

The missions in Red Faction are quite varied and range from blowing up enemy bases to rescue missions and there are also side missions such as the destruction missions where you are asked to destroy certain targets and earn salvage at the same time. All of the missions are good fun to play and due to their varied nature they at least keep the game interesting. Getting through all of the missions will take you a while, but you will have such a blast doing so that the time will fly in. Selecting a mission is simple, by pressing select you can access your control panel, from here you can then select the mission that you want to attempt and mark it on your map, then when you come out of the map you will be greeted with yellow markings which lead you to your destination.

 

While it may sound easy enough to destroy buildings and take back control of the planet, it’s not that straightforward, this is because each time you upset the Earth Defence Force they come after you and the more you upset them the stronger their resistance becomes. To be able to tell how much danger you are in there is a GTA like wanted system in place, although here instead of stars it’s a beacon, when all is well it will be green, however go upsetting people and it will turn yellow, then red, oh and when it’s flashing red then you know you are in real trouble.

 

The world itself is certainly of an open nature, you can explore the land and find enemy bases for yourself, hijacking vehicles to help you get around. Each of the people you pass will shout things out and act in different ways much like they do in other sandbox games. Although unlike in Grand Theft Auto there is nothing really interesting to look at while you are exploring, this is Mars after all, and therefore a spot of shopping or a visit to the local strip club is not an option here.

 

 

Apart from the single player campaign the game also includes a Wrecking Crew mode which enables you and up to four players to compete against each other in various mini games. These games include modes such as Total Chaos where you basically need to cause as much damage as possible within a certain time limit. All players take turns to do this with the winner being the one with the highest score. Other modes included here are Rampage, Escalation and Barrel Dash each of which involves some sort of destruction or other, though one thing is for sure they are all good fun when played with friends.

 

Finally the game also includes a rather fun online mode. The good thing about online is that the destruction carries over, therefore although the point of online games is generally to kill your opponent you can still do that here, but you can also destroy anything in your path in order to get to them. Modes included online are Anarchy and Team Anarchy, where you basically need to kill other players, there are also your usual suspects such as Capture the Flag and Siege (attack and defend key structures) and finally there is Damage Control where you need to fight for control over three targets and Demolition where you try protect the person assigned to destroy enemy structures. All of these online modes are fantastic fun to play and the action was very smooth with practically no lag whatsoever.

 

Graphically while fairly lacking in anything to look at, the game does a great job of creating a living and breathing planet. All of the NCP’s have a personality of their own and the planet is bustling with people getting on with their everyday jobs. While the backgrounds are quite bland, the planet is vast and is great fun to explore. The sound is also fantastic, the game has a radio playing which keeps you up with the days events and when in combat the gun fire and explosions really help add to the tension.

 

Overall Red Faction Guerrilla is an excellent game which will offer you hours of fun both offline and online. It doesn’t quite have the appeal of games such as Grand Theft Auto, but at least the developer should be applauded for trying something different with this style of game and succeeding.