I enjoyed THQ’s 3rd-person revival of the Red Faction series much more than I thought I would. Red Faction: Guerrilla took the franchise in a slightly new direction with the new view-point as well as the open world story mode. Now Red Faction seems to be undergoing yet another transformation as there will even more changes made to both the story of the title as well as the game play. I think it’s safe to assume that the wanton destruction, strategic explosives, and environmental hazards that we all relish so will still be part of the game and still delight us with sadistically satisfying destruction physics. Let’s find out just what those mysterious mad men at THQ have in store for us Red Faction fans!
You guys remember good ol’ Alec Mason right? The guy with the hammer that was prone to raising insurrection? Yeah, that’s the guy! Well it turns out after the events of Red Faction: Guerrilla he ended up with that Samanya chick. The tale of Red Faction: Armageddon revolves around the grandson of those two; Darius Mason. Darius and the good folk of Mars now reside under the planet’s surface and are apparently being wiped out by some kind of alien threat. Yes, I said “Aliens”. The Red Faction franchise has always pitted us against fellow man, so this is a new twist to the game. Supposedly, Darius is the one responsible for unleashing this menace upon his fellow Martians, so it seems appropriate that he be the one to deal with them, right?
No more jet packs! Red Faction: Guerrilla veterans most likely recall the packs fondly, as they often allowed you to either pull a ninja-esque escape maneuver or pulverize an enemy in one fashion or another. As this game will have much more linear play and enclosed environments the packs will not be making it back this time around. What will be making a return is the system by which you determine what you can and cannot destroy; all man-made structures can be destroyed and rebuilt via the nano forge. Rock plateaus, boulders, and earthen walls all still remain intact in the face of direct fire, as in the game’s predecessor. One can only hope that the option to cause a cave-in upon your foes will be a viable option, despite the whole nonsense about only man-made structures being vulnerable to your attacks. I shall miss the packs, but I am curious to see some of these changes implemented and how they will transfer over to the multi-player experience.
The tight-lipped fiends at THQ have been rather silent regarding potential weaponry in the game but they have mentioned this; the magnet gun. The magnet gun will be integral in terms of environmental manipulation in combat scenarios. Just what does that mean? You should be able to throw shit and blow shit up using the magnet gun. Got it? There will also be a new multiplayer mode that pits you against wave after wave of incoming hostiles. Sound familiar? This type of game mode seems to be more and more apparent in newer games, but does that make it any less fun? Who does not enjoy just mindlessly crushing their foes? As I was a big fan of the multiplayer of each previous Red Faction installment, I am hoping that they do this game enough justice to sway me into dropping the cash on this one.
You can expect to see this THQ and Volition title out for the Xbox 360, PC, and PS3 in March of 2011. As per usual; I shall remain skeptical until I see something that can sway my opinion. I like the idea of crushing opposition with chunks of terrain utilizing that magnet gun, even if the terrain itself is limited to tunnel systems and underground cities. I’m leery of this talk of bringing aliens into the mix. Red Faction games were doing just fine before they awoke these vicious Martian bastards. That and I just enjoy shooting people, I suppose. DON’T JUDGE ME, OK? The weapons and their uses in Red Faction games have never let me down before, so I expect some fun explosives that will really allow me to take advantage of that sexy Geomod 2.0 physics engine. Let’s all keep an ear to the ground for any news regarding Red Faction: Armageddon and see if this one ends up sinking the franchise or consuming hours from the lives of drooling nerds across the world.
Joseph Bryant – SwiftGlassEater
