When Red Faction: Guerrilla arrived in stores in mid-2009, THQ took the series in a strong new direction, shying away from the usual first-person antics in favor of a full-fledged third-person action extravaganza, with unmatched destructive action and a wide-open world to explore, loaded with treasures and dangers. Two years later, the game remains a modern day triumph in design, but that isn’t stopping THQ and Volition from trying to top their success with the all-new Red Faction: Armageddon, which hits stores late next month. Recently, the company hosted an event, allowing us some extensive hands-on time with the single player campaign. The game takes place roughly 50 years after the events of the original game, with players controlling Darius Mason, the grandson of Guerrilla’s main hero, Alec Mason. He’s part of a team that’s moved underground on the red planet, due to the destruction of protective equipment.
But life hasn’t gotten any easier, due to some uneasy dwellers within his compound and a horde of aliens that have managed to pop up around it, making life even more difficult. It’s up to Darius and whatever cohorts still work alongside him to try and survive the fight, any way they can. Where Guerrilla had an open-world motif, allowing players to go anywhere they pleased, Armageddon sticks with a more linear path, with pre-set goals and the ability to find out where they were with the click of a button. (A light-up series of beacons shows the way with a simple click.) Now while that may sound like a step backwards, it makes the action much more focused, and the underground dwellings certainly keep things unpredictable. These aliens pop up out of nowhere, climbing up on rocks and tearing through everything in their path – even truck convoys. Luckily, you’ve got the tools for the job to keep them from tearing you apart.
Twelve different weapons are available at your disposal, from the trademark rocket launchers and shotguns initially introduced in Guerrilla to more creative weapons, including the magnet gun. This alone could be a huge draw for the game, as it doesn’t require a hefty amount of ammunition, nor is it complex in operation. Here’s how it works. You shoot one end of the magnet gun to an attachable target, or an enemy you want to whisk away. You shoot the other at an intended structure or another point, then watch the two points connect together. You can easily dispatch enemies by shooting them into tactiles, or destroy buildings by attaching explosive drums to them by force. This is a creative weapon, and one that’s useful when you’re low on ammunition.
The destructive angle of Red Faction: Armageddon is still in play, as you can easily tear apart structures by fire, or using your sledgehammer, the ever helpful Maul. But, surprisingly enough, Volition has created a way to rebuild structures just as easily as you tear them down. Using a new nanotechnology driven device, Darius can rebuild objects, such as walls and bridges, by holding down the left bumper button. Rays appear on the screen, and whatever Darius points at restructures within a matter of seconds. This is ideal when it comes to putting bridges back together so you can cross them, or rebuilding stairs so you can reach upper tiers, and get a lay of the land that’s up ahead.
This feature preview continues on the next page, please click Page 2 below to see our final thoughts after going hands-on with Red Faction: Armageddon.
