When Red Faction: Guerrilla came out a couple of years ago, it successfully rebooted a once-buried franchise with a new vigor, featuring fully destructible environments and a gameplay set-up similar to Grand Theft Auto, but with a Mars-tinged style all its own. Two years later, Volition and THQ once again return to the Red Planet, but with a twist. Red Faction: Armageddon shouldn’t be considered Guerrilla II by any means – it’s an entirely different kind of beast. But that isn’t to say it stinks. In fact, this could be the best action game you play all summer. In the game, you play as Mason, a descendant of the hero in the first game, as he battles a new menace on the Red Planet. A rogue by the name of Adam Hale has used you to unwittingly open up an ancient relic, forcing hundreds of creatures into the underground where your civilization is hiding. Now, to set things right – and keep your fellow survivors from becoming mincemeat – you’ll need to set out and stop the monsters, using a variety of weapons and Nanoforge abilities, before Hale completely takes over the planet. Okay, so the storyline is hardly original, but it is a strong backbone for the game’s action.
Like Guerrilla, if you see it, chances are you can destroy it, bringing down structures with an axe or using a rocket launcher to blow an infected building to kingdom come. The main difference, however, lies in the weapons. The last game featured some interesting guns, but Volition improves on the arsenal with a variety of cool toys, including a plasma cannon, a grenade launcher, powerful twin pistols and a weapon that we could easily see become a staple in future shooters, the magnet gun. This is essentially an unlimited ammo gun where you shoot one end to an object, then shoot another and watch them draw together into one explosive smorgasbord. It’s a really cool effect, and ideal if you’re running low on bullets for your other weapons. Another thing you may notice is that Armageddon isn’t an open-world game like Guerrilla was. Rather than drive around on the planet surface to your objectives, you follow a point A-to-point B set-up, moving through each stage as you shoot down bugs, occasionally get into vehicles (like an awesome Exo suit and a cool land crawler). This may be a letdown for those expecting to go around and create chaos everywhere, but this kind of focus really allows for some concentrated destruction, so there’s nothing to really fear. The only low point is that it does kind of take away from replayability – but the game’s always a blast to crank through again, especially on a higher difficulty.
Along with an immense collection of weaponry, Mason’s Nanoforge abilities also prove useful. With it, you can rebuild bridges and other structures, vital to completing certain missions, such as rebuilding a water pumping station. You can also enhance powerful melee attacks, and increase damage over the course of battle. Through helpful upgrade stations scattered throughout the game, you can really turn yourself into a one-man wrecking crew. And you’ll need to too, since the later stages throw almost every single alien your way. The gameplay is outstanding. You’ll rarely have a moment when the game doesn’t do what you want it to, as you gleefully dish out the destruction and smush the monsters into another netherrealm. There are moments when it’s easy to lose your way (particularly when you’re backed into a corner and the camera isn’t being helpful), but a press of the select button activates light-up beacons so you can see where you’re going again. The weapon selection system is winning and pulling off Nanoforge abilities is a cinch – and hardly limited, for that matter.
This feature review concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to see our final thoughts on THQ's Red Faction: Armageddon.
