Red Faction: Guerrilla review (PS3, Xbox 360) By Sayed Islam Published: 08/22/09 PrintEmail
The Red Faction franchise has a gigantic emphasis on one ubiquitous concept: destruction. With the release of Red Faction: Guerrilla, that same exact concept is in full force yet again. The storyline transpires on the esoteric planet of Mars, and the protagonist is Alec Mason. Mr. Mason is a wholesome individual, and his occupation is a miner. Regrettably, the untimely death of Mason’s brother (Daniel Mason) by the nefarious Earth Defense Force (conquerors of Mars) was a painful and traumatic experience for the both of them. As a result, the abrupt demise of Daniel was all of the incentive that Alec needed to join an organization known as Red Faction. Red Faction’s ultimate objective is to eradicate Earth Defense Forces from Mars. The narrative never gets a chance to develop because all of the characters having a stale personality. To make matters worse, all of your interactions with them are done via the in game voice chatter audio transmissions.
As previously mentioned, the bulk of the combat embodies a concept of annihilation. Because the Earth Defense Force has control of Mars, your role is to comprehensively diminish their stranglehold on the planet. You can easily discern your objectives by opening up the map with detailed icons that signify the significant waypoints. Mission types can range from defending an ally Red Faction base to assailing the Earth Defense Forces. Plausibly, the most frustrating aspect of Red Faction: Guerrilla is its brutally arduous difficulty. Players will feasibly be replaying levels faster than dealing out the hectic obliteration. The multiplayer via online does not stray too far away from what we have seen in on other first or third person shooters, but they can still be enjoyable. A grand total of sixteen players can participate in online duels, and even the most notorious multiplayer modes such as capture the flag and death match can be worthwhile. The premise behind the multiplayer is that it mimics a process that is dissimilar to leveling up your character. If you are successful at winning your matches, then you will be rewarded with experience points which can be in turn spent on cosmetic upgrades like character appearance and unlocking even more original multiplayer modes. All of the weaponry available in the single player campaign is also useable in the multiplayer modes, but one item that is exclusive to the multiplayer is the jetpack. In addition, there are some unique weapons like the reconstructor. The reconstructor is actually more like a tool than a weapon because it essentially reverses the damage that has been done on a structure.
Visually, the lighting effects (especially the particle effects) are brilliantly done. Nevertheless, there is little that distinguishes this game from similar titles in the same genre.
The audio has its pros and cons. Musically, the orchestral musical score is as excellent as the sound effects. Nonetheless, the voice acting can be downright unpleasant.
Overall, Red Faction: Guerrilla has a decent single player mode with a much better multiplayer. If gamers can overlook some of punishing levels, then immerse yourself into some guerrilla warfare.
Art direction 8 Visually, the lighting effects (especially the particle effects) are brilliantly done. Nevertheless, there is little that distinguishes this game from similar titles in the same genre. Audio 8 The audio has its pros and cons. Musically, the orchestral musical score is as excellent as the sound effects. Nonetheless, the voice acting can be downright unpleasant. Gameplay 8 The bulk of the combat embodies a concept of annihilation. Presentation 7 The narrative never gets a chance to develop because all of the characters having a stale personality. To make matters worse, all of your interactions with them are done via the in game voice chatter audio transmissions. Replay value 9 Redundant but lengthy single player and a diverse multiplayer. Final verdict 8 out of 10
The Red Faction franchise has a gigantic emphasis on one ubiquitous concept: destruction. With the release of Red Faction: Guerrilla, that same exact concept is in full force yet again. The storyline transpires on the esoteric planet of Mars, and the protagonist is Alec Mason. Mr. Mason is a wholesome individual, and his occupation is a miner. Regrettably, the untimely death of Mason’s brother (Daniel Mason) by the nefarious Earth Defense Force (conquerors of Mars) was a painful and traumatic experience for the both of them. As a result, the abrupt demise of Daniel was all of the incentive that Alec needed to join an organization known as Red Faction. Red Faction’s ultimate objective is to eradicate Earth Defense Forces from Mars. The narrative never gets a chance to develop because all of the characters having a stale personality. To make matters worse, all of your interactions with them are done via the in game voice chatter audio transmissions. 
