Publisher: THQ
Developer: Volition
System requirements: Windows XP, Vista, or Windows 7; 2GHz Dual Core Processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2) or higher; 2 GB RAM; 7.5 GB free disk space; 320 MB Graphics Memory with shader model 3.0; DirectX 9 compatible sound card; DirectX 9 (10/11 recommended)
Genre: Third Person Shooter
ESRB rating: Mature
Release date: Available

It’s been 2 years since Volition developed Red Faction Guerrilla. It focused on open world gameplay, but this time around Volition has opted for linear gameplay and in-your-face weaponry in Red Faction Armageddon. It’s an interesting gamble given the success and positive feedback that surrounds the previous title, but it seems to be a gamble based on a desire to create a story and game mechanics that not only live up to the Red Faction name, but moves it forward. Does it work? Keep reading to find out.

Red Faction Armageddon takes place a half century after the events in Guerrilla. Our protagonist, Darius Mason, failed to prevent a terrorist attack from destroying a terraformer that made the surface of Mars habitable. Forced into an underground city called Bastion, he makes his living as a contractor for dangerous mining jobs. On his last contract, Darius was deceived, and opened a shaft into an ancient Marauder temple. This deception freed an alien race that is swarming the colonies and threatening all human life on Mars. Now Darius must purge the planet of the alien race and restore his reputation.

Some of the most notable mechanics in Armageddon are the destructible environments, diverse weaponry, and use of your Nano Forge to either rebuild structures or unleash powerful energy attacks. Regarding your environment, if it’s not a huge mountainside or the wall of a cavern, you can destroy it. In the later stages of the game, destroying your environment can be a pivotal strategy in dispersing groups of aliens or a single Berserker. If you destroy an essential bridge you can use your Nano Forge to rebuild it after you’ve purged the alien threat. Red Faction Armageddon also features some intense weaponry including the magnet gun, singularity cannon and pulse grenade launcher. Each weapon has its own place in your alien extermination strategy. The magnet gun is great for bringing down a building on a group of enemies. If, on the other hand, you want to preserve the surrounding structures, the pulse grenade launcher will only damage organic materials. The game also features some vehicular combat on land, air and molten lava.

Despite the cosmic carnage, the majority of the levels in Red Faction Armageddon are repetitive, predictable and linear. It’s obvious that the title was designed and developed for a console and that PC features were added for compatibility. While the game’s graphics were satisfactory for casual gameplay, there are obvious deficiencies in environmental textures and animations (e.g. lava waterfalls and rock formations). At first the destructive environments seemed to be a pure gimmick, but as I progressed I began to see distinct combat advantages to having them. Having them in a linear game, however, meant that the rebuilding of structures with your Nano Forge, while initially cool, became a necessary annoyance. My other complaint is the power balance of the weapons. Rarely did I feel intimidated by any of the alien enemies. My magnet gun and rocket launcher made me a veritable one-man army. I could have increased the difficulty level, but even at a medium difficulty, I felt the weapons should have been balanced to require a varied approach to combat. I found myself using the magnet gun almost exclusively.

Despite the wealth of complaints I have against Red Faction Armageddon, I still enjoyed it, and found my self relishing in my ability to bring a building down on my foes. I don’t regret paying full price for the game primarily because I’m easy to please. I appreciate great graphics, but do not require them. I prefer open-world environments but I won’t forgo a title that insists on linearity. When I take my total hours of gameplay divided by the price I paid, the per hour of entertainment was relatively cheap. (Try going to a concert or movie and only spending $6/hour.)

I realize that Red Faction Guerrilla was lacking in the story department, but what I experienced in Red Faction Armageddon feels the result of creating a console game with a flashy veneer instead of attempting to create a compelling story with an innovative foundation. Again, I have no major complaints with any of the mechanics, but I would like to have seen less predictability in the narrative, greater exploration of options and more variation in combat tactics. There was a lot of potential for this game but Volition played it safe and developed it for casual gamers. This might be sufficient for those who want to kill a few hours before going to bed, but if you’ve built a substantial gaming PC, the deficiencies will be too obvious to ignore.

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