This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
As Half Life escapes release on the Dreamcast, the PS2 gets the next best thing with Red Faction.
It's a plot-driven first-person shooter (FPS) that pits you as Parker, an
junior miner working for the Ultor Corporation in a massive Mars mining complex.
After an altercation with a guard in a kill-or-be-killed situation, you choose
to life and end up on the run from everyone else and having to blow up the
place as you go, destroying Ultor's operations and that's just the first mission.
There's the usual array of weapons here, although my favourites include the
assault rifle, the shotgun (at close range) and the rocket launcher, complete
with a thermal imaging camera to reveal where guards are from a safe distance.
Vehicles around the complex can also be driven, whether underground, overground
or in the sea (not wombling free) and usually contain a weapon of their own
of a higher magnitude of power than you can normally deliver. A favourite of
mine is the mechanical digger. Although you can't get all the way through rock
walls as it knackers the digging apparatus, if there's an enemy on a platform above
you that's held up by pillars, simply dig through the pillars and then gore
the baddie to death! Ha!
As it's a FPS you know how it plays, but the controls are a bit odd having to
use a combination of the analogue joysticks to move forwards-backwards and
left-right, rather like
Timesplitters,
but it's something you do get used to.
The sound is outstanding. Blow things up or just shoot people with a silencer.
It's all here and it's all as impressive as this type of game usually is in the
sonic department. However, the graphics aren't quite up to scratch. With the
PS2 I'm expecting games to at least be the same quality as a 3D graphics card
but at times they look like they're verging on PSone territory and are too
jerky on occasion.
The plus point though is the "Geo-Mod" technology used here. Put simply, if
you can't find an exit then more often than not just blast a hole in the wall
and you'll find your answer. Practicing will help you work out what you can
and cannot destroy but it doesn't amount to most things. Billed as an unlimited
experience for perfectly-created real-time explosions, it does put the mockers on you from time to time. As mentioned
earlier the digger breaks down if tunnelling through rock walls so they don't
want you to stray too far off the beaten track.
The weird thing is with doors though. When a hovering enemy shot at me from the
other side of a pillar, I made a dash for a small room adjacent to where I was.
Thinking I was safe, the bastard blew holes in the wall and came right up to
me, although I was on the other side of the door which cannot be destroyed.
No matter how many times he fired at close range, I stayed alive(!)
Overall, this will tide us over for the time being until we get a similar,
but better-looking, FPS on the PS2, instead of those deathmatch-frenzies like
Quake 3 Revolution and Unreal Tournament, but there's no reason
why it shouldn't have looked better.
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
As Half Life escapes release on the Dreamcast, the PS2 gets the next best thing with Red Faction.
As it's a FPS you know how it plays, but the controls are a bit odd having to
use a combination of the analogue joysticks to move forwards-backwards and
left-right, rather like
Overall, this will tide us over for the time being until we get a similar,
but better-looking, FPS on the PS2, instead of those deathmatch-frenzies like
Quake 3 Revolution and Unreal Tournament, but there's no reason
why it shouldn't have looked better.
