Distributed by
THQ

Strategy Guide: Price: £49.99 (Xbox 360, PS3); £39.99 (PC) Players: 1; system link: 2-16; online multiplayer: 2-16 Widescreen: Yes 60Hz: Yes (optional) HDTV: 720p/1080i/1080p Dolby Digital 5.1 sound: Yes Xbox Live-enabled: Yes Vote and comment on this film: View Comments In Red Faction: Guerrilla, you play Alec Mason, mining engineer, and need to take control of the red planet since it's currently under a totalitarian regime. There's some great CGI scenes which set the tone and you're given a Guerilla Handbook which contains tutorial videos and other useful info if you need to look into it. However, the basics are that there are six areas of Mars, all controlled by the EDF (Earth Defence Force). Each sector must have all the missions within completed in order to achieve its liberation, and you'll also gain extra salvage for completing a mission.

Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 1: EDF Assault You begin with just a sledgehammer and explosive charges, joining your brother to destroy a laboratory and tower - which is just a way to get you into the style of the game. Soon after, your brother is dead thanks to those in charge and you're next, until you're saved at the last second and become part of Red Faction. It's now time to take out the trash. When you destory things, you can pick up salvage which is stuff the token girl in the game knows how to fashion into new weaponry. However, it's more fun to use the sledgehammer and imagine it's Thor's hammer! And just like before you can smash everything into oblivion and it's the perfect way to destress after a crappy day at work. It's especially fun to whack at the 'legs' of big structures and watch them slowly collapse to the ground. Just try not to get crushed under it all!

Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 6: House arrest - success! As you go about the game, trying to complete missions, things like EDF Assaults will occur so you've just got to go to them when you get the call. You can fire a weapon at them, but at you'll see from the first clip, it's easier to just throw explosive charges at them and then set them off, and you can throw two at a time before exploding them. The problem with firing weapons is that it's not very well handled in this came - there's no proper aiming system. You just point and shoot. There are various alternatives to missions - mini-games, if you like - such as EDF Assault, where you have to kill off all the drones who appear in a particular sector to regain control of it; Demolitions Master - tests that teach you how to bring down buildings quickly and efficiently; and Transporter - finding the vehicles left by EDF contractors which were working for you, who have been killed. Previously, you could only realistically smash up as much stuff as the game would let you, which was still a hell of a lot more than most games, while this one really goes above and beyond the call of duty there.

Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 7: Parker level: Final mission - Start Your Engines Other random observations are that there's really cool music that is the kind which you'd expect from something akin to an ambient music backing track for a film set on Mars; if you get stuck at any point, just look at the map and see which targets need destroying Arrows show the way to go to your next objective; you can unlock weapons and upgrades along the way; and the game could really do with a rear view mirror for driving any vehicles. Overall, Red Faction: Guerilla is fun for a fair few hours, but does start to get a bit tiresome after that as it's very samey, so I'd recommend a rental before you buy. In this review, I've uploaded a number of clips which are as follows: Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 1: EDF Assault Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 2: Demolition Master - How did that building collapse?! Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 3: Demolition Master - That's the way to do it! Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 4: Demolition Master - Destroy the Comm Towers Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 5: Ambush! Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 6: House arrest - success! Red Faction Guerilla: Clip 7: Parker level: Final mission - Start Your Engines Visit my DVDfeverGames Youtube channel.

GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ENJOYMENT
OVERALL

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2008.