Highest rated reviews for Red Faction: Guerrilla ()

Review of Single Player Game

Rushty from Lincoln [Highly rated reviewer] , 10/06/2009

So, I posted a review earlier for the MP demo. I bought the full game and have finished the single player campaign now so I thought I would post a full review of the game now. I'll touch on the MP at the end but since I haven't really played it in depth yet, I can't do it justice.

Red Faction Guerilla (RFG) is an open world 3rd person action game. It takes place in the human colonies on Mars. Your aim is to eliminate the Earth Defense Force (EDF) from zones on the surface by chipping away at their control and gaining the support of the population. Once the control is zero and you have completed the Red Faction missions you have a single mission to finally push the EDF out of an area for good, eventually pushing them off Mars.

One thing I really like about RFG is that there aren't too many missions that you have to do to progress the story. Each zone has less than 4 compulsory missions with the rest of the path being up to the player. You can demolish key areas of EDF infrastructure, weakening their control or you can play the many different Guerilla missions throughout each area. These missions include things like springing faction members from house arrests, defending bases which have been made or (my personal favorite) leading raids on EDF targets. The benefit of completing these missions is that your support will increase amongst the population meaning more of them will come to your aid in firefights. If you choose not to do the Guerilla missions you can still get population support by going on killing sprees and causing mayhem. Lots of different ways to play. This is great in my opinion.

The compulsory missions are the highlights of the game, leading to many edge of your seat moments. I have never felt such a sense of relief in a game than when I finished some of them, but in the best way. You really feel like you have achieved something by completing them. As usual there are often multiple ways to complete them.

Graphically the game is spot on. It manages to capture the essence of a dirty dusty planet that is in it's first stages of colonization. The art direction is nice. It would have been too easy to just make everything red but the areas all have a theme, ranging from the barren wastelands to the industrial centers to an area in the first stages of terraform-ation all the way to the metropolis of Eos at the end. The architecture in the first few areas is basic, favoring function over form but later regions have a more aesthetic quality to them. The thing is, each area is totally believable for what it claims to be in the story and the environments are totally convincing.

Red Faction offers a wide array of weapons but unfortunately you will only be able to carry 3 at a time plus your sledgehammer. All the standard shooter options are there, rockets, shotguns, pistols and assault rifles and some futuristic twists on those weapons later, plus the awesome nano-rifle, which i wont spoil for you. All weapons come with a nice aside on how to use them effectively. Along with these are your standard remote mines that you can use for all sorts of mischief throughout the game. Only being able to select 3 weapons means you need to be a bit savvy on what you choose for different missions, especially on the harder difficulties where you can't just shoot your way out of trouble. There's no point loading out with a rocket launcher and a sniper rifle if you are doing a house arrest mission and it's almost impossible to take out a convoy if you don't have some kind of explosives, etc etc. You are going to have to experiment with the best way to achieve your objective. This isn't a bad thing though.

The gameplay is, yet again, on the mark. There isn't a whole lot to say here, which is a good thing. There is nothing to distract you from completing whatever goal you are trying to achieve. So often in games I find that the control system is a hinderance, where you have to stop and think what control to press to continue what you were doing but here there is none of that. The player can use cover easily but should keep moving since it probably won't be there for long.

You will spend a lot of time driving. Thankfully the driving model is excellent. The physics aren't exactly Forza 2 standard, but is that really what you want in a game like this? For me the only thing that was missing was the ability to spin the wheels but that's hardly a big deal. There are a wide selection of vehicles to drive, from mining trucks, off road buggies and taxis later on in the game. Some have weapons on them. The weapon control isn't the easiest to use but it does the job just about. The transporter missions are a good laugh, forcing you to see a lot of the map.

Finally the destruction model. This is so much fun. There are even destruction challenges dotted around the map. It doesn't look quite as good as Frostbite (Bad Company) but the physics behind it is definitely better. The game isn't about the destruction but acts as a great showcase for how the engine can be used.

Overall, you can't go wrong with this game. I don't think its quite the best game on X Box but it's up there in my top 5.

Not Bad but gets repetative quickly

Paul Jones from Wales UK , 01/07/2009

Its a good game to start off, quite different from the orginal red faction games, but the endless sandbox of mars gets old quickly and all you find doing in this attempt at a GTA style game is blowing up stuff or hitting people in the face with your hammer/axe jobby.

The destructions good, not great (the actual rocks and ground dont seam to relise what happens when your fire rockets at it) but it does lead to some fun with knocking down tall buildings.

And when your being pursued all you have to do is drive up to your personal safe area and no one can be bothered to follow you.

Damned from the start

A customer from Dunstable , 14/12/2009

I was one of the few unfortunate people who got the silly freezing bug - play for a few minutes or for a few hours and BAM completely locks up on you and you have to restart - that alone damns this game to one star.

My Review :)

Tomm96 from Hull , 20/11/2009

The game is fun at most parts of it, but it can get very boring at times, i think if you play the campaign, then play online multiplayer or split screen the game is more epic. The things i liked about it was that you could smash through walls and buildings and ride through places in a vehicle, and use turrets and many fun missions. Also you can buy and upgrade weapons and tools which i think was mint :), so i think that it is well worth renting or buying. :D

destruction like no other.

A customer from gods own (tyneside) , 02/11/2009

the bad pop-in aside (things in the distance are drawn in as you move towards them), destruction is set to the max in this great game.

going from an FPS to an open world sandbox game has not harmed this series at all, with plenty of missions and exploration to be done. fun is had in the various ways you can destroy the many buildings via the various weapons at your disposal or with your extremely powerfull sledgehammer.

perhaps not as polished as some sandbox games and devoid of endless plot lines, RFG is quite lengthy with plenty of playability (and re-playability) on-line or off that also sets a new benchmark for physics in a video game..

boring

muggs from Lincoln , 02/11/2009

Dont expect much from this , its generic and bland .

The story is a good one but the game is to slow paced

Play it for achievments and when you got time to kill .

just a short review.

Sovereign from Bury St. Edmunds , 27/10/2009

this game is incredibly fun. it does seem a lot like Saints Row with mental destruction and some gameplay overhauls,but that is not a bad thing. the ammount of ammo you can carry is pathetic however. and for some reason,despite the game having almost no scratches,my Xbox refused to read it once i got the Eos sector of the map.

Good fun shoot-em-up!

Lewis Taylor from Sheffield , 15/10/2009

The game does exactly what it says on the tin. Big guns, big trucks, big bombs. The game play is varied and the ability to destroy almost every thing makes things very interesting.

On other games, if you charge in to destroy a building you kill your way through every one, blow it up and kill your self through every one on the way out. (Or do the stealthy thing!)

In this game you can choose the stealthy option, the charge in madly option, or the clever option. Smash a hole in the perimeter wall near the target, place your charges and leave through the hole in the wall as the building comes down around the enemy.

Great fun.

The only thing it was slightly lacking in, was the person to person combat. The guns were not that accurate or powerful Vrs people so you find you self just sprinting between groups of baddies smashing them with hammers to save time.

I also feel some missions using the sniper riffle would have added another dimension to the guerrilla war as it often lacked subtlety!

Other then that it was a fantastic play, kept me entertained for a long time until I finished it!

'Just one more go' gaming!

A customer from Bedford , 24/09/2009

If you're expecting a red faction game of old, prepare to be pleasantly surprised. This is a go anywhere, do anything 'sandbox' game, with the emphasis on destruction. Completing 'guerilla actions' earns you weapon and accessory upgrades, allowing you to wreak greater and much more spectacular damage. Highlights? Multiplayer is fast and challenging and never short of inventive with the use of different backpacks. Lowlights? Collectible hunting (of which there are many) is time-consuming and very frustrating. I recommend using guides! Overall, 9/10.

review

thallandor from Merthyr Tydfil , 19/09/2009

enjoyed this thoroughly, missions are spaced apart, plenty of terrain to search, items and and ammunition aplenty. good rental

RED FACTION RULES

DANandKEL from Portsmouth , 16/09/2009

Absolutely great game.

Rented this not really knowing what to expect at all, having never played any of its predecessors.

But was amazed with the playerbility of it.

I was lucky too, because just after i completed it on rental, the add on came out on marketplace which is solid too.

The multiplayer is fantastic too, and quite allot different.

Although the controls are the same, the multiplayer has many new dimensions.

Give it a shot, you wont be displeased.

One Line Reviews:

frankcastle73 from Lichfield , 15/09/2009

Its ok to start with but lack of mission variety leads to boredom later.

ok seen better

CYPRIOT from London , 29/08/2009

After a while u get bored s***less/ mp game is ok too.

Run, Smash, Die, Drive & Drive Some More

A customer from Chesterfield , 23/08/2009

Initially I thought this was a good game, however, after playing it for a while it becomes a little tedious. The graphics are unimaginitive but then it is set on Mars after all. The game is a little tricky in the fact that it is quite easy to get overrun by the enemy at times and then you end up dying. That in itself wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't for the fact that you respawn back at base and then have to travel back to where you were to carry on with the mission, the drive times are always long and as you can guess not exactly rewarding to look at. I think the moral of the story is don't die on mission but unfortunately this can be difficult to avoid, so be prepared for some driving. I'm glad I rented this title and that I did not buy it. It is worth playing but there wasn't enough in it for me to carry on playing until I finished it which is quite a rare thing for me.

Predictable

THEAndyR from Ormskirk , 17/08/2009

Once you complete the first zone, you end up doing the same style missions but on a larger scale. I played the first zone, started the second but had no motivation to carry on.

Sent it back soon after.

Gameplay and graphics are good though

james adam!

JamesAdam from Scotland , 11/08/2009

veeeerry good game lol nice rd person shooter where you can destroy anything! what more can ya ask for ;)

Red Faction Guerrilla

A customer from Andover , 08/08/2009

Brillient Game and good grathics managed to finish the game, it's just a good shoot it up and I enjoyed it immensly

Fun at first then gets boring

Alxx5462 from Worcester Park , 07/07/2009

Online is the best part of the game the storyline was dull and no interest, funnest thing to do is go around destroying buildings( best feature of the game) would recommend to people who love fun online and demolishers who cant do it for real

Did not keep my attention...

Bigburko from Leeds [Highly rated reviewer] , 24/06/2009

Yes the physics are good, I like the destruction... but... once you have done that for a few hours, it gets a bit monotonous. You just have more bad guys to kill; same kind of missions, destroy this, rescue these, evade those.

However, graphics were very good and I still have the game, but the novelty will wear off soon i can feel it in my water...

The next Gen shoot`um up

kin11 from Maidstone , 23/06/2009

this is a must play game even if you just download the free demo from XBL.The online modes run smooth for a well laid out and fast moving and falling battlefield.with now where to hide,well now where that someone cant just bolw your cover with any number of weapons and back packs.there is 26 maps and 6 modes to paly (up to 16 players) + theres a party mode to play with friends at home ( up to 4 players) and the singel player mode is set in an open world where anything go`s.the game is 3rd person but i dont think it could work in 1st the way this game can,bringing you right into the action,like running along a 60ft high tower as its crashing on the enemy :-) enjoy

Life on Mars?

JimiTheSaint from London [Highly rated reviewer] , 23/06/2009

It would be remiss of me not to start this review with the obvious selling point of this game, The destruction physics. They are very well implemented and satisfying but a game they do not make. It's nice to be able to blow up, smash down with cars, or even knock down with a sledge hammer all the different buildings in the game but this is an open world title and therefore will live or die by the world around it. This is where the title fails. First off there is the world itself, Mars. It's a very hilly, very red landscape with buildings scattered here and there, most of which you have a reason to knock down. Although it is split up into different zones (with different colour filters I might add), they are all essentially the same and fairly empty, therefore quite boring. The plot is almost non-existent, and the script and voice acting is adequate, but will not set the world on fire. Indeed it's almost an embarassment when you compare it to the likes of GTA: Lost and the Damned. Like Saints Row 2 before it, there are plenty of distractions to keep you going, but if you are anything like me you do start to wonder why you are even bothering after you have the requisite amount of points to start the next mission. Exploration is potentially rewarded with collectibles, but again, why bother? The world is so drab it becomes a bore very quickly. One thing I did quite enjoy (for a short time at least) was the soundtrack, which falls somewhere between John Carpenter's 70's/80's films and Mass effect. Combat can be a massive hassle in places also, as it is not a fun as perhaps it should be. Like Mercs 2, I tended to concentrate in knocking the buildings down that I had to, and ignoring all but the most troublesome enemies in my way, giving me the unwarranted feeling that I was some sort of genetic super soldier who could ignore being attacked for the main goal. The other Red Faction members who fight with you are also fairly useless, most of the time getting in the way of my hammer swinging or gun fire, and on many occasion being inside a building when I collapsed it, Which is really annoying as you are penalised for every death. The weapons and vehicles are, again adequate. None of them are particulary special (with one exception in both camps) and are more functional than anything else. Enemies also fall foul of this banality. Again, GTA had that problem, but it had such an interesting world and story surrounding it that it didn't matter. Red Faction does not have that luxury unfortunately, so it just compunds how shallow this title feels. And I think that is a good place to draw this review to a close, because that is all the game is. Adequate. It's not brilliant, it's not bad. I played it until the end but at no time was I really enjoying myself, nor was I turning it off in disgust. For that reason I can only give it a medium score, as I wouldn't really recommend it for anything in particular. I cannot comment on multiplayer as I only gave it the most cursory of glances, as none of my friends owned the game. However the style of game play would lend itself quite well to multiplayer, if only in short bursts. If I had to make a comparison I would say it's Mercenaries meets Saint's Row. In space. So if that sounds like your action, then get stuck in!

good online IF

A customer from Dumbarton , 12/06/2009

this game is a good game online if u get a European host if u get an American host then there really is no point in playing because the lag is so bad it unbelievable.

Amazingg :)

Clareee from Petersfield , 11/06/2009

I played the demo and watched the review it is well good, the landscape sets the game and it is very injoyible. the only thing i would say that is bad about it is that it is so easy to destroy a building, if there is a town and 4 surport legs if you knock 2 down the whole thing falls, when on multiplayer you have to knock all 4 down to make sure it falls.

:) Thakyouuu x

WOW

Ozor from Essex , 31/05/2009

This game really took me by surprise. It first caught my interest after i saw the trailer, so i downloaded the demo was highly impressed. The gameplay is very smooth and enjoyable, the veichles handle in a off road style which makes them exetremely fun to drive through buildings and the destruction is just so much fun to mess with. Who don't want to bring an entire building filled with enemies crashing down in seconds. Being impressed with the single player demo i downloaded the multiplayer demo. Once again very happy with what i experienced. The game can have up to 16 player matches and it clearly uses the destruction to its fullest online. With some gamemodes being entirely focussed around bringing down enemy buildings. This game will be great and i am buying it first chance i get.

Loved it

A customer from Wokingham , 10/05/2009

I downloaded the demo off the live marketplace, and I wasn't expecting much to be honest. But once you enter the completely destructible environment which they acieved using a new physics engine called geo mod 2.0, it really was one of the most enjoyable games I have played. It has a vast map and over 120 missions. The physics are incredibly realistic too. I thought it was a great game and I've only played the demo :P

great game 5 out of 5

A customer from Borehamwood , 25/04/2009

the game is brilliant even after youve completed the campaign theres is still lots of fun to be had on multiplayer or even messing around on private match i highly recommend that you buy this game instead of renting it 5 out of 5 from me

lame

Invander from skelmersdale , 21/07/2009

interesting, then gets very boring after about 4 missons.

crap GTA clone.

Bring back the proper red faction.

Demo review?!?!?!?!?

Mankybob from Roslin , 15/06/2009

Considering everybody seems to just review the demos before making their minds up even reviewing games that have not seen the light of day amuses me! so why not here's what I think.... Tried the demo and straight away I got a sense of drab and a whiff off boring.controls are weird guy moves funny. Don't like how it's went from first person shooter to over the shoulder. But then again if I play the full game who knows it might still be pap! Get wolverine instead

One (boring) Trick Pony

A customer from Shropshire , 09/06/2009

Smash Buildings and collect rubbish….. that’s all you do!!!!!