Red Faction: Guerilla

Red Faction has always been about one thing. It has lots of things that continue throughout the game series, but one thing stands out the most in every game. You get to blow things up. Lots of things. And not just items, but walls and buildings. You get to decide how to destroy the environment. Volition has crafted a wonderful in-game physics engine that allows the player to destroy the environment in any way possible. It's called the Geo Mod Engine, and it's updated to 2.0 for Red Faction Guerilla. Now, what you thought was possible goes to the extreme.

The story has always stood out in these games, and it's no exception in this one. You play as Red Faction freedom fighter Alec Mason, whose brother you watch get killed right in front of you by the Earth Defense Force. The Earth Defense Force, or EDF as everyone calls them, is in control of the planet Mars, where this story takes place, and is in charge of watching over the workers who mine the planet for resources. They want to basically build another Earth, and they will do whatever necessary to achieve that goal, even if it means killing the workers. All of the activity on Mars is watched over by the eye in the sky, Hydra, an orbiting space ship that monitors all activity on the planet, and ensures that the EDF are always in control. There is a small group of freedom fighters, called the 'Red Faction', who are beginning to see the atrocities the EDF perform and are doing their best to stop them. You join up with them right away, and the fight begins.
The other Red Faction games were first person shooters, but this game is third person, and it works because there can be a lot of action on-screen at one time, and it would be easy to get lost if you couldn't see your character. This game is completely, free-roaming, meaning you can go anywhere you want, and do whatever you like. If you want to level an EDF command center before you begin a Red Faction mission, you can do that. You get to choose what to do next. There are a ton of weapons and explosives to help you along the way. But, what has to be mentioned the most, I think, is the amazing Geomod 2.0 game engine that Volition has constructed for this game. Basically, nearly everything on the surface of Mars can be crushed, blown up, or smashed with the tools you carry. Also, it all acts like it would in real life; so if you shoot a rocket into the top of a building, the pieces will fall off and break the floors beneath them. It is all a site to behold, and only newer game consoles and PCs could deliver such breathtaking scenes.

The games sound and music are really good, and I must mention the music is astounding, sounding very much like high budget movie music. It really puts you in the mood and makes Mars come alive.

This game really makes you feel like you're part of something bigger than yourself, because the game world is so large and vast. There are desert badlands, and EDF controlled areas filled with vehicles and buildings. The graphics are amazing with lighting and textures on the surface of Mars that look real. Everything in this game runs smooth. I never saw any slowdown whatsoever.
I enjoyed playing Red Faction Guerilla very much, and I very much look forward to what Volition has in store for their next game in this series.

Graphics- 9.8 out of 10
Sound and Music- 9.5 out of 10
Gameplay- 9.9 out of 10
Presentation- 9.1 out of 10

Overall- 9.5 out of 10