Red Faction: Armageddon

(Tested on PS3)

Red Faction: Armageddon

YEARS in the future, our neighbouring planet of Mars was terraformed into an environment able to sustain human settlements. Life may have been hard, but like Frontier America, there was a determination to carve out a decent existence on this brave new world, with the ruling Red Faction slowly coming to terms with its responsibilities for the thousands of colonists under their jurisdiction.

But then came Adam Hale, a nefarious revolutionary whose actions resulted in the destruction of the Terraformer device which kept the surface of Mars habitable, forcing the colonists to rebuild their society deep underground in the planets caverns, forever cut off from the world above…

After a brief prologue section which allows the gamer to experience Hale’s devastating actions first-hand, we move on by 10 years, and begin to explore the new community established beneath Mars’ surface by the surviving colonists.

Darius Mason, grandson of the legendary Alec (of Red Faction: Guerilla fame), works as a demolitions expert, taking on the life-threatening jobs nobody else will touch, until he unwittingly uncovers dark secrets lurking in the Martian depths, and finds himself caught up in a desperate battle against an alien infestation which threatens to wipe out the last vestiges of humanity on the red planet.

Using the remarkable technology at his disposal – including a magnet gun which allows the gamer to use his immediate environment as a force for destruction, and the Nano Forge device which can repair anything with microscopic nanobots – and with the backing of sidekicks Kara and Frank Winters, Darius is all that’s standing in the way of total Armageddon for Mars…

Unlike previous instalments, the play is a lot more linear, and the freedom of Mars’ dunescaped surface has been replaced by its subterreanean tunnels, but that takes nothing away from what is essentially a third person shooter with added flair.

The environment itself is highly detailed, the character acting is surprisingly strong, and there’s a lot of time spent on making sure the explosions look simply sublime, something which helps no end when you’re wreaking havoc with a plasma cannon.

Getting to grips with the fascinating array of technology at your disposal takes some time, as it’s not just a matter of pointing a gun and firing anymore, but that’s part of the challenges inherent in RF:A, and if anything makes for a more enjoyable gaming experience.

The variety of enemies is somewhat lacking, but the likes of the tentacles and the monoliths will provide more than enough of a threat, forcing you to unload a desperate onslaught of ammunition to stand even a chance of victory.

Infestation, the four-player co-op mode, runs in parallel with the one-player narrative, as you become immersed in battles which are directly referenced in the main game, and offers additional opportunities to unleash hell on the hoards of opposing forces which come swarming at you from the Martian caves.

There’s also a Ruin feature which is accessed via a one-off code provided with new copies of the game (so no joy if you pick it up second-hand), allowing for pure devastating mayhem which encourages the gamer to cause as much damage in as short a time as possible – lovely jubbly!

A first-rate action adventure which will keep you coming back for more, boasting a completely immersive gaming experience which gives you the chance to unleash utter destruction on a scale few of its rivals can achieve.