Red Faction Tried to Start Revolution but Fell Short. This Shooter Is Remembered for Wall Destruction
Red Faction was big for a while. The FPS from Volition broke through into the consciousness of gamers mainly because of its almost absolute demolition of walls. It was supposed to be a revolution, but today the game is rather rarely mentioned.
Around the year 2001 was an interesting time. The games already looked good, but the studios developing for PC and consoles still had a lot of room for improvement, as they needed to find a gadget, gimmick, or mechanic that would attract the audience. The graphical revolution of Doom 3 and the physical one of Half-Life 2 hadn't yet arrived, and Unreal was also just beginning its march for dominance among engines. It was still possible to come up with a good idea that could diversify the classic gameplay patented by Quake 2 and the first Half-Life, a shooter with an extensive campaign and a smaller or larger dose of story. Volition fit into this niche... making holes in the walls. Yes, that was an advantage of Red Faction, the shooter that everyone praised.
Revolutions small and big
Here's the game that came before Saints Row - that already revealed the rebellious nature of the studio. Red Faction takes us to Mars. As Parker, we begin working for a corporation extracting minerals from the Red Planet because resources on our good old Earth have started running low. On the spot, it turns out that everyone is toiling in the mines like slaves, corporate henchmen treat workers like cattle, and the picture of misery and despair is completed by the plague rampant among the people.
When the hour strikes, a group known as Red Faction sparks a revolution. Parker, being in the line of fire, sides with the rebels. It's hard to blame him after what he saw. It quickly turns out that although he is a random dude, he has a bigger role to play.
From a storyline perspective, it's quite a successful short/medium range SF. The intrigue deepens with time, and we uncover the true motivations of many players on the Martian chessboard. I have the impression that due to its revolutionary tones and criticism of corporations, Red Faction would be even better received today. Modern audiences appreciate a sharp criticism of the system, and Volition's shooter game isn't lacking in that. The main protagonist talks about it in such a cold, soulless way that it gives you chills - even though the characters are quite emotionally involved in the action. Parker... just is there, although he has his five minutes in the cutscenes. He interrupts the absorption of the action little more than Freeman.
Boom boom boom
Because it's a game similar in gameplay, atmosphere, and style to the first Half-Life - we go through complex levels with a strong cosmic tint (well, not so subtle here), shooting everything that doesn't bear our colors, and searching for secrets. However, the game isn't a cheap clone of the hit from Valve, as it adds quite a lot of its own elements and tries new things. Not all aspects work good, but you can't complain about the diversity of the gameplay.
I've already mentioned the most important thing - the GeoMod engine. Interestingly, this technology, like the main character, is a legacy of the prequel Descent that Volition was developing. GeoMod was responsible for the possibility to destroy a huge part of the surface, objects, and walls with the help of larger caliber weapons and drills. At first, this was genuinely jaw-dropping. It's better than smearing enemies on walls with acupuncture precision like in Soldier of Fortune. That was fun, and this "drilling" of walls helped to find alternative paths to reach the given point. If I remember correctly, it was even possible to uncover a few secrets in this way. Furthermore, in a few sequences, we could, for instance, make a rocky bridge collapse under the enemy's armored vehicle.
It's a pity that the devs quickly ran out of ideas on how to use the engine in a practical way. With time, Red Faction evolved into a spy chase involving some of the most important characters in the plot, and the radical improvised mining aspect almost completely lost its impact. We could only bring destruction on the principle of "art for art's sake," to remind the corporations from Mars that the revolution has arrived. These mechanics sometimes came in handy in battle because "you had cool shields" and then they just suddenly evaporated.
Red Faction wasn't afraid to play with vehicles either. For example, we could drive a large behemoth armed with a drill, and there was also a sequence with light vehicles. It was quite fun, although sometimes the vehicle stages dragged on too much.
Revolution ruined, but the game is good
However, despite these limitations and the potential of GeoMod not being fully used most of the time, it was a very competent shooter with well-designed levels and a decent atmosphere. The most important aspect, shooting, was good; the weapons had a decent recoil and offered many possibilities for "tactical" problem-solving. The rifle, resembling a combination of a sniper rifle and an M-16, was probably one of the more useful tools if we weren't playing Wreck-It Ralph at the time. The graphics, considering that it's a title from the PS2 era, still look okay. The dialogues and script weren't the worst.
How to play Red Faction today?
If you enjoy FPS-style gameplay and don't need modernly designed maps and characters, Red Faction can still be a very good item with some interesting features up its sleeve. I remember the game very fondly, and today we can get it even on GOG (until December 4, you can buy the title for $2.13 – the standard price is $10.65).
Based on the reviews, it seems that you need to install a patch to prevent problems, but it's worth taking a few extra minutes for a slightly more chaotic installation. We will be rewarded with a trip in the style of Total Recall, at a price that no other space flight has ever offered. It's a pity that the later installments (including the sequel, and then the redesigned Guerrilla, Battlegrounds, and Armageddon), while sometimes good, weren't as amazing as the first one. This was an idea to develop, not to roll up, dear Volition.
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