Red Faction: Guerrilla re-defines the limits of destruction-based game-play with a huge open-world, fast-paced guerrilla-style combat, and true physics-based destruction. Key Features Open World Guerrilla Warfare - You decide who, when, where and how to battle. Utilize guerrilla tactics, improvised weaponry, and modified vehicles to lead. Red Faction: Armageddon is the fourth installment in the Red Faction series. It was released on June 7, 2011. Like the first and third games of the series, the game takes place on the planet of Mars.
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Red Faction | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Volition, Inc. Monkeystone Games (N-Gage) Blue Beck (Mobile phone) |
Publisher(s) | THQ |
Designer(s) | Volition, Inc. |
Engine | Geo-Mod Engine |
Platform(s) | PS2, Windows, N-Gage, Mac, Mobile phone |
Release date(s) | May 22, 2001 (PS2) September 18, 2001 (Windows) November 28, 2001 (Mac) December 16, 2003 (N-Gage) October 20, 2005 (Mobile phone) |
Genre(s) | First-person shooter, Third-person shooter(PC only, with use of the camera3 console command) |
Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Rating(s) | ESRB: M PEGI: 16+ USK: 18 |
Media | CD (2), DVD |
System requirements | System: 400 MHz RAM:64 MB RAM CD-ROM: 4X CD-ROM Video Memory: 8 MB VRAM Sound Board: Yes DirectX: DirectX 8.0 |
Input methods | Keyboard, Mouse, Gamepad |
Red Faction is a first-person shootervideo game that was released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, Microsoft Windows, and Macintosh by THQ and Volition. A version for the NokiaN-Gage was developed by Monkeystone Games. The game was also re-developed as a top-down shooter for the mobile phone.[1]
Red Faction takes place on Mars in the late 21st century. The player controls a miner named Parker who helps lead a rebellion against the Ultor Corporation. The premiere feature of the game is its 'Geo-Mod' technology, short for 'geometry modification', which provided destructible environments, allowing the player to destroy certain sections of the scenery in the game. For example, instead of opening a door, a player could blast through the rock surrounding the door.[2]
As of August 5, 2009, Red Faction has been made available through the Steam platform with few of the problems associated while running the game on a modern computer fixed. The rest of these issues can be fixed with the third-party Pure Faction patch.[3]
Plot
Red Faction takes place on Mars around the year 2075. Earth’s minerals are being depleted and humans need more of them to survive. The vast Ultor Corporation runs the mining operation on Mars. The living conditions are deplorable, human rights for the miners are few and a disease called 'The Plague' is running rampant throughout the colony with no known antidote available - predominantly within the confines of the mine complex. Parker, a downtrodden miner, came to Mars to make a new start in his life - taken in by the promises and advantages Ultor has to offer in the mines of Mars. After a routine day in the mine with the typical aggression toward miners and cramped living conditions and poor nutrition, he witnesses the spark that starts a rebellion when a security guard abuses a miner at the end of his shift and heartlessly kills him.[4] Parker takes up arms, with the help of Hendrix, a rebellious Ultor security technician who guides Parker through the complex. Hendrix tries to get Parker to join up with a group of miners who are about to steal a supply shuttle and escape the complex. Parker arrives too late. The shuttle takes off but is destroyed by missiles.[5]
Parker traverses through the Ultor complex, eliminating any resistance Ultor throws at him, and even kidnapping a high-ranking Ultor administrator, Gryphon, for Eos, leader of the Red Faction.[6] Parker learns from Gryphon about Dr. Capek, who created 'The Plague'. Capek has been experimenting with nanotechnology, and the Plague is a side-effect of injections at the miners' annual medical checkup. Hendrix directs Parker to Capek's secret underground laboratory, where he and Eos meet up and take down Capek. Before Capek dies, he tells Eos how to cure the Plague.[7] After sending a distress call to the Earth Defense Force, Parker stows away on a shuttle to an Ultor space station in Martian orbit to deactivate a laser defense system.[8]
After destroying the space station, Parker lands back on Mars via an escape pod, Ultor brings out its reserve of mercenaries to help them in their fight against the miners. Hendrix tells Parker that the mercenaries have orders to destroy the mining complex, covering up any proof of Ultor's wrongdoing, Hendrix is killed soon after this by the mercenaries. After fighting his way through the mercenary base, Parker confronts Masako, the mercenary leader. After he kills Masako, Parker sees that Eos is tied up and sitting on the floor next to the bomb, which has been set to explode. After deactivating it, the Earth Defense Force arrives just in time to save Parker and Eos from a fighter aircraft. Eos tells Parker that an antidote for the Plague has been made and it is being given to any sick miners. She also tells him she is leaving Mars, and that Parker should enjoy his new status as a hero.[9]
Gameplay
One of the main 'selling points' of Red Faction was the game engine's GeoMod technology, which allowed players to significantly alter and otherwise affect the surrounding terrain and buildings, either with explosives or otherwise. Past games had allowed limited alteration of the environment through scripted means, or special triggered areas which would add or remove certain predefined level elements. Red Faction was one of the first games to allow players relatively limitless level-altering possibilities. In fact, many of the areas in the first few levels, such as a hidden underground lake, serve little purpose other than showcasing the capabilities of the GeoMod technology.
GeoMod allows the player to alter (and destroy) the environment so significantly because of the way it designates altered (or 'GeoModded') areas. Whereas other game engines would have to modify the shape of the altered object to create a similar effect, GeoMod creates special objects which represent empty space. When, for example, an explosion blows a hole in a rock wall, the GeoMod technology creates an 'empty space' object which is the approximate size and shape of the explosion. The training level uses a much larger 'empty space' object than the rocket launcher is able to produce in other circumstances, simply because tunnelling is required to complete part of the level.
The use of these 'empty space' objects is not limited to in-game environment alteration. Some of the objects in the game, such as the wastebaskets found in certain office areas, are stored as one solid shape with another 'empty space' shape defined within it.
Red Faction and Descent 4
Descent 4 was a game being developed by Volition as part of the Descent game franchise (as a prequel to Descent 1). However, it was cancelled for unknown reasons and its technologies (and some of the plot) were incorporated into Red Faction. Examples include the main character Parker as well as the GeoMod engine.[10]
Sequels
The sequel, Red Faction II, was released for PlayStation 2 in October 2002, and then PC. It takes place on Earth and tells the story of a group of super soldiers, including the main character, who are physically enhanced by the nanotechnology originally developed by Capek on Mars.
On June 15, 2009 THQ released Red Faction: Guerrilla, for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows. In this iteration, the story again takes place on Mars, where the Earth Defense Force has become as tyrannical an organization as Ultor.
Developed by Locomotive Games, a spin-off of the Red Faction games called Red Faction: B.E.A.S.T. was in a pre-alpha development stage for the NintendoWii video game console. However with the closure of Locomotive Games the game has been abandoned, although several models and a full-length trailer were released to the public upon the closure of the studio.[11]
Reception
Upon its release Red Faction was well received by critics. The PlayStation 2 version currently has an 88% rating at GameRankings and also has a rating of 88% at Metacritic, while the PC version has ratings of 79% and 78% respectively. It received a rating of 9.1/10 from IGN.
References
- ^Levi Buchanan (October 27, 2005). 'IGN: Red Faction Review'. IGN. http://wireless.ign.com/articles/662/662210p1.html. Retrieved 2006-12-23.
- ^'Red Faction Reviews'. Game Rankings. http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/367196.asp?q=Red%20Faction. Retrieved 2006-12-23.
- ^http://purefaction.org
- ^Eos: Workers in Mine M-4 have started the rebellion. They're fighting and dying for you as I speak! (Red Faction)
- ^Hendrix: Hurry, Parker. The miners are at the shuttle. / There they go. If only you'd been faster... / Maybe being slow isn't such a bad thing. (Red Faction)
- ^Gryphon: I'll tell you what I can on the way, but more guards are going to show up soon. Parker: I'm right behind you. Betray me or try to run, and you'll be the first to die. (Red Faction)
- ^Eos: Capek, the Plague. There's got to be a cure! Capek: It's simple, really. Stop the replicators. Eos: But how? How do you stop the replicators? Capek: Antidote, of course. (Red Faction)
- ^Hendrix: Ultor has a system of laser satellites orbiting Mars. They'll tear the fleet apart unless we disable them somehow. (Red Faction)
- ^Parker: So. What now? Eos: Relax, Parker, you're a hero. Enjoy yourself. Start dating. Maybe look for a new job. Parker: What about you? Eos: I won't be staying on Mars, that's for sure. (Red Faction)
- ^Planet Descent (2000). 'Planet Descent Volition Interview'. Planet Descent. http://www.planetdescent.com/site/articles/asrale/9-11-00-asrale-volition.asp. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
- ^JC Fletcher (2009). 'First, and last, look at Red Faction: B.E.A.S.T.'. Nintendo Wii Fanboy. http://www.nintendowiifanboy.com/2009/01/16/first-and-last-look-at-red-faction-b-e-a-s-t/. Retrieved 2009-01-17.
External links
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