Red Faction Armageddon

On booting this game up I was initially disappointed - the graphics didnt seem that great and the gameplay seemed fairly basic. Generally the feeling was quite underwelming.

8 hours into the game with 40% game completion I now just cant put the game down. There's nothing like destroying all the buildings in the immediate area, catapulting bits of metal into enemies using the magnet gun is most satisfying and a unique way to dispatch enemies. The graphics seem to have improved and the sound is excellent.

You also get to use a mech suite like iron man + at least one vehicle so far which are fun. The games not all in cramped tunnels like some reviews mention - in fact the tunnels are often huge cave systems and there are levels on the surface too.

The difficulty level is pitched fairly well and is overall an immersive game. Would recommend to all.

and certainly doesn't deserve to be part of the Red Faction franchise. Not to say that it is not a competent game, graphics and sound are good and thought has gone into it, just that having installed it right after playing Red Faction: Guerilla it wouldn't take much to strip out the little that makes it a RF game and just have a game.

Installation is onto Steam without any problems on W7 64 and has associated achievements.

The series continues with the 3rd person perspective and is set 100 years on from RF:G. The main character is a Mason descendant and only Sam survives in the form of an AI with a different voice actor. The EDF and Red Faction are referred to, but mostly it is the Cultists and The Bugs that take centre stage.

And what an uninspiring, dull, personality free enemy they are. The EDF were a great enemy, the Cultists just get in your way and The Bugs, being bio-mechanical organisms, just spam you until your gun goes click. There is ammo everywhere, yet the swarms are so profuse you run out frequently and get very bored shooting them. There are few games I have ever played where waves of an enemy end in depleting your ammo so often.

There are weapons unlocks, too many being as you can only carry 4 weapons, and I just stuck with the hammer, nano-gun, charge launcher and assault rifle as in RF:G.

Salvage buys you ability upgrades and just makes an easy on normal game easier as you get more of them. Some are based on nano-tech that closely resemble Jedi like powers and are uninspiring to say the least and I only used shield throughout the game to allow my health to recharge as there is no medpack system.

Destruction is still there, but just because and plays no main part in most instances. Repairs can now be done with the nano-tech, rebuilding things you have destroyed being core to progressing.

Combat armour and walkers make up various game stages, but as with some hand held weapons, they have auto-targeting, infinite ammo in most instances and just need to be pointed not aimed to hit. These sections are like duck shoots and wouldn't give any competent gamer any problems at all other than boredom.

Completed on normal I had to play in chunks as I found it so tiresome, finishing mostly on the rare times I died. I was actually quite glad on dying as I could quit.

The campaign took me about 9 hours and there is multi-player that I will never bother with as there are better games that demand my time.

I may have another play through and concentrate on getting the achievements I haven't got, mostly being for the superfluous weapons and skills I didn't bother using, but it will be a while as my overall view of the game is as a chore not a pleasure. I can only see the harder game settings as being even more of a chore if you can be hurt more, therefore dying more easily, or if the Bugs are more difficult to kill.

I found Guerilla compelling and addictive, this I consider to be no more than a painting by numbers console game. There is a prequel DLC that seems to mainly involve the Cultists that I may buy when on sale, but otherwise can only recommend it with a warning to expect console gaming rather than PC and that you may find it hard work rather than fun.

Sadly this is the last RF game reportedly due to poor sales. Unfortunate as it is so average to end with, positive that there will be nothing potentially like it in the future.

Amazin game ... Not only can you destroy everytihng (as Red Fraction is renoun for) but you can rebuild it too. Excellent gameplay throughtout, a good range of weapons to suit every style (can't beat the railgun imo) ... all in all a very good play :)