Red Faction 2 (PS2)

If you enjoy fast cars, boats, mobile assault battle-armour, big guns and a bit of property destruction on the side, Red Faction II is the game for you. Red Faction was one of the first and best first-person shooters on the PS2, and this eagerly awaited sequel improves on every aspect of it.

Set a few years after the first game but curiously failing to feature Parker, the hero from the original, Red Faction II casts you as Alias, a nanotech-enhanced soldier out to bring down the Soviet-style Commonwealth that has decided to blight the land in the way that evil dictatorships always seem to in video games.

The primary gimmick of the Red Faction games is the Geo-Mod (geometry modification) graphics engine, which allows you to destroy almost any wall, ceiling and floor in order to proceed or simply to just have a bit of a laugh. The biggest problem with the first game was its terrible loading times, which really interrupted the flow of the game, but that's been sorted out for this sequel, which also includes improvements to the previously Spartan multiplayer modes.

As you'd expect there are also lots of new vehicles to drive--including a very natty robotic power suit--plus tons more weapons and even a new Halo-style shield system. Admittedly none of this is terribly original, and the frame rate can stutter on occasion, but it's still lots of fun for red-blooded men and women. --David Jenkins

"FPS fans are sure to delight in the visceral entertainment provided by the Geo-Mod system. 8/10."

"An enjoyable single- and multi-player experience."

Featuring an enhanced engine that allows players to strategically alter and destroy the game environment in real-time, Red Faction 2 expands and builds upon the experience and technology of the original game. Defend your country as Alias, a demolitions expert, with the help of five elite squad members, each specialised in their own means of destruction. Fight through diverse levels using vehicles, an arsenal of specialised weapons and explosives in a rampage to overthrow the government. Refined graphics, enhanced enemy AI and dynamic environments are also featured and as well as the main single-player mode there's four-player split-screen action including customizable computer opponents.

In Red Faction II players will defend their country as Alias, a demolitions expert, with the help of five elite squad members, each specialised in their own means of destruction. Tasked with completing multiple mission objectives in a number of diverse levels, players will have a number of vehicles and an arsenal of powerful weapons at their disposal as they rampage to overthrow the government. Red Faction II features actor Lance Henriksen (The Terminator, Aliens, Millennium) as the voice of squad leader Molov. Refined graphics, enhanced enemy AI and dynamic environments are also featured, along with four-player split-screen action including customisable computer opponents.