Decided to pick this up after enjoying the demo a little bit too much.
Sand boxy game from the people that made Saints Row. Liberate Mars from the evil EDF by completing missions and blowing **** up.
And it's the blowing **** up that makes this game worth noticing. The developer claims that the desctruction in this game is "a generation ahead of the competition" is remarkably justified and the whole game rests on the fact that things blow up as you would expect them to.
Plant a couple of explosives on key points on a structure, stand back and detonate. Nothing is scripted, every part of that building will react to the explosions correctly (well, as good as I've seen it in a game anyway). If one side of a building is ripped out the stress on the remaining supports will eventually buckle perhaps minutes after the initial detonation.
What's great is that every structure can be blown up. All the stairs, walkways, walls..everything. The only thing that's off limits is the environment itself.
Anyway, you can see all that for yourself in the two demos that are out (one single player, one multiplayer).
The full game feels slightly more polished than the demo but most importantly the structure of the single player seems to be pretty good so far.
Within each of the six environments you have to complete various side objectives (destroying medium and high profile EDF properties, rescuing prisoners, assisting with assaults, defending locations, destroying convoys etc) all of which reduce EDFs stronghold on that location. As the EDF loosen their grip the uprising takes over, and the Red Faction start to assist in firefights.
There is a little meter on the left of the screen that registers the EDFs strength in that area, and every guerrilla action makes that bar tick down slowly. At set points on that bar there are story missions, and you can only complete an area once the EDF are so overpowered they pull out. It's very compelling stuff as everything you do feels like it's working towards your bigger goal.
The open-worldyness of the game isn't that impressive as the environment is quite bland so I felt no need to explore. But that's ok, because the game gives you so much to do.
It's a tough game though, very unforgiving if you get caught out in the open. The EDF will rip you to pieces in seconds if you aren't careful. Although you are mostly safe from the buildings falling on your head, it can also work against your escape when you realise the consequences of blowing up all the bridges in a manic explosive spree...
Multiplayer takes its design from the Call of Duty camp almost to the letter. It works too, especially with the choas the destruction brings. They've also added backpacks for multiplayer - jetpacks, earthquakes, etc. It's great fun grabbing the Truster pack which sends you flying upwards (through anything) and leaving a hole through several stories of the building you just shot through.
This is a suprisingly good game, I'm actually having more fun with it than any other title this year
Sand boxy game from the people that made Saints Row. Liberate Mars from the evil EDF by completing missions and blowing **** up.
And it's the blowing **** up that makes this game worth noticing. The developer claims that the desctruction in this game is "a generation ahead of the competition" is remarkably justified and the whole game rests on the fact that things blow up as you would expect them to.
Plant a couple of explosives on key points on a structure, stand back and detonate. Nothing is scripted, every part of that building will react to the explosions correctly (well, as good as I've seen it in a game anyway). If one side of a building is ripped out the stress on the remaining supports will eventually buckle perhaps minutes after the initial detonation.
What's great is that every structure can be blown up. All the stairs, walkways, walls..everything. The only thing that's off limits is the environment itself.
Anyway, you can see all that for yourself in the two demos that are out (one single player, one multiplayer).
The full game feels slightly more polished than the demo but most importantly the structure of the single player seems to be pretty good so far.
Within each of the six environments you have to complete various side objectives (destroying medium and high profile EDF properties, rescuing prisoners, assisting with assaults, defending locations, destroying convoys etc) all of which reduce EDFs stronghold on that location. As the EDF loosen their grip the uprising takes over, and the Red Faction start to assist in firefights.
There is a little meter on the left of the screen that registers the EDFs strength in that area, and every guerrilla action makes that bar tick down slowly. At set points on that bar there are story missions, and you can only complete an area once the EDF are so overpowered they pull out. It's very compelling stuff as everything you do feels like it's working towards your bigger goal.
The open-worldyness of the game isn't that impressive as the environment is quite bland so I felt no need to explore. But that's ok, because the game gives you so much to do.
It's a tough game though, very unforgiving if you get caught out in the open. The EDF will rip you to pieces in seconds if you aren't careful. Although you are mostly safe from the buildings falling on your head, it can also work against your escape when you realise the consequences of blowing up all the bridges in a manic explosive spree...
Multiplayer takes its design from the Call of Duty camp almost to the letter. It works too, especially with the choas the destruction brings. They've also added backpacks for multiplayer - jetpacks, earthquakes, etc. It's great fun grabbing the Truster pack which sends you flying upwards (through anything) and leaving a hole through several stories of the building you just shot through.
This is a suprisingly good game, I'm actually having more fun with it than any other title this year

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