Is it just me or is there something about Mars that inspires stories about underground resistances against an oppressive authority? The 1990 film Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger used this theme and it was a recurrent subplot on J.M. Straczynski’s Babylon 5 television series. Even in Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars Trilogy, the story about the establishment of an utopian colony on Mars quickly turned into one about a protracted guerrilla war against Earth.
In any case, Volition’s Red Faction series draws from the same wellspring. Its latest offering, Red Faction: Guerrilla is technically the third in the series. However as the first two were only middling successes I gave them a pass. Red Faction: Guerrilla has become quite a hit, especially in the eyes of game critics, plus it’s now an open world game for the first time, which makes it irresistible to me.
Gamers will recognize Volition as the creator of the Saint’s Row series considered by many to have beaten Grand Theft Auto at its own game. They bring their expertise in open world environments this time to the surface of a terraformed Mars. The story is set in the year 2120 and the player takes on the role of one Alex Mason, a disgruntled miner who is forced to join the rebellion against the tyrannical Earth Defense Force when they kill his brother. As a member of Red Faction, Mason then travels around the planet to liberate it sector by sector.
Make no mistake, the story is generic as hell and at times the dialogue is downright corny, but Volition understands something Rockstar apparently doesn’t: games aren’t movies and shouldn’t try to be. Instead of trying to tell a dramatic story or making a political statement, Red Faction: Guerrilla lets the action do the talking, and let me tell you: it is loud but oh so sweet. Action in this game is all about causing as much carnage as possible. In fact, in many of the activities available in the game, your success is measured by how much money worth of damage you’ve caused.
As in other open world games, possible things to do are divided into missions that are critical towards advancing the plot and side activities that are optional. The missions available run the gamut from destroying EDF convoys, saving critical supplies and personnel from a town under artillery fire, to assassinating EDF officers and blowing up their infrastructure. Performing missions also earns you salvage which is used as a form of currency in the game with which to purchase upgrades to your gear and weapons. There’s never a shortage of things to do. If you feel bored, you can always go blow up an EDF garage or administration building.
It’s still early days yet in this game for me, but you can probably tell that I love it already. It plays a lot like an expanded, prettier version of Mercenaries 2 which I also loved, but set on Mars. The setting in particular is an inspired choice since it’s easier to realistically depict a vast wilderness dotted with the occasional building than it is to recreate a modern metropolis set on present day Earth, yet the novelty and other worldliness of a Martian colony makes it effective. I do find however that it’s more fun to play it at a reduced difficulty level and just let loose instead of concentrating on skill. With its tongue-in-cheek take on terrorism and lighthearted feel, including over-the-top whacky vehicles, that’s just the right way to play this game.
