Red Faction: Armageddon

In Red Faction: Armageddon, Mars is being terraformed into an Earth-like planet, but the operation is hijacked when the terraformer is destroyed. Super-storms have turned Mars into a planet with an atmosphere of chaos, while the human colonists find refuge in a network of caves that have been carved into the surface of the red planet.

Darius Mason is a man that makes a living from the most dangerous work on the planet. A man daring enough to venture back up to the planet’s highly volatile surface. Though brave, Darius mistakenly opens an enigmatic shaft in an old Marauder temple, consequently unleashing Armageddon on Mars. Darius and the Red Faction are now called upon to save the colonists, and ultimately mankind's future on the planet.

Mass Destruction

The one thing that stands out as soon as you jump into the game, is the destructive environment. Why take your enemies out with a rifle, when you can blow up the tower they stand on.

Despite wanting to cause mass destruction on the surface, the game's storyline largely takes place in a series of underground tunnels. This takes away a large part of the destructive gameplay which is so appealing, but as hordes of Martian creatures launch their attacks on the colonists, it’s still a fun game, action-packed game to play.

Mechs Cause Chaos

Red Faction: Armageddon maintains it’s fun factor by offering players a wide selection of cool weapons and abilities to unlock, as well as four mechs which can be piloted into combat.

These mechs allow you to fire laser weapons and plasma rockets at your enemies, as you aim to annihilate everything in sight. The mechs do a great job of bringing a new approach to the destructive gameplay that we experience in the opening sequence. The Magnet Gun or Nano rifles are fun weapons, but climbing inside the mantis gives you the feeling of being Godlike.

Multiplayer Mode

The addition of a cop-op mode to the game is a welcomed option. A game mode too few games these days seem to incorporate. The co-op game mode gives players the chance to level up, in order to unlock new weapons which can be taken into other games, as well as providing a backstory for each co-op level. Each story we are given in co-op, fills some gaps left behind from the single player campaign. The same weapons from the single player campaign carry over into co-op, but being so destructive with a fellow defender of Mars is a lot more fun.

How Does It Compare?

Red Faction Armageddon is a good game if you’re a fan of the series, but if you’re looking for a martian sci-fi shooter, Gears of War and Doom are two games which are hard to beat.

Though each of these games are unique in their own way, there are some connections between them. Gears of War and Doom have a lot more going for them, with great graphics and fun gameplay in abundance. Gears of War looks more impressive, and gives us a better co-op experience, while Doom gives us a fast flowing, destructive campaign. If it’s Red Faction you’re after though, Armageddon is worthy of the series’ name.

Pros

• Number of different game modes
• Destructive environment
• Great weapons
• CoOp game mode
• Vehicles / Mechs

Cons

• Story could be better
• Feels repetitive after a while