Lace up your boots and grab your sledgehammer, we’re going back to Mars! Take control of Alec Mason, who is having the worst first day on the job, as you quickly get on the bad side of the Earth Defense Force (EDF). This Martian police state will quickly become your alien playground as you are handed a sledgehammer and remote explosives and let loose in this third-person open world shooter. With this being a remastered edition, expect to find smoother graphics and a much better frame rate than its previous generation’s counterpart, as well as a few less bugs.
If you have played the title before, then you know what the deal is and can dive right in to the mayhem but for those new to the franchise, you’re in for a treat. The Red Faction games have gained a reputation for having destructible environments, and this one is no different. Although you cannot blow up walls and rocks as in the original Red Faction, you ARE able to destroy buildings and such, and this process is extremely satisfying no matter how you choose to tackle it. Early on, you have access to “sticky” remote explosives that blow a major chuck out of any structure they are attached to, as well as your trusty sledgehammer that is solid enough to destroy a section of wall and cripple support beams.
With this being a shooter, you’d be surprised at the lack of time spent shooting, what with having remote explosives and a kickass hammer. With that in mind, this game boasts a fairly large arsenal, including sniper rifles, shotguns, two types of automatic rifles, an electricity-firing arc weapon, and even a sawblade launcher (just to name a few, more included in the multiplayer!) You can also purchase upgrades for these weapons, as well as a couple of armor upgrades.
You will be making your purchases of Martian ghetto weapons with scrap, the in-game currency that is literal piles of scrap metal. Scrap can be acquired in numerous ways, the easiest being destroying enemy vehicles and building, playing side missions, and completing story missions. When you destroy EDF buildings and finish side missions (Guerilla Actions), you decrease EDF control and increase reputation. The amount of control the EDF has in an area determines how heavy their presence is in an area. Whereas, the amount of reputation you have in an area will determine how many and how often you’re fellow Martian working class comrades will take up arms alongside of you. As a bonus, the amount of reputation you have in an area when completing a story mission will be added to your total scrap (1:1).
Playing everything in the campaign including side missions and collectables can guarantee at least 25-30 hours of gameplay. With 20 story missions, 104 side missions, 500+ collectables, and decent multiplayer with a progression system, you won’t run out of things to do anytime soon. You also get the DLC included with this remaster for an additional 6 hours or so of gameplay as a different protagonist. The fact that this game releases at half the price of its original installment is a steal. So if you skipped this gem the first time or just want to take up arms for the peoples revolution and crush the space capitalists, now is your chance to join the Red Faction.
Overall Score: 9/10
Developer: Volition/Kaiko
Publisher: THQNORDIC
Release Date: 3rd July 2018
Price: £23.99/$29.99
File Size: 25.52GB
Xbox One copy provided for review purpose.