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Red Faction 2 Preview

Chris Leyton

00/12/0000

Red Faction 2 is aiming to prove that TimeSplitters 2 isn’t the only FPS you need this Christmas...

With all of the hype surrounding the release of TimeSplitters 2, weâd almost forgotten about another Playstation2 FPS due to arrive later this year. Red Faction 2 is the sequel to the hit FPS that featured the novel ability to literally blow up environments as you progress through the levels.

Not being a massive fan of the original, it took some effort to get into the latest code and boot it up. The moment I did, I was instantly hooked, let me just say that if youâre a FPS fan you need to buy two titles this Christmas.

Set five years after the event of Red Faction, the sequel places you as a member of a crack group of super soldiers, who are opposed to the corrupt regime of Sopot the General of the commonwealth. His relentless pursuit of unification with the neighbouring United Republic has left the country soaked in unnecessary bloodshed. Fed up after years on the frontline, each member vows to unify with the common goal of replacing the dictator.

Players take the role of Alias the demolitions expert in the group, other members include Shrike a Vehicle expert, Molov the all-rounder and leader of the group, Tangier Stealth and Reconnaissance, Quill a deadly sniper and Repta the Heavy Weapons specialist. The great thing about this is the way that you feel part of a group through each mission, youâll find yourself working alongside your team-mates at times whilst other moments will see you go it alone. One excellent scene that highlighted this is when after storming an office block; you open up a door and see two troops right in front of you. A cut-scene kicks in showing Quill taking out a soldier from her sniper position, the scene then quickly cuts back to the game as you witness one of the troops taken out by the sniper from your viewpoint, fantasticâ¦

From the opening scene of you and your group in a hovercraft, you canât help but notice the influence that Halo has had on the development. Before you go slamming this as a Halo clone, itâs definitely a good thing that the epoch-making title has had an influence on other titles. From the shield replenish to use of grenades, you get the feeling that the guys at Volition enjoyed Halo and decided to âborrowâ a few ideas.

When I first heard of the Geo-Mod engine I dismissed it as a gimmicky feature, I mean besides hiding special items whatâs the point of having environments that can be destroyed. After the first mission I was quickly converted, when the action gets hectic and chunks of wall are blowing off here, there and everywhere, it just helps to heighten the action and enjoyment. It also gives each level a tactical feel thatâs missing in most FPS, some missions youâll have to use the destructible environments to your advantage.

What quickly strikes you is the superb level of AI in Red Faction 2. Youâll soon build up faith in your teammates abilities, whilst enemies show an incredible scope, moving in groups, using the environment as cover, trying to find alternative routes to catch youâ¦

After the first couple of missions we found ourselves in a hover-flyer with Shrike, here we had to play as the gunner and take out dozens of enemy troops in an office block. The level reminded me of that scene in Terminator 2, it looks absolutely superb as youâre letting bullets shatter the windows and chucking missiles in there, all whilst moving frantically around the complex, it certainly gets your blood pumping and puts a smug grin on your face.

Thereâs a very neat feature in Red Faction 2 that calculates your actions and heroism in the game, kill innocent civilians and youâll find yourself with a different ending to that if you carefully placed your shots and only killed the enemy.

Despite all the bloody carnage that happens and believe me there is a lot, Volition have ensured that thereâs an ample supply of tongue-in-cheek humour to balance everything out and give it the satirical feel of a Paul Verhoeven flick. Keep an ear out for some of the conversations that occur between the enemy troops, our favourite one so far regards a small favour and twenty grandâ¦

Itâs action all the way, and it rarely lets up, thanks in large to the excellent range of weapons, pick up double Uziâs and youâll have the chance to fire each independently or both together by holding down the two top shoulder buttons. The last level that we witnessed hinted that some of them would be less action orientated and take on more of a puzzle solving approach, with emphasis on being quiet and not alerting the enemy.

Visually the game is something of a mixed bag at present, levels feature that monotonous colour scheme that features in most PS2 titles and the same lack of detail. However some levels stand out as truly breath taking sporting intricately detailed textures, and a particularly great rain effect that rivals the one seen in MGS2. Volition are currently adding the final visual polish before the gameâs release, so weâre hoping the final product will be a game to be up there with the best looking PS2 titles.