PAX Preview: Red Faction: Armageddon

PAX Preview: Red Faction: Armageddon

We were in love with Red Faction: Guerrilla a couple years ago. The game’s innovative “destruction” mechanic allowed us to cause complete chaos to virtually anything in the environment. Buildings, vehicles, and enemies all became rubble in the futuristic open world action game. But, even then, there were issues with the software; the driving modes were less than stellar, the distances apart from checkpoints were huge, and we never really got to know the protagonist Alec Mason.

With Red Faction: Armageddon, Volition set out to correct some of those issues. After previewing the game at PAX today, we can easily say that they’re on the right path… and then some.

The first point that Volition made to us was that though the great dynamic destruction was still there, new to the series was the ability to repair structures. As the story progresses the destructive moments are built up to be more impactful, both narratively and literally. This is accentuated by the shift from being an open world game to a “blockbuster, popcorn” adventure, which lasts somewhere between 10-12 hours. The Volition representative likened it to Indiana Jones in Space. It’s more linear, sure, but is also meant to be a more complete narrative experience. The game’s plot is centered around lead (and grandson of RF:G‘s Alec Mason) Darius, so that it becomes more of “his” story rather than that of a rebellious movement.

As Mason traverses through the much-more varied environments, such as ice caves, magma-filled canyons, and human settlements, he’ll be bumping into aliens and monstrous hybrid creatures, a throwback to the series’ roots. There are multiple light sources now instead of just the sun, creating dynamic shadows and contrast. The new environments also allow for improved sound and audio effects and music, as the reverberation and echo paints a moody alien picture.

When we asked about multiplayer, the Volition rep declined to give us any solid details but did mention that more would be revealed shortly.  If it’s anything like the multiplayer from Guerrilla then it should be a solid, fun experience.  Look for our hands-on time with the game’s new Ruin mode later today.