There’s something entrancing about knocking things down. From the
time we’re babies until the day we die, destruction seems to be
engrained in our psyche. Setting up a room full of dominos or building a
sand castle will never be as entertaining as watching them succumb to
the force of gravity after a light poke or an overzealous stomp. The Red
Faction franchise has built its legacy on that very fact; destruction
is fun.
My first encounter with the Red Faction games was Red Faction Guerrilla,
an open world, go-anywhere, destroy everything any way you want kind of
game. Although flawed in many ways; the story, graphics, or
presentation for example, the gameplay was solid and was a blast to
experiment with. Two years later, Volition Inc., the minds behind Red
Faction, released the next installment to the franchise, Red Faction Armageddon.
Made from the same engine as Guerrilla, Armageddon has stripped much of
what its predecessor is known for, in light of a more streamlined
linear venture with little variability or adaptability in gameplay. Do
all the new changes enhance a previously flawed game? Or do they ruin
the fun for everyone?