Customer Reviews

Red Faction II

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This game IS good, but not great. It could've been sooo much more.Here are my complaints with Red Faction 2.

1. Way too short - I started playing it last night at 7:00 p.m. and finished at 10:30 p.m. on normal difficulty.

2. Non-Linear gameplay - You basically only have one path to go and only one thing to do, shoot. Nothing else. No puzzles,nothin'. This should've been more like Deus Ex.

3. No more Splodin' - In the first Red Faction you could blow up almost anything you saw. In the second, there's rarely anything you can blow up. Tisk Tisk

4. No XBOX Live - Probably the biggest dissapointment. Again I say, Tisk Tisk. So much could've been done here.

Now I know I've put this down quite a bit, but it is a pretty good game. I like to compare it to 007:Nightfire because it's a big production game. It's like a Vin Diesel movie. Lots of flash,lots of guns,lots of violence,lots splodin'. The graphics are pretty good also (despite what some people say). The multiplayer is ok, but you'll find better in Halo or 007:Nightfire. This will quench your thrust 'till Halo 2 comes out. Can't believe they pushed it back . . . WHY?!?!?!?!?!???

Looking at different websites, screenshots, videos, etc., this game looked promising. I rented it, and found it to be a very poor game. The graphics and visualls really lacked (Remember GoldenEye for 64?) And the gameplay is pretty poor. The AI is very cheap - bots move very aquardly, fakely, and all that... and everything seems "glitchy" (sudden moves, missed steps, etc) The "environment" is probably the coolest part of the game.. SOME walls blow up (same square blown-out-chunk everythime, though) There isn't the "blow hole anywhere" feature like Red Faction I. The missions are very lame - story line is NOT there... men just keep coming out as long as you want them to (you have to move into the next room... the bad guys never run out!) This game has NOTHING towards realism, the bodies dissapear, there is no splash damage, no team kill, it is way too "arcade-ish" for me. This is like a poor version of Unreal Tournament made only for split screen and single player.. but much worse. Proceed with caution.. rent this one before buying... you will probably be just as let down as me ...

The single player game is decent although extremely short. The gameplay is tight (with totally customizable control scheme). The game is a bit more linear than the first. There is not as much exploring to be done, and the story comes at you so fast that you may not even know why you are doing what you are doing.

However, the multiplayer mode is MUCH deeper and better than in the first game. I haven't actually played it with friends, only with bots - and I've had tons of fun! This is very strange, as playing only with bots usually gets stale fast.

You can totally customize them and keep track of their stats.. and yours. If one of the bots is just too strong and is getting way more kills than he should, you can lower his accuracy, agility, health, etc. Or adjust his weapon preferences so that he or she never picks up a Rail Gun and wastes you in one shot. You can totally manage the situation. You can even make it so they have a large tendency to camp out in a particular position and wait, instead of running around mindlessly.

There are also FORTY multiplayer maps! While some are weak, and many of them look kinda generic.. they grow on you and you'll find a handful that you really like.

While their are several multiplayer modes to choose from, I should point out that the Capture the Flag here is kinda weak. Your teammates never guard the flag and there's more but I won't go into it all. It just gets kinda chaotic sometimes. CTF works much better other games like the Unreal games.

Anyway, thats all I'll say.. this is long enough.
Solid game.

I decided to rent this game because of the praise that I had received from numerous magazines about the original Red Faction. Now, let me tell you, this is nothing compared to the original Red Faction. For some reason, THQ had put it on cruise control for this version and instead of making it better, they had made it much worse. This game is a Run and Gunner, which I said on the title. If you are not into this genre, don't rent it.

Pros: 1. Walls can be blown up, dented, fragged, etc. (original, I think)

2. Solid Multiplayer Mode (up to 4 players with bots.... but can only have 6 playing though.)

Cons: 1. Plot is very stale (don't really get a background on Sopot (supposed "bad guy") or any of the main characters. And the plot twist in the middle of the game does little to make it interesting)

2. Cutscenes redefine the definition of "bare bones" (some take less than 5 seconds!)

3. "Multiple endings" is a joke (no real change in ending of game, just a change in the AFTERMATH of the game which is not affected by decisions, but by only friendly fire!)

4. Graphics leave much to be desired.

5. Grenade throwing is iffy.

6. music and sound aren't that good either.

Final Verdict: My belief is that this game is not worthy of being bought. Unless you don't have Halo and need a multiplayer game. But rent it if you wish to experience it.

I was really surprised that this game was so awful since the first one quickly became a Platinum Hit. Red Faction II takes place in the same universe as the first game: the 22nd century, where humankind is ruled by an evil dictatorship and only the freedom fighters who call themselves the Red Faction are able to stand in its way. Parker, the hero of the first game, is nowhere to be found here, so no previous Red Faction experience is required or even expected. This sequel introduces a nanotech enhanced soldier called Alias, whom you'll play as during the course of the single-player campaign. Alias is part of an elite squad developed to suppress insurgents like the Red Faction, but the squad has turned its coats and now seeks to rid the world of Chancellor Sopot, the man at the root of the Commonwealth's strife and poverty. The plot is pretty thin and the twist that's thrown in about halfway through seems ridiculous. In your mission to assassinate Sopot, you'll travel by air, sea and land while taking on droves of enemies and numerous challenging situations in a diverse and tightly paced series of levels. Most single player, first-person shooters aren't very long and Red Faction II is no exception. Even though you'll run into several very tough bosses when playing through the game at the normal difficulty setting, expect to get through the campaign in approximately seven hours.
It may be fun to play, but Red Faction II loses some points because it doesn't look all that great. I found the textures were blurry and plain. This is a game I would suggest that you rent first.

If your currently bored with your current round of FPS and want something else to shoot, this game may keep you entertained for a day or two. But after that, if you unlucky enough to have bought it, you will be wishing it was a rental in your hand, like myself. I will admit, I bought this game blindly on hype and due to its better (yes, better) parent "Red Faction" and thought no wrong could come of Red Faction II. OH was I wrong!

Whats Good?:
It gets the basic-basics of running around blasting away done. Also, you can configure every button to your own liking.

Whats Wrong?: Everything else.
#1, IT IS SHORT!.
#2, The Geo Mod Engine that they claim is so "great" it will change the face of gaming doesn't even really come into play. You can blow thru the occasional wall for a power-up here and there, but for the most part, you will be wasting your ammo wondering and struggling to find what you can blow up. I seems for the most part 95% of the game still can't be "blown" up. And its more frustrating then anything to find something you think you could have blown to still be there after taking a rocket round.
#3, Multiplayer: TOO many maps. It seemed like they just tossed in a whole bunch in hopes a few good ones came out, and for the most part, they are very small. Also in multiplayer, the weapons show up as flat colored card board cut-outs. Really ruining the grity style of the game.

To keep this review short, I'll finish with this. This game feels rushed, very rushed, like they knew it would only sell if it came out before Brute Force and Wolfenstine. Other then a few enjoyable moments, there is very that will make you want to come back to this game once you finish it the first time, unlike the power of Halo.

This game has everything going against it. The graphics weren't even that good on the PSII. They're not any better here, although the framerate is excellent. The enemy A.I. is not impressive. There are invisable walls to keep you from exploring too far. There is no stealth in this game at all. The dialogue is cheesy. You can't skip the cut scenes. There is not much strategy. You can't throw a grenade very accurately. But I love this game. This game is one of the funnest I have played on the Xbox. There are plenty of things you do in this game that you will never do in any other game. There are tons of little things that you enjoy as you go. The variety of this game exceeds most any other. There are tons of weapons and most have an alternate fire. You can grab two pistols and each trigger on your controller becomes the trigger for your guns. It feels pretty cool to fire from either side. The differen't grenades are cool. There is a fire grenade that sets anyone nearby screaming in flames. If you catch on fire, you can put it out unlike in Time Splitters. The controls are excellent and even the though you can change everything, I played the whole game with the default controls. The mines are cool because they stick to walls and enemies. Blowing holes in walls is fun and not overused. It is also occasionally helpful and even crucial. The rumble in your controller is used very well and really adds to the game. You get to man rail guns on Helicopters, Tanks, Mechs, and Subs. The mech levels and the sub level are fantastic. The mech levels are more fun than any Mech Assault level, and I've never played anything like the sub level. This takes the most strategy in the game. Although the idea is kind of oldschool, the enemy bosses are cool and all unique to each other. There are some mutants toward the end that attack you and if you head shot them, you can take them out, although sometimes you just shoot thier scalp off. Some of the scopes on the guns highlight where your enemies are. This is very helpful if you use it and it's lots of fun. I was never bored through the entire game. My first impression of this game after level one was warm. It kept getting better and better until the end. The multiplayer is very well done although the bots are pretty dopey. It plays great with four people and REGIME is similar to Skull King on HALO except you can shoot while you're it. The multiplayer action is not so fast that it just feels like chaos like in Time Splitters and Turok. There is a nice female voice that announces all the info for you like in HALO. There are sixty maps in all and all the ones I have tried are very fun. If this game was system link, I think the multiplayer would be right up ther with halo, except for the graphics. It is totally customizeable for your liking. If you're a FPS fan at all you should have a blast.

The single player game is decent although extremely short. The gameplay is tight (with totally customizable control scheme). The game is a bit more linear than the first. There is not as much exploring to be done, and the story comes at you so fast that you may not even know why you are doing what you are doing.

However, the multiplayer mode is MUCH deeper and better than in the first game. I haven't actually played it with friends, only with bots - and I've had tons of fun! This is very strange, as playing only with bots usually gets stale fast.

You can totally customize them and keep track of their stats.. and yours. If one of the bots is just too strong and is getting way more kills than he should, you can lower his accuracy, agility, health, etc. Or adjust his weapon preferences so that he or she never picks up a Rail Gun and wastes you in one shot. You can totally manage the situation. You can even make it so they have a large tendency to camp out in a particular position and wait, instead of running around mindlessly.

There are also FORTY multiplayer maps! While some are weak, and many of them look kinda generic.. they grow on you and you'll find a handful that you really like.

While their are several multiplayer modes to choose from, I should point out that the Capture the Flag here is kinda weak. Your teammates never guard the flag and there's more but I won't go into it all. It just gets kinda chaotic sometimes. CTF works much better other games like the Unreal games.

Anyway, thats all I'll say.. this is long enough.
Solid game.

Husband and son love paying it...its exactly what it advertised it was....fun game for them piece and quiet for me LOL

I was eager to play this game because I was a huge Red Faction fan for the PC when it came out years ago. I especiall enjoyed the G-mod effect where you can blow out walls...especially on multi-play. So I had high hopes for this new Red Faction release. I was dissapointed..plain and simple. The gameplay was horribly short and uneventful. I enjoy a FPS that has a good story behind it...ala Deus Ex:Invisible War or even the corniest story lines like Return to Castle Wolfenstein. But they were great games! Red Faction is the type of game that only a person would enjoy if you just wanted to go around shooting stuff. Mind you, I did enjoy the grenade launcher and turning my foes into chunks of flesh...but even that gets old at times. The graphic environments are below par...nothing new or innovative here. The voice acting is complete cheese and the storyline that was so brilliant in the first RF incarnation is absent here. The AI in this game is horrible and is completly laughable. I guess that is why getting through it is so easy because the difficulty is a joke.

All in all, this is not the best title out there...but is not the worst if you just want to pick up a game that you can spend a few hours on. Stick with greats for your Xbox like Prince of Persia, Ninja Gaiden, Halo...and the upcoming Doom 3 and Halo 2. A rental folks...not a buyer. You've been warned.