| Better Red Than Saints Row Some of you may be a bit surprised to find a review of Guerrilla so biting. Indeed, it's not my usual review style to so harshly criticize a game. What I truly can not understand is why other critics have rated it so favorably, and why even gamer reports are so favorable. There are numerous issues with the overall game system that can not be overlooked, and indeed it is not a game I would ever laud as "great." That is however partially due to expectations, and knowing the kind of work Volition is capable of. While not "great", that does not imply that the game is not "good." I struggled with the overall score for this title. I considered giving it a paltry 60%, the lowest score I've given a game to date, however there is too much merit and too many interesting points in the game to discredit it quite so lowly. While not an Earth (uh, Mars?) shattering experience, it is, without a doubt, unique. And in a game world of so many repeat concepts, unique can be good as gold. If you're not looking for a "full steam ahead" gaming experience, Red Faction: Guerrilla can prove rather charming as you zoom around Mars in high speed vehicles and pop in and out of action areas as you see fit. So with some reservations I've raised the overall score. It's not an outstanding score, but it's something that indicates that the game is worth a play-through if you're looking for that different experience. As the title indicates, Volition has shown some definite improvement in their open-world imagining since the problems that plagued Saint's Row 2. As they come to terms with the strengths and weaknesses in their new open-only policy, hopefully they are taking their time to learn from the criticisms for each title and we can expect great things from them once again into the future!
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| Graphics
- Sound - Gameplay - Depth
- Multiplayer | Reviewed
by John Del Percio |
GRAPHICS
82 % |
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The graphics of Guerrilla are relatively good. The models aren't overwhelmingly complicated, and the textures aren't always dressed to impress, but it's one of relatively select number of console games that support real 1080p, and does so with an exceptional framerate at all times. Where things lose a bit of favor, though, is in the redundancy of environments and recycled textures. The lack of variety can cause some tedium after a while. The pre-rendered movies, however, are excellent, though rare. GeoMod2 leaves some polygonal shaped edges, although for a 100% destroyable environment, there's little complaint that can be made there.
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SOUND
68 % |
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The voice-over work is whole-heartedly boring when not absent all together. There's very little use of the sound in the game, minimal directional indication in battle is provided through the sound as well. The vehicle sounds, if connected to a good enough sub-woofer, give very convincing diesel rumbles that nearly make up for whatever other shortcomings there are in sound effects in combination with the satisfying RPG launcher and demolitions charge explosions accompanied by the crunching thud of large structures falling over.
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GAMEPLAY
77 % |
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The gameplay is generally whatever you want it to be. As an open world, it's reasonably successful. Repetitive missions and bland fire fights, as well as a lack of tactics or stealth strongly reduce what could have been remarkable gameplay. The morale mechanic can drag down the fun factor as well. On the other hand, there's still numerous hours of fun to be had bombing around the roadways and blasting through to battle. If that type of gameplay appeals to you, you'll find the 77% to be much too low a score. If it doesn't, you may find 77% intolerably high.
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DEPTH
48 % |
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The story is almost non-existent. It's there. It narrowly strings along the game. But by the time I walk away from the controls, I've already forgotten any relevance it had. There's also not much strategy or technique to combat. Generally most combat is accomplished by foolhardily rushing in, and blowing up whatever is in your sights before you get out again.
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MULTIPLAYER
50 % |
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A middle of the road score for a middle of the road performer. Again, as with gameplay, this is open to personal interpretation. The "wrecking crew" mode can be quite entertaining. If you are of the persuasion: "Ogg like to bash things", you'll have a blast with this. The rest of the multiplayer is reasonably generic and clearly tacked on as an afterthought. That doesn't mean it won't gain some popularity, though. Truthfully I think this is a wait-and-see statistic. It depends on what the community comes up with over time to make it entertaining. When the PC version arrives, though, I expect the multiplayer factor may skyrocket due to community modifications and could drive the game for a long time.
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Personal: This was a difficult game to review, largely because I just wasn't sure what it was trying to be. As with the gameplay and multiplayer breakdowns, I think a lot of the score's interpretation will depend on individual gamers. It's a game that can be great fun for the type of gamer that likes roaming around freely and isn't obliged to follow mission objectives one after another, but also doesn't mind a bit of redundancy and repetition. In an odd turn of events, the PC version has almost a full 2 month delay from the console release and is apparently being ported by an outside firm. It was not tested in time for this review, obviously, though we'll try to bring you any updated comments and scores as soon as we're able to get our hands on a copy. If the port is well done, we could see a turnaround in terms of how the game comes across for PC users. If Volition is listening, heed the notes here before you release the PC version, and you could have a true legend on your hands! Rarely is there such a chance to redeem a game AT release time!
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