.gif)
Red Faction (series)
Encyclopedia
Red Faction is a series of science fiction
shooter video games developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ
. Originating in 2001, the Red Faction games have spanned PC
, Mac
and many consoles, including the PlayStation 2
, Xbox
, Nintendo GameCube
, Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
.
gameplay which was first used in Red Faction: Guerrilla and the Red Faction: Armageddon. Both styles though share a common element which is the series' unique environmental destruction features, this was enhanced in Red Faction: Guerrilla when it was applied to every building in the game making the game's entire environment destructible.
environment on the planet of Mars allowing players to free roam across the environment. In the game, all environments are fully destructible which means that every single building in the game can be destroyed. Players are usually equipped with four weapons, the primary weapon is a Sledgehammer
with three more weapons of the player's choice. These weapons are mainly purchased using salvage, the main currency of the game, with the exception of the remote charges and assault rifle, both of which are given to the player by default at the start of the game. Purchasable weapons include an Arc Rifle, Grinder, Rocket Launcher, Proximity Mines and a Nano Rifle. Players go around completing missions for the Red Faction and perform Guerilla actions to liberate various sectors of Mars from the control of the Earth Defense Force.
engine that allowed for unparalleled environmental destruction.
Red Faction takes place on Mars in the year 2070. The protagonist, Parker, is a miner who came to Mars seeking a better life away from Earth. Instead, he finds that the Ultor Corporation abuses the workers and forces them to endure hazardous living conditions. A plague of an unknown origin sweeps through the colony, but Ultor does nothing to halt its propagation or to provide for the sick.
The story begins with Parker witnessing another miner being brutally killed by an Ultor guard. Parker decides to fight back by aiding the mysterious rebellion called “Red Faction”. As the story progresses, Parker, aided by a rebellious Ultor technician named Hendrix, and the leader of the rebellion, Eos, wreaks havoc on Ultor’s installations and learns more about the mysterious Plague.
Parker is eventually led to the lair of Dr. Capek, a deranged scientist who has developed mutants, nano-technology (developed more fully in Red Faction II), and the Plague itself. Parker chases Capek through his underground complex and Parker eventually traps Capek in "Capeks laboratory." Parker destroys Capek's "nanoshield" and in Capek's final moments, Eos bursts in telling Parker not to kill Capek. Capek reveals to Eos that there is a cure to the plague, and subsequently dies. Ultor calls in a band of mercenaries led by Col. Masako to stop Parker, Eos and the rest of Red Faction. After numerous events, including Parker's abduction of a high-level Ultor worker, Hendrix is killed by the mercenaries for being a traitor and helping the Red Faction.
For the finale, Parker fights his way through the mercenaries to confront Masako. After a long battle, Parker kills her and finds Eos tied down next to a bomb about to detonate. Parker quickly defuses the bomb and frees Eos. A cutscene shows the Earth Defense Force come to the rescue to stop Ultor’s oppression and help cure the Plague. Eos declares Parker a hero as the game ends.
Red Faction II takes place on Earth in the year 2075. The protagonist, Alias, is a genetically enhanced super soldier formerly employed by the Ultor Corporation. Nanotechnology developed by Dr. Capek (see Red Faction) has fallen into the hands of the EDF (who is now associated with Ultor) and many other terrorist groups. A dictatorship, “The Commonwealth,” has employed Alias to retrieve nanotechnology and other data.
Eventually the research is claimed for Victor Sopot, leader of the Commonwealth as well as the first antagonist of the game. As Sopot’s soldiers become more enhanced due to the recovered technology, the more he fears them. Sopot sends lessened troops to stop all remaining nanotech soldiers (including Alias). Alias allies with other soldiers who call themselves “The Squad”.
The Squad quickly fights off the Commonwealth and kills Sopot. As they return to the new Red Faction base, it is revealed that the Squad’s leader, Molov (as well as other squad members Quill and Repta), who is now the game's second antagonist, has turned on them and now assumes control of the Commonwealth. Molov is attacked by another Squad member, Tangier, which allows all remaining Squad members (Alias, and a Red Faction member, Echo) a chance to escape.
As the game continues, Alias fights alongside Red Faction members (including Echo, who is killed by Quill), and eventually hunts and kills Quill after she kills Echo. Alias then has his last Battle with the Primary enemy of the Red Faction on the docks before heading into a Sub with Tangier to head underneath of the Statue of Sopot. Alias proceeds to a Commonwealth nanotech laboratory where he fights off hordes of processed civilians as well as their new friends, the processed military soldiers. After multiple battles with the processed, he encounters Repta in a dangerous nanotech electro-chamber. After that, he eventually triggers an explosion to cause Repta to fall into the bottomless pit. Alias continues on and is told by Tangier to blow 3 containers. After that is finished, he meets a processed version of an old enemy, the nanotech enhanced Elite Guards. After fighting the processed version of Sopot Elite Guards/Leaders, he encounters a processed version of Repta (dubbed Repta+). He kills Repta+ and heads completely into the statue, which is unstable from the destruction of the nanolabs. Molov, the last remaining enemy, retreats to the top of Victor Sopot's statue, which is guarded by an army of both nano-military soldiers and Elite Guards. He attempts to flee from the statue with the nano-cell. Tangier is in pursuit of him while he is trying to defend himself with his army of processed soldiers and with his railgun against the two.
Shrike is seen with a new gunship and then betrays Molov, saying "Remember Molov, if we fight, then we finish them". Tangier manages to reclaim the nanotech cell from Molov's possession and escapes to the observation deck.
For the finale, Alias battles Molov on foot while Molov is in his battle armor with the help of Shrike and his new self-controlled gunship. He destroys his battle armor and they both fight each other in a gun-to-gun battle. After a long fight, Molov is defeated as the observation deck begins to collapse. Shrike, now loyal to The Squad again, saves Alias from the crumbling statue. Depending on the player’s “Heroic” rating, the plot has four separate endings. See Red Faction II
for details.
Red Faction: Guerrilla takes place in 2120. The Earth Defense Force (EDF), the allies in the original "Red Faction", has become the main antagonist of Guerrilla. Earth's natural resources have run scarce, and as a result, its global economy has collapsed from rampant speculation of commodities and lack of production. Under pressure by Earth's corporations and leaders to acquire the resources of Mars at any cost and at a pace to meet Earth's high demand, the EDF has forced Martian society into a permanent state of unfree labour. The newly-reformed "Red Faction" arises to rebel against the EDF, drive them off the planet, and begin fairer negotiations with Earth.
Alec Mason, the player character and a mining engineer, arrives on Mars to reunite with brother Daniel and begin a new life, only to learn to his surprise that Daniel is now a member of Red Faction. While on work detail, Daniel testifies about the EDF's cruelty to the Martian people and asks Alec to join their cause; he is soon after gunned down by an EDF gunship looking for him. Upon returning to find his housing and possessions seized by the EDF, Alec is convicted of being Red Faction. The commander of the EDF squad orders Alec shot, but Alec is then rescued by Red Faction guerrillas. He becomes a reluctant freedom fighter for the group alongside inventor "Sam" Samanya, rambling eccentric Randy Jenkins (who believes that Mars should be "purified"), and commander Hugo Davies. Between Davies' command and Alec's skill and bravery, the EDF are quickly driven out of an entire sector, "Parker", for the first time.
While the campaign against the EDF continues in the "Dust" sector, Alec is eventually assigned by Davies to routine surveillance of the "Marauders", a mysterious and violent warrior tribe living in the inhospitable "Badlands", in hopes of recovering stolen weapons. Instead, Alec winds up tracking them to an abandoned Ultor Corporation base that promptly comes under massive assault from the EDF. During the fracas, Alec steals a strange device called the "Nano Forge" and escapes. The EDF commander, Bertram Roth, responds by pulling out of the Dust Sector and ordering the artillery base in the "Free Fire Zone" to bomb the town of Dust into oblivion. Alec is then tasked with saving key members of Red Faction and vital information on the EDF from the bombardment, which he succeeds in doing.
Sam analyzes the Nano Forge and discovers it can create catastrophic nanites that can disintegrate any object. A prototype "Nano Rifle" is built from the device, which Alec uses to liberate other sectors, while Davies declares it a vital bargaining chip against the EDF. A successful suicide run against an EDF artillery base is commenced, allowing the group to begin hostilities against the EDF in their own central territories. Roth launches an all-out assault on the Red Faction's command center, resulting in the death of Davies. Only Sam, Alec and a handful of other rebels survive the assault; they learn afterward that the star ship Hydra, under the command of Admiral Lucius Kobel, is arriving to Mars to put an end to the Red Faction once and for all. They also plan to elminate all life on the planet, as said by Kobel himself, calling the civilians "Expendable".
Sam declares that they will need support from the Marauders if the campaign against the EDF is to continue; when Alec remains dubious, she reveals that she is a former Marauder herself, joining the Red Faction because marauders were consumed with anger and hate, and did not want to be a part of the lifestyle they endure. The pair head to a Marauder stronghold to meet with their ruler, Vasha, Sam's sister. Sam requests the usage of the Marauders' particle accelerator technology, with plans on combining it with the Nano Forge to create a superweapon capable of destroying the Hydra. Vasha agrees in exchange for possession of the Nano Forge once the war is finished. While inside the Marauder stronghold, the player can also discover a "radio tag" found on an old corpse that implies the Marauders are the descendants of former Ultor Corporation scientists.
After capturing a broadcasting station and using it to regroup the Red Faction, Sam and Alec lead a successful final assault on the EDF's central command alongside teams of Red Faction and the Marauders, driving the EDF out of their own territory. The two groups converge on Mt. Vogel to begin utilizing the Marauder's accelerator; however, a surprise EDF blitzkrieg led by Roth wipes out the Marauder crew guarding the summit end of the accelerator and Vasha along with them. Alec singlehandedly storms the mountain, defeating Roth's entire army and personally killing Roth. Sam's plan succeeds and the accelerated Nano Forge is successful in vaporizing the Hydra in space. As the surviving people of Mars celebrate, Sam says the war is over, but Alec knows that the EDF will come back. While Sam says that will be awhile, Alec responds with "We'll be ready for 'em". Alec and Sam approach the crowds of civilians who cheer for them, and Alec raises his sledgehammer in the air, showing the sign of the Red Faction and their long-waited victory.
. THQ has announced that they plan to bring sequels to all their key franchises around every two years.
and PlayStation Network. The mini-game was produced by Juice Games
for Volition. The release date is 5 April 2011, beta invites were sent to a select group of PlayStation Plus subscribers on September 21, 2010.
that coincided with Red Faction: Armageddon. The channel announced the film on April 16, 2010. Volition confirmed the title of the film and its May 2011 release date on July 19, 2010. The film is set in-between the events of Red Faction: Guerrilla and Armageddon.
and its sequel, Saints Row 2
. This is due to the fact that both series are developed by Volition and published by THQ, so merging storylines are legally possible. In the DLC for Saints Row 2 there is a vehicle with the Red Faction: Guerilla logo as part of its identification when entering.
In addition, the storyline for the DLC concerns Ultor's experimentation with Nanotech to improve the lung capacity of miners (see "The Plague" in Red Faction). In the second DLC package, the player character comments that as long as Ultor stops harassing the Saints, "they can go to Mars for all I care."
capabilities, intelligent AI, and prevalent storytelling themes.
Praised for its long play time, great gameplay, and smart AI, Red Faction was generally given average to great reviews by critics. The game was also criticized for its scattered story and mediocre graphics. GameSpot
gave the game a great review saying, “It's a great big game with much to explore and enemies tough enough to make it worth playing through more than once.” Gamespot awarded the game with a 8.9, giving it a rating of “great”. Gamespy
awarded the game an overall score of 89/100 and called the PC version, “the best and most well-rounded first-person shooter released in a long time.”
Red Faction IIs short campaign and lack of online multiplayer has diminished reviews by many critics. However, redeeming features include dual wielding, great multiplayer(split screen), and improved graphics. For these and other reasons, GameSpot
awarded the game an 8.3/10.0, earning it the rank of "Great".
IGN
's positive side of their review called the game "a very solid, well-produced first-person shooter", but their complaints stated that: "Volition still shows some room for improvement when it comes to level design, spots of AI, and implementing the vast potential of the Geo-Mod concept". Despite their complaints, IGN gave Red Faction II a 9.2/10, an "Outstanding" ranking. The PC version of Red Faction II was far less well received, with IGN criticizing the port's average looking graphics and incredibly short, though enjoyable while it lasted single player mode.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
shooter video games developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ
THQ
THQ Inc. is an American developer and publisher of video games. Founded in 1989 in the United States, the company develops products for video game consoles, handheld game systems, as well as for personal computers and wireless devices...
. Originating in 2001, the Red Faction games have spanned PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
, Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and many consoles, including the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
.
Gameplay
The series has had two unique styles of gameplay, the first is a traditional first person shooter element which was used by the first two games in the series, while the second is a third person style of open worldOpen world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
gameplay which was first used in Red Faction: Guerrilla and the Red Faction: Armageddon. Both styles though share a common element which is the series' unique environmental destruction features, this was enhanced in Red Faction: Guerrilla when it was applied to every building in the game making the game's entire environment destructible.
Red Faction and Red Faction II
The first two games were traditional first person shooters with unique environmental destruction features that were praised in both games. The games include vehicles, pistols, rifles, explosives, and other traditional shooter weapons and features. While the first two games did not re-invent the first person shooter, their Geo-mod Engine and rebellious story made both games a new step for the genre.Red Faction: Guerrilla and Red Faction: Armageddon
Rather than the traditional first person shooter style of the first two games, both Guerrilla and Armageddon utilize a third person style of gameplay. The games take place in an Open worldOpen world
An open world is a type of video game level design where a player can roam freely through a virtual world and is given considerable freedom in choosing how to approach objectives...
environment on the planet of Mars allowing players to free roam across the environment. In the game, all environments are fully destructible which means that every single building in the game can be destroyed. Players are usually equipped with four weapons, the primary weapon is a Sledgehammer
Sledgehammer
A sledgehammer is a tool consisting of a large, flat head attached to a lever . The head is typically made of metal. The sledgehammer can apply more impulse than other hammers, due to its large size. Along with the mallet, it shares the ability to distribute force over a wide area...
with three more weapons of the player's choice. These weapons are mainly purchased using salvage, the main currency of the game, with the exception of the remote charges and assault rifle, both of which are given to the player by default at the start of the game. Purchasable weapons include an Arc Rifle, Grinder, Rocket Launcher, Proximity Mines and a Nano Rifle. Players go around completing missions for the Red Faction and perform Guerilla actions to liberate various sectors of Mars from the control of the Earth Defense Force.
Common themes
The Red Faction series has been heavy on its thematic undertones throughout the games. One of the more outstanding themes of the series is a revolutionary socialist undertone. From the miners rebellion featured (in separate ways) in Red Faction and Red Faction: Guerrilla, to the overthrown monarchy of Red Faction II, this has been a central theme since the games' inception in 2001.Red Faction (2001)
Red Faction is the first game in the Red Faction franchise that was originally released in mid-2001 and later re-released for other platforms. Red Faction was also the first game to run on the Geo-ModGeo-Mod
Geo-Mod technology, which stands for Geometry Modification Technology, is a video game engine that allows players to alter and destroy the environment around them . First introduced in 2001, the game engine was created by Volition, Inc...
engine that allowed for unparalleled environmental destruction.
Red Faction takes place on Mars in the year 2070. The protagonist, Parker, is a miner who came to Mars seeking a better life away from Earth. Instead, he finds that the Ultor Corporation abuses the workers and forces them to endure hazardous living conditions. A plague of an unknown origin sweeps through the colony, but Ultor does nothing to halt its propagation or to provide for the sick.
The story begins with Parker witnessing another miner being brutally killed by an Ultor guard. Parker decides to fight back by aiding the mysterious rebellion called “Red Faction”. As the story progresses, Parker, aided by a rebellious Ultor technician named Hendrix, and the leader of the rebellion, Eos, wreaks havoc on Ultor’s installations and learns more about the mysterious Plague.
Parker is eventually led to the lair of Dr. Capek, a deranged scientist who has developed mutants, nano-technology (developed more fully in Red Faction II), and the Plague itself. Parker chases Capek through his underground complex and Parker eventually traps Capek in "Capeks laboratory." Parker destroys Capek's "nanoshield" and in Capek's final moments, Eos bursts in telling Parker not to kill Capek. Capek reveals to Eos that there is a cure to the plague, and subsequently dies. Ultor calls in a band of mercenaries led by Col. Masako to stop Parker, Eos and the rest of Red Faction. After numerous events, including Parker's abduction of a high-level Ultor worker, Hendrix is killed by the mercenaries for being a traitor and helping the Red Faction.
For the finale, Parker fights his way through the mercenaries to confront Masako. After a long battle, Parker kills her and finds Eos tied down next to a bomb about to detonate. Parker quickly defuses the bomb and frees Eos. A cutscene shows the Earth Defense Force come to the rescue to stop Ultor’s oppression and help cure the Plague. Eos declares Parker a hero as the game ends.
Red Faction II (2002)
Red Faction II is the sequel to Red Faction. The game was released in October 2002 for the PlayStation 2, and early 2003 for other platforms. Red Faction II is an earth based FPS that mostly deviated from the story set in Red Faction, only keeping minor plot details. Many new features had been added to the original game's sequel. Among these are new and evolved weapons and improved visuals.Red Faction II takes place on Earth in the year 2075. The protagonist, Alias, is a genetically enhanced super soldier formerly employed by the Ultor Corporation. Nanotechnology developed by Dr. Capek (see Red Faction) has fallen into the hands of the EDF (who is now associated with Ultor) and many other terrorist groups. A dictatorship, “The Commonwealth,” has employed Alias to retrieve nanotechnology and other data.
Eventually the research is claimed for Victor Sopot, leader of the Commonwealth as well as the first antagonist of the game. As Sopot’s soldiers become more enhanced due to the recovered technology, the more he fears them. Sopot sends lessened troops to stop all remaining nanotech soldiers (including Alias). Alias allies with other soldiers who call themselves “The Squad”.
The Squad quickly fights off the Commonwealth and kills Sopot. As they return to the new Red Faction base, it is revealed that the Squad’s leader, Molov (as well as other squad members Quill and Repta), who is now the game's second antagonist, has turned on them and now assumes control of the Commonwealth. Molov is attacked by another Squad member, Tangier, which allows all remaining Squad members (Alias, and a Red Faction member, Echo) a chance to escape.
As the game continues, Alias fights alongside Red Faction members (including Echo, who is killed by Quill), and eventually hunts and kills Quill after she kills Echo. Alias then has his last Battle with the Primary enemy of the Red Faction on the docks before heading into a Sub with Tangier to head underneath of the Statue of Sopot. Alias proceeds to a Commonwealth nanotech laboratory where he fights off hordes of processed civilians as well as their new friends, the processed military soldiers. After multiple battles with the processed, he encounters Repta in a dangerous nanotech electro-chamber. After that, he eventually triggers an explosion to cause Repta to fall into the bottomless pit. Alias continues on and is told by Tangier to blow 3 containers. After that is finished, he meets a processed version of an old enemy, the nanotech enhanced Elite Guards. After fighting the processed version of Sopot Elite Guards/Leaders, he encounters a processed version of Repta (dubbed Repta+). He kills Repta+ and heads completely into the statue, which is unstable from the destruction of the nanolabs. Molov, the last remaining enemy, retreats to the top of Victor Sopot's statue, which is guarded by an army of both nano-military soldiers and Elite Guards. He attempts to flee from the statue with the nano-cell. Tangier is in pursuit of him while he is trying to defend himself with his army of processed soldiers and with his railgun against the two.
Shrike is seen with a new gunship and then betrays Molov, saying "Remember Molov, if we fight, then we finish them". Tangier manages to reclaim the nanotech cell from Molov's possession and escapes to the observation deck.
For the finale, Alias battles Molov on foot while Molov is in his battle armor with the help of Shrike and his new self-controlled gunship. He destroys his battle armor and they both fight each other in a gun-to-gun battle. After a long fight, Molov is defeated as the observation deck begins to collapse. Shrike, now loyal to The Squad again, saves Alias from the crumbling statue. Depending on the player’s “Heroic” rating, the plot has four separate endings. See Red Faction II
Red Faction II
Red Faction II is a first-person shooter video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ on October 15, 2002 for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and Microsoft Windows...
for details.
Red Faction: Guerrilla (2009)
Red Faction: Guerrilla is the third installment of the Red Faction franchise. The game assumes a third person point of view and an open world to play in. The game was released on some platforms on June 2, 2009, seven years after its predecessor and featured a vastly different gameplay system.Red Faction: Guerrilla takes place in 2120. The Earth Defense Force (EDF), the allies in the original "Red Faction", has become the main antagonist of Guerrilla. Earth's natural resources have run scarce, and as a result, its global economy has collapsed from rampant speculation of commodities and lack of production. Under pressure by Earth's corporations and leaders to acquire the resources of Mars at any cost and at a pace to meet Earth's high demand, the EDF has forced Martian society into a permanent state of unfree labour. The newly-reformed "Red Faction" arises to rebel against the EDF, drive them off the planet, and begin fairer negotiations with Earth.
Alec Mason, the player character and a mining engineer, arrives on Mars to reunite with brother Daniel and begin a new life, only to learn to his surprise that Daniel is now a member of Red Faction. While on work detail, Daniel testifies about the EDF's cruelty to the Martian people and asks Alec to join their cause; he is soon after gunned down by an EDF gunship looking for him. Upon returning to find his housing and possessions seized by the EDF, Alec is convicted of being Red Faction. The commander of the EDF squad orders Alec shot, but Alec is then rescued by Red Faction guerrillas. He becomes a reluctant freedom fighter for the group alongside inventor "Sam" Samanya, rambling eccentric Randy Jenkins (who believes that Mars should be "purified"), and commander Hugo Davies. Between Davies' command and Alec's skill and bravery, the EDF are quickly driven out of an entire sector, "Parker", for the first time.
While the campaign against the EDF continues in the "Dust" sector, Alec is eventually assigned by Davies to routine surveillance of the "Marauders", a mysterious and violent warrior tribe living in the inhospitable "Badlands", in hopes of recovering stolen weapons. Instead, Alec winds up tracking them to an abandoned Ultor Corporation base that promptly comes under massive assault from the EDF. During the fracas, Alec steals a strange device called the "Nano Forge" and escapes. The EDF commander, Bertram Roth, responds by pulling out of the Dust Sector and ordering the artillery base in the "Free Fire Zone" to bomb the town of Dust into oblivion. Alec is then tasked with saving key members of Red Faction and vital information on the EDF from the bombardment, which he succeeds in doing.
Sam analyzes the Nano Forge and discovers it can create catastrophic nanites that can disintegrate any object. A prototype "Nano Rifle" is built from the device, which Alec uses to liberate other sectors, while Davies declares it a vital bargaining chip against the EDF. A successful suicide run against an EDF artillery base is commenced, allowing the group to begin hostilities against the EDF in their own central territories. Roth launches an all-out assault on the Red Faction's command center, resulting in the death of Davies. Only Sam, Alec and a handful of other rebels survive the assault; they learn afterward that the star ship Hydra, under the command of Admiral Lucius Kobel, is arriving to Mars to put an end to the Red Faction once and for all. They also plan to elminate all life on the planet, as said by Kobel himself, calling the civilians "Expendable".
Sam declares that they will need support from the Marauders if the campaign against the EDF is to continue; when Alec remains dubious, she reveals that she is a former Marauder herself, joining the Red Faction because marauders were consumed with anger and hate, and did not want to be a part of the lifestyle they endure. The pair head to a Marauder stronghold to meet with their ruler, Vasha, Sam's sister. Sam requests the usage of the Marauders' particle accelerator technology, with plans on combining it with the Nano Forge to create a superweapon capable of destroying the Hydra. Vasha agrees in exchange for possession of the Nano Forge once the war is finished. While inside the Marauder stronghold, the player can also discover a "radio tag" found on an old corpse that implies the Marauders are the descendants of former Ultor Corporation scientists.
After capturing a broadcasting station and using it to regroup the Red Faction, Sam and Alec lead a successful final assault on the EDF's central command alongside teams of Red Faction and the Marauders, driving the EDF out of their own territory. The two groups converge on Mt. Vogel to begin utilizing the Marauder's accelerator; however, a surprise EDF blitzkrieg led by Roth wipes out the Marauder crew guarding the summit end of the accelerator and Vasha along with them. Alec singlehandedly storms the mountain, defeating Roth's entire army and personally killing Roth. Sam's plan succeeds and the accelerated Nano Forge is successful in vaporizing the Hydra in space. As the surviving people of Mars celebrate, Sam says the war is over, but Alec knows that the EDF will come back. While Sam says that will be awhile, Alec responds with "We'll be ready for 'em". Alec and Sam approach the crowds of civilians who cheer for them, and Alec raises his sledgehammer in the air, showing the sign of the Red Faction and their long-waited victory.
Red Faction: Armageddon (2011)
On June 4, 2010, first footage of Red Faction: Armageddon debuted in the form of a short teaser trailer on GameTrailers. THQ has announced that the game will be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
. THQ has announced that they plan to bring sequels to all their key franchises around every two years.
Red Faction: Battlegrounds
To tie in with the release of Red Faction: Armageddon, Volition is to release a downloadable mini-game. Red Faction: Battlegrounds is a top-down twin-stick vehicle-based shooter which will be available via Xbox LiveXbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
and PlayStation Network. The mini-game was produced by Juice Games
Juice Games
THQ Digital Studios UK Ltd was a video game developer based in Warrington, England; Juice Games was acquired by THQ in March 2006, and was merged with 'Rainbow Studios' in 2010 forming THQ Digital Studios...
for Volition. The release date is 5 April 2011, beta invites were sent to a select group of PlayStation Plus subscribers on September 21, 2010.
Film
Red Faction: Origins is a feature-length television movie produced by SyFySyfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
that coincided with Red Faction: Armageddon. The channel announced the film on April 16, 2010. Volition confirmed the title of the film and its May 2011 release date on July 19, 2010. The film is set in-between the events of Red Faction: Guerrilla and Armageddon.
Other Media
The Ultor Corporation (the antagonists from the original Red Faction), has been featured in the 2006 and 2008 games, Saints RowSaints Row
Saints Row is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. It is the first title in the Saints Row series and is succeeded by Saints Row 2. A PlayStation 3 port was cancelled after protracted development time...
and its sequel, Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2
Saints Row 2 is an open world action-adventure video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360 systems. It is the second title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row in 2006. It is succeeded by Saints Row: The...
. This is due to the fact that both series are developed by Volition and published by THQ, so merging storylines are legally possible. In the DLC for Saints Row 2 there is a vehicle with the Red Faction: Guerilla logo as part of its identification when entering.
In addition, the storyline for the DLC concerns Ultor's experimentation with Nanotech to improve the lung capacity of miners (see "The Plague" in Red Faction). In the second DLC package, the player character comments that as long as Ultor stops harassing the Saints, "they can go to Mars for all I care."
Reception
The series as a whole has received positive reviews/previews from one game to the next. Some common flaws are that graphics are considered behind its time or unremarkable. Also, the scattered story and limited interactivity in the levels have also been criticized overall. On the positive side, the series has been deeply commended for its unique geometrical modificationGeo-Mod
Geo-Mod technology, which stands for Geometry Modification Technology, is a video game engine that allows players to alter and destroy the environment around them . First introduced in 2001, the game engine was created by Volition, Inc...
capabilities, intelligent AI, and prevalent storytelling themes.
Praised for its long play time, great gameplay, and smart AI, Red Faction was generally given average to great reviews by critics. The game was also criticized for its scattered story and mediocre graphics. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave the game a great review saying, “It's a great big game with much to explore and enemies tough enough to make it worth playing through more than once.” Gamespot awarded the game with a 8.9, giving it a rating of “great”. Gamespy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
awarded the game an overall score of 89/100 and called the PC version, “the best and most well-rounded first-person shooter released in a long time.”
Red Faction IIs short campaign and lack of online multiplayer has diminished reviews by many critics. However, redeeming features include dual wielding, great multiplayer(split screen), and improved graphics. For these and other reasons, GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
awarded the game an 8.3/10.0, earning it the rank of "Great".
IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's positive side of their review called the game "a very solid, well-produced first-person shooter", but their complaints stated that: "Volition still shows some room for improvement when it comes to level design, spots of AI, and implementing the vast potential of the Geo-Mod concept". Despite their complaints, IGN gave Red Faction II a 9.2/10, an "Outstanding" ranking. The PC version of Red Faction II was far less well received, with IGN criticizing the port's average looking graphics and incredibly short, though enjoyable while it lasted single player mode.