Red Faction II

"Still looking for that "Halo-Killer?" Look no further!"

First off, the Original Red Faction was the most ''pure-fun'' game i've played on my PS2--up until GTA3 came out. I remember playing the demo for hours, and finally getting the game, I couldn't put the controller down!
Now, with Red Faction 2-I got that overwhelming elated feeling that only comes once in a while--like when GTA:VC came out, or when the Detroit Lions finally won a football game.

Opening statement
This game is the best FPS on any CONSOLE, period. Why did I emphasize console? Well, I still think that the greatest FPS are on the PC, but Red Faction II (here forth to be known as ''RF2'') is the greatest console offering I've ever seen.
I must also state that I may comment on other console games out there, most notably Deus Ex: The Conspiracy, TimeSplitters 1 & 2, Red Faction 1, Halo, and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon. I will be pointing out what I liked in those games and how RF2's take on that either was better/worse than that game.

Graphics-8.5/10
The graphics in this game are very well done. Everything looks smooth and has a very polished feel. There are nice touches, such as blood splatter on the walls (always love that), the debris when you blow up desks/people/etc...and the graphics are never muddy or bland-although sometimes it does seem too dark to see--and when you slap on the NVG, it gets too bright...
RF2 has the best graphics I've seen in a console FPS (besides TimeSplitters 2 and some areas in Halo).

Sound-9.5/10
RF2's developers, Volition, took the extra time to hire some quality voice actors for this game, and it shows. I'm very thankful for the high-quality voice-overs, as there are a lot of them in this game. The voices never sound sarcastic or lifeless, and it just sounds natural. Very nicely done. Compared to Deus Ex, RF2 is a couple millenia ahead. The other FPS have too little voice-overs to worry about--and little chatter bits don't count!
The guns sound great, and everything from shooting, to smacking people over the head melee-style, and reloading all are crisp. Explosions never get too intense to cause a ''static-like'' sound in my speakers, and nothing is ever covered up. you can hear everything with great detail.
the only reason I didn't give this a 10 is because the music doesn't really add an atmosphere sense to the game--and while it isn't really needed, it would have been nice

Control-10/10
THIS is where the most complaints come from in this game. First off, I'd like to state that THERE IS NO AUTO-AIM. This is a ''handicap'' that most console FPS implement in order for the game to be easily played using a gamepad. I, for one, do not complain about the lack of auto-aim as this game HAS MOUSE AND KEYBOARD SUPPORT. That fact alone makes this game a 10/10 in the control department. Everything is customizable--from the sensitivity of the mouse to the individual action buttons.
I haven't tried this game with a gamepad, as there is no need to play it with a gamepad when you have mouse and keyboard. The level of customization is much better than Deus Ex's (there is no customization except for the mouse sensitivity) and overall, this game handles better than the other FPS out there.

Extras-9/10
GEO-MOD
OK, RF pioneered this technology. RF2 doesn't exactly ''expand'' on this. It really pulls it back a little bit-in RF I remember tunneling and creating little areas to duck in incase the action got intense-and I could duck and hide. In RF2, the areas are still there--but you can only tunnel through certain areas. You can still blow open your own door, but overall the entire Geo-Mod seems to not been expanded, but instead hindered. Nothing too bad, of course, but the walls don't even make a dent in them when you launch a grenade at them-they just stay perfect.
STORY
The story is very well done, and the game relies heavily on story progression-great in-game cutscenes and always-varying objectives keep the game flowing.

MultiPlayer-9/10
Multiplayer is very well done-IMHO, the multiplayer in RF2 has been DRAMATICALLY improved over RF's. 4-Player support is great-the maps are the perfect size-there's enough room to move around and there's a lot of cover to take.
The only gripe I have is that this game's multiplayer is a step behind TimeSplitters 2's. There's no custom level creator, and the bot-mode isn't as exciting as TS2's--but nevertheless still fun. This game is a blast for multiplayer--and the bot mode for single player is great too.
I must say that this game has the 2nd best multiplayer-it's way better than Halo's, TS1's, and RF1's, but cannot compete to TS2's--the 16 player support and custom creator make that the best. If this game had those features, it could topple TS2's multiplayer crown.

Replay Value-10/10
There are 3 endings you can choose from, plus a very polished and very well done multiplayer mode. There's a lot to do in this game--it really ramps up in difficulty as you progress, and there are 3 difficulty choices for you to master. This game is a game that you can play over and over and play for a long time with friends.

Buy or Rent?
BUY this game if you are a fan of any of the FPS I mentioned above. BUY this game if you are a FPS fan at all. BUY this game if you want a good challenge, lots of fun, and a great multiplayer mode.
RENT this game if you aren't a big FPS fan, and I'm sure after playing this game your views on FPS will change!

~~For the Faction~~

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 01/04/03, Updated 01/04/03