PlayStation 2

Red Faction II

Some may find the single-player game in Red Faction II a little short, but after blazing through on your first try, there's probably still several secondary objectives left to complete, and three levels of difficulty to experience. As you progress, the game lets you jump back into the campaign at several different chapter stops, so you can mop up the extra objectives without having to play through the entire quest all over again. The better episodes are enough fun to bear revisiting, too -- I love the battle armor shootouts in the Nano Lab.

Although not terribly original or revolutionary, Red Faction II is a terrific game with lots of action. With interesting levels, good graphics, and nice use of the Geo-Mod engine, Red Faction II is certainly one of the best titles of the year.

RFII isn't a landmark game or an astoundingly innovative one, but it sure is a lot of fun to play. If action-heavy combat plasters a silly grin across your face, you should definitely sign on for this revolution.

Finally, the development team has also addressed one of the weaker areas of the original game: the multiplayer mode. Again, the PC served up a solid match that was addictive and captivating, but the PS2 suffered from some rather lackluster multiplayer. We're still reduced to a four-player split-screen mode for multiplayer, but the gaming is solid and fast-paced. My only complaint is that this would have made a great online title. Maybe next time…

The first Red Faction was nothing short of mind-blowing. Heck, we put it on our cover lo these many months ago – it had to be good! It had all the important ingredients necessary for a first-person shooter blockbuster: plot, action, graphics, and a gimmick. The gimmick, of course, was and still is the Geo-Mod engine. Gamers have never been able to decimate an environment like they have in these two releases, and anyone who tells you it isn’t fun as hell is either lying to you, or wants money. The action and the graphics are still up to snuff with the first RF, but the plot is seriously lacking this time around.

Red Faction II is a great game with surprisingly good controls that only get better when you plug in those USB peripherals. The single-player game ended a bit too soon for my liking, but then I realized I had failed to complete many of the secondary goals so a second and maybe a third trip was in order. The designers even allow you to return to sections of the game using the chapter menu. This is a great way to pick up on those missing objectives without starting a fresh game.

All in all Red Faction 2 is an awesome game. It's almost a perfect rental game because if you're like me, you could most probably finish it in fifteen hours on hard mode. Which is perfect for a two-night rental. If your not so practiced however, and fancy an interesting take on the genre, just go and buy it anyway.. Vive La Revol.. Oh sod this lark.. I'm going home..

Overall, the pros vastly outweigh the cons. For this sequel, the developers decided to take the game in a new direction, gearing it more toward action and gunplay and less toward sneaking around and squeezing the most out of limited ammo supplies. If you want a fast-paced, violent, and up-close sort of first-person shooter, then Red Faction II definitely fits the bill. That goes double if you get into the game's split-screen modes.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, Red Faction II holds its place among the hierarchy of FPS games without losing ground. Great action and great weapons carry this game far. It's not the best, but it is undoubtedly one of the better ones.

Red Faction II is a great shooter overall, offering up a short but sweet single-player campaign and a solid multiplayer mode for the long run. It's a must for all those who liked the original, as they'll find in Red Faction II a similar yet much more intense experience. Meanwhile, those who might have missed out on the first Red Faction game might as well start with the sequel, which improves on most aspects of its predecessor.

Red Faction II is een aangename adrenalinestoot vol spektakel. De game lost niet alle verwachtingen in maar weet als sequel zeker te overtuigen.

C'est une suite bien pauvre qui nous est tombée dessus, rien de moins qu'un « FPS de plus sur PS2 », sans réelle originalité, limite ennuyeux parfois et qui saura tout juste distraire les amateurs qui ont envie de se défouler sur un titre pas prise de tête. Mais Red Faction 2 laisse froid et si on se marre bien au début, le fun décroît rapidement. Dommage. Moralité : vous cassez pas la tête à faire des shoots originaux, annoncez plutôt un gros truc, ne le faites pas et admirez la magie du marketing.

In essence, Red Faction 2 is a glorified pyrotechnic display that, despite a few outstanding explosive moments, is another 'fun while it lasts' title that doesn't actually last very long at all.