Red Faction: Guerilla multiplayer beta impressions

If you’re wondering about some of the single-player aspects or even the extent of the destruction you can cause in that portion of the game, check out Nick’s impressions from THQ Gamer's Day. It’s definitely worth a read for inquiring minds.

Brad Nicholson

Red Faction: Guerilla is still based on Mars, in case you were wondering, and the first thing you notice when booting up the multiplayer component is just how much Volition enjoys red and brown hues. The visual assault carries from the Main Menu all the way to the lobby system, which I have to say that I am a bit disappointed with thus far. Just like how Metal Gear Solid 4 ruined the cut-scene for every game after it, Bungie could have possibly permanently tarnished my view on how lobbies should operate. Now, I expect to be able to party up, flawlessly enter into games that are full, and be able to switch game modes effectively. Red Faction: Guerilla does that to an extent.

There is a Quick Match toggle that will instantly toss you into one of the two different modes offered in the beta, and a Party option for those with friends. Jordan and I had some problems from time to time joining each other, and occasionally when switching between game modes, one of us would end up being dumped from the party. The lobbies for the modes vary in size, from four versus four to six on six.

One of the bigger discouragements is a little timer on the right-hand side of the screen that starts a countdown at forty seconds then restarts whenever a new player joins. Players cannot enter during matches, so this can be an affair if not that many people are online. Also, after the timer finally completes, players only get a miniscule amount of time to veto a map.  It’s important to remember regardless of my gripe about the lobby and connectivity issues, that I am playing an early multiplayer beta of a game and this experience may not be indicative of what people will experience with the full version. I just think it bares note as of right now.

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The two game modes that we played are called Team Anarchy and Damage Control. Team Anarchy is your basic deathmatch style game, where two teams line up to kill each other as many times as they can during a set time limit. Damage control is a little different. The objective of Damage Control is to locate specific targets on the map and repair them in the name of your team. If successful, your team is awarded points as the target functions. The objective as an aggressor is to destroy the target and fix it for your team. Team Anarchy allows for six-to-eight players, while Damage Control handles up to 12 players.

The multiplayer component handles like a faster version of Gears of War, with more emphasis on maneuverability as opposed to cover. One of the unique aspects of Guerilla’s multiplayer assortment is the introduction of Backpacks, which function of powerups. They are scattered throughout the three levels in neat little racks. Think Ghostbusters. With the touch of LB players will be able to utilize several different powers like “Concussion” or “Rhino.” Concussion sends out a shockwave that will knock all nearby enemies across the level onto their assess. Rhino gives players the ability to ram through walls and enemies. The best choice is obviously the Jetpack, which allows players to fly around the level. It reminded me a lot of Shadows of the Empire in terms of the way it handled.

Of course, Backpacks would be nothing without guns, and there appears to be many different types awaiting us. In most modes that we played, we started out with a basic assault rifle, which is great for medium range conflicts. The pistol functions a lot like the Halo CE without the massive scope. It is the best long-range weapon available in the beta. Also in the mix are rocket launchers, a gun that fires circular blades, and a shotgun. The melee weapon that every player starts with is just a simple pickaxe, but it packs a major wallop. One hit and any person standing in the way is instantly dead. I have a slight issue with its power, but only because the shotgun is the only useful firearm at short range. If you’re not armed with the pickaxe or shotgun when someone is near you, you’re in big trouble.

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The three levels that we got to play in are called Deadzone, Crash Site, and Radial. Deadzone is a very red and dense level with tons of obstacles to break, shoot, and blast apart. Crash Site is a more open level and very welcome to the eyes after matches in Deadzone. Crash Site features numerous bunkers and buildings on which players can climb to get better views of the annihilation around them. Radial is much the same, except that players start out with Jetpacks to help them navigate the many spires and cliffs. I personally enjoy Crash Site more just because of its larger size, which helps to avoid being bludgeoned by the pickaxe.

Overall, I am very pleased with what Volition is offering us at this stage in the game. I am a bit worried about the balance of the weaponry, specifically the pickaxe, but I believe that the retail version will probably have many more effective weapons to counter the melee weapon. It’s rare to have an experience in a shooter that doesn’t just rely on the predictability of encounter. Blowing up buildings, and crashing through walls creates a wonderful chaos that fits my style perfectly. I’m definitely excited to see the final product when it hits in 2009.

Jordan "Grim" Devore

Never before has blowing shit up been this entertaining. “What’s that, a huge wall is blocking my path? And the door is all the way over there? Screw that, I’ll just whip out my pickaxe, or my satchel chargers, or my rocked launcher …” You get where I’m going with this. In the world of Red Faction: Guerilla, nothing stands in your way, and cover doesn’t stay cover for very long.

There is something magical about the process of slowly chipping away at a structure, watching as chunks of rock and steel fall to the ground, until finally, the whole damn thing decides to collapse on top of your head. In any other game, you would feel dumb for accidentally killing yourself, but not in Guerilla. The guys at Volition have managed to make suicide itself fun.

Even though I’ve poured countless hours into the game already, charging through a wall with the “Rhino” upgrade isn’t any less satisfying than the first time I discovered you could do it. With the exception of one power-up that increases the strength of your firearms, I found all of the other Backpacks to be unique enough that they add an extra layer of strategy and fun to the whole experience.

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Unlike most shooters these days, Red Faction: Guerrilla does not have a radar system, and it’s that much better because of it. There’s a slight sense of urgency when playing a full 12 vs. 12 match. You can never be sure that you’re completely safe, and remaining in the same spot for too long is a flat-out death sentence. Your foes could strike from above using jetpacks; they could be hiding around a corner, praying that you come just a few steps closer so that they can lunge out and smash into you skull with a pickaxe; or they could even be in the same building as you, and you wouldn’t have the slightest idea until they break through the wall screaming, “here’s Johnny!”

If Volition only fixes one aspect of Guerilla’s multiplayer from now until the finished product hits stores in 2009, it had better be the God-awful timer from the lobby system. The setup is best described as a mix between Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4, which is definitely a good thing. The problem, however, lies in the fact that you are forced to wait 40 seconds or so until your room becomes full. If someone joins, the countdown resets; if no one joins, the countdown still resets. Sit in an unfilled room long enough, and you’ll be switched to a different room, where the process repeats itself. Worst of all, when you finally do meet the requirements for the game to be initiated, you get about five seconds to look at the match settings and decide if vetoing is a good idea or not.

 
Besides that, I had very few problems with the beta. The only other issue that readily comes to mind is one of the stages called Deadzone. Not only is it too dark (luckily, the game has a brightness setting), it’s also overly red. The stage is eerily reminiscent of the sci-fi flick Total Recall, which brings to mind the film’s notorious mutant with three boobs. While that’s never a dull thought, it’s distracting nonetheless, and leads me to believe that Deadzone’s color scheme should be toned down a bit.

I came into Red Faction: Guerilla thinking that the multiplayer wouldn’t stand a chance against the single-player campaign, and that it would be little more than a mere distraction used to artificially inflate the replay value, but I ended up being pleasantly surprised. If Volition makes a few quick changes to the issues Brad and I had with the lobby, in addition to tweaking the weapon strength, I could easily see the multiplayer living on long past the game’s initial release.