Blast Your Way Into Their Hearts
By Anthony Gallegos | Apr 30, 2009
Spiffy:
The storyline looks to be much more interesting than people who hated Saints Row might give Volition credit for. Iffy:
Random insurgent acts are fun during the first couple of hours, but I'm worried that it could grow tiresome over the long run.
StumbleUponRedditFarkEmail I step out of my vehicle, wandering casually amongst a crowd of civilians who are working around various large pieces of machinery. I wonder to myself it it's better to plant my explosives stealthily -- in which case innocents might die, which would hurt my cause -- or if it's better to send out a warning, which would also alert the authorities. My conscience gets the better of me, and I pull out my pistol, firing it into the ground as I run amongst the civilians, watching them run while I start the dirty work of planting the charges. While I know now I'll have tougher time fighting my way out of the area, it comforts me in some way to know that no unnecessary blood is on my hands, and that those I saved might very well be future champions of the insurgency I'm a part of.
Sure, you don't have to get into the psychology of what you're doing in Red Faction: Guerilla -- like I did above -- but I think at that point you're missing out on a crucial part of the game. While there is, of course, fun to be had in outright destruction and carnage, playing the game, and watching the exclusive trailer below, speaks volumes about what the team really wanted you to think about.
You're not just a mindless killer, or a person who is encouraged to randomly hit people on the road or destroy at will. Guerilla may be an open world, but Grand Theft Auto it is not. From the very start of the game you're taught that while what you're doing can be very easily construed as terrorism, that you're doing it for all the right reasons. The EDF is an occupying force that harms those it's supposed to protect, and the rebellion that's taking place may seem brutal in its tactics, but the alternative is even worse.
Most games place you in the boots of a super soldier, and to some extent you still are, but the tactics you use to take on a superior force are familiar to anyone that watches or reads the news from Iraq. Roadside bombs, explosives-laden cars you can drive into guard posts, and assassinations are a regular part of your repertoire. And while normally we look at these actions in horror, Guerilla makes you feel that what you're doing is necessary for liberation. Civilians will even take up arms besides you, emboldening your resolve that what you're doing is what the people truly want.
While Volition's other open-world game, Saints Row, may have been very tongue-in-cheek, Guerilla looks to be taking a much more serious angle. And yes, in case you're wondering, it's a lot of fun so far, too. The terrain deformation made famous in the original Red Faction games is there, and lends itself well to the insurgent acts you're carrying out. Play the demo that's out, but know this: there's a lot more to Guerilla than the few moments of demo would lead you to believe.