Game Day: Back in the sweet spot
"Red Faction" was a decent shooter with an awesome gimmick.
As rebellious miners caught up in a resistance against the oppressive Ultor Corp., players could blast chunks out of the Martian tunnels and high-tech bases they explored, using the destruction to sneak around enemies or destroy their cover, among other uses.
"Red Faction II" brought the action back to Earth and limited the usefulness of the game's so-called "GeoMod" features, which was kind of missing the point of the thing.
But "Red Faction: Guerrilla" is back in the sweet spot, only instead of destroying the Martian landscape, players destroy pretty much all else.
The main character, Alec Mason, goes to Mars to meet his brother Dan, who is part of a rejuvenated Red Faction rebel movement. Seems the Earth Defense Force that liberated the miners at the end of the original game has replaced Ultor as oppressors.
Mason gets an early lesson in this when an EDF aircraft kills his brother. Before a patrol can finish him off, members of the Red Faction save him and recruit Mason into their ranks. He becomes a vital part of their plan to liberate Mars' habitable regions.
The name of the game is "Guerrilla," not "One-Man Army." It's not all about shooting, like the first two. It's a game about blowing things up and tearing stuff down. Mason is outnumbered, and the EDF soldiers are good shots and tough to kill, if not very smart.
He can opt into numerous side missions such as hostage rescues, convoy thefts or destruction, demolition and so on, along with main-line missions that advance the story. If Mason dies, he'll fail his current mission, reappear at a Red Faction safe house, and morale will fall a bit.
Mason also has a supply of remote-activated demolition packs that double as grenades, and these along with his powerful hammer form the core of his structure-destroying repertoire. Most of the other weapons are good for fighting EDF soldiers – there are shotguns, pistols, rocket launchers and assault rifles as well as exotic guns such as a lightning thrower that zaps enemies inside vehicles, leaving the hardware with only light damage.
All the destruction has a purpose: It weakens the EDF's hold on a region and increases rebel morale. Eventually the EDF will be driven out.
The going can get tough, but collected salvage can be used to upgrade Mason's weapons, buy new ones, increase his ammo capacity, apply armor plating to his clothes and so on.
The online multiplayer consists of mostly familiar game modes spiced up with the game's destructible buildings. Several of the game types focus on destroying enemy buildings and defending the team's own structures. And Wrecking Crew, the game's terrific party mode, has players pass around the controller to see who can wreak the most destruction on the game's multiplayer maps.
PICKS AND PANS
UP
2 stars
Publisher: THQ
System: Nintendo Wii, also for Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony PlayStation 2, DS
Price: $39.99 ($19.99 to $39.99 for other versions)
Age rating: 10-plus
Based on the Disney and Pixar film, "Up" emphasizes teamwork between the main characters, the elderly Carl Fredericksen and young Wilderness Explorer Russell.
As they explore the South American jungle while tethered to Carl's floating house, they help each other climb up ledges, push obstacles out of the way and solve various puzzles. A single player can switch between the characters at will, and a second player can drop in at any time.
The game play isn't great and the visuals aren't that good, though "Up" features nice music. But there isn't much here.
FREAKY CREATURES
1 1/2 stars
Publisher: Abandon Interactive
System: PC and Macintosh
Price: $19.99 and recurring fees for online play
Age rating: 10-plus
Part toy, part game, a "Freaky Creatures" starter pack includes a couple of monster action figures, a 1-gigabyte flash drive and a code good for a month's free play of the online dueling game in which digital versions of the figures are used. For what the game offers, it's a stretch for it to require a fee.
There are a couple of starter packs available – this one comes with a monster called Trappern and a dragon-man called Dracon. More monsters can be bought separately.
The dueling game allows players to pit their creations against each other in simple turn-based battles. The access code provides a selection of body parts and items for players to customize their monsters – equip a beast with weapons, horns, tentacles or wings, and a tail, and it's ready to fight.
There are several damage and defense types, and players can further customize their fighters with powers as they level up.
MIGHTY FLIP CHAMPS!
3 stars
Publisher: WayForward Technologies
System: Nintendo DSi (DSiWare download)
Price: $8 (800 DSi Points) Age rating: Everyone
"Mighty Flip Champs!" is a devious puzzle game for the new Nintendo DSi. Controlling a character named Alta, the player must rescue her friends and in each level reach the Fishman, who serves as a teleporter to the next stage. But there's never a direct route. However, the player can change the layout of the stage at will – each level has one or more alternate layouts in a "stack" that can be flipped through at the press of a button. By cycling through the mazes, Alta can reach her destination, but she must avoid traps. The game grades players on time and number of flips it takes to finish each stage, so there's plenty of reason to play these over and over.
– Justin Hoeger