Like I said, not quite Half Life

Although the comparisons between Red Faction and Half Life are inevitable. They feel the same (At the start of RF training you're riding an elevator, which feels so much like the start of HL it isn't funny.) and they look very similar in alot of ways. Hell, standing there in your suit with a shotgun in a building you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference between RF and a similar HL screenshot.

The Backstory

In the near future, Mars is the new frontier. Miners are lured to the red planet by the Ultor corporation, promised a well paying job and adventure. On arrival they find brutal conditions and worse guards. Discontent begins. Then a plague starts spreading among the miners. Ultor is implicated by the Red Faction, an underground miner movement. (Underground as in covert, as well as being underneath the ground. :) Finally, a young miner is brutally beaten by a guard in front of you, and the revolution against Ultor begins.

Graphics

The graphics in Red Faction are very nice, but didn't really grab me by the ying yang for some reason, not sure why. The game really doesn't have a whole lot of in your face eye candy, it's more of an evolution than a revolution. Textures are very well done, and models are extremely detailed, lighting effects are gorgeous. The overall package is sweet, but as I said nothing really leaps at you. I suppose the best thing to say about it is that it's very realistic. The maps are well done and believable. Didn't find any strange anomalies anywhere in the levels.


Geo-Mod Technology

Now, here's the part of the engine that's really interesting. In conventional shooters, it was pretty rare that you could really effect the environment. A wall is a wall, right? Not with the RF engine. Stray rockets and explosive weapons will actually blow holes in the walls, and you can actually take down structures. No time to engage that convoy passing over the chasm? Not a problem. A few rockets in front of them, a few more behind and.... they find themselves taking an unexpected trip straight down. Sniper in the tower got you down? Satchel charge the base of it then stand back and watch the whole thing come tumbling down.

There's a few times in the game where you're in a huge fight, there's explosions everywhere.... the smoke clears and you've blown the hell out of an office. I mean, holes in the walls, rubble everywhere type blown the hell out of. Very cool, and it really adds something to the realism of the game when you see the effects that a missile has on a concrete wall. A few of the puzzles in single player, and access to some areas of the multiplayer maps depends on it as well.

Sound/Music

Sound and music in Red Faction are outstanding. EAX is supported, which is nice. Missiles hiss as they fly past you, explosions rumble and subguns chatter. Music is deep and powerful, and really sets the mood in the game. It's really nice to see that music is getting taken seriously, as most of the new games I've played have paid a lot of attention to this extremely important area.