I am definitely a sucker for games about the little man standing up against the oppressive authority figures that bully the people with its militaristic threats and no one does violent uprisings better than the Red Faction games--a first-person shooter series that started on the Playstation 2.  Not only did the series put you in the middle of a miner uprising but also now it pits gamers up against a tyrannical dictator.  Xbox gamers, your time to join the revolution is here.  Red Faction II for the Xbox is here, but does this PS2 port take advantage of the power of the Xbox?  There’s only one way to find out, right?  Please read on, comrades.

The game’s story is a good one: a Fidel Castro-like militant dictator named Victor Sopot has finally overstepped the boundaries of the people’s tolerance.  His ways have become more violent and more aggressive to the point that the only way to truly live in peace is if Chancellor Sopot is given a bullet to the head.  While this is a sequel, it doesn’t feature Parker (the hero of the first game).  Instead, you play Alias, a once member of Sopot’s Commonwealth elite who was fitted with nano-technology to become a super soldier.  Yet in Sopot’s paranoia, he sees these new super soldiers as a threat and has them hunted down.  As a result of this betrayal, Alias joins up with the Red Faction movement as a result and helps them attempt to overthrow the dictator once and for all.

Yet this task isn’t an easy one since Sopot’s loyal followers are legion and have heavy weaponry and vehicles at their disposal.  Fortunately for you, Alias is able to juggle his duties as a firearm specialist as well as a demolition expert.  The single player campaign takes you through several levels as you set off to kill the evil dictator and many times you do it alone--although there are several moments where your fellow Red Faction comrades join you in battle.  There are also a number of weapons to handle in this game, including some old favorites like the Rail Driver (that puppy can kill with one shot) as well as heavy suppression machine gun.   This time you can whip out two handguns and fire them both at the same time!

The Red Faction games were also the first FPS to feature the Geo-Mod technology that can have you damage your surroundings.  It’s used somewhat lightly in this sequel but being able to punch a huge gaping hole through a wall to be used as an alternate means of escape is just one of the most satisfying things about this game.  Anything you encounter can be scorched, dented or destroyed.  Also making its return are the vehicles that you can seamlessly dive into without much trouble.  You’ll find yourself inside a tank, a mini-submarine, inside a fortified battle armor or working the gun on a military gunship.  

Control-wise, the game is pure perfection.  Gamers will not find themselves attempting to get use to an awkward default control scheme like in 007: Nightfire, instead, Red Faction II’s controls are simple.  The game also runs at a smooth framerate and does not slow down one bit during the most intense battles.  You’ll find yourself switching weapons on the fly and making use of both the primary and secondary weapon fire functions.   Your armor health can also regenerate by itself if you wait a little just like in Halo.

One of the series best features is the multiplayer mode and this one has enough action for up to four players.  Although a System Link setup would have been nice, going Live would have put this game at the very top.  Still the multiplayer fun this game has to offer is just what the doctor ordered.  All the usual suspects are present: Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Bagman and Team Bagman.  There are plenty of arenas to choose from and you can also customize bots (you can name them, fit them with different skins and raise their attributes).  Trust me, invite some friends over--they’re going to love it.

Now for the bad parts: the game’s single player mode is short . . . really short.  As good as the story is and the action heavy and hot, you’ll find that the game can be beaten fairly quickly.  My other complaint is that some levels can be a bit on the plain side with nothing memorable happening in them.  These moments are scattered throughout the game, unfortunately, but there are more action-packed parts than slow ones.  And there are also multiple endings.  The “Heroics” meter, a new feature to the series, counts your noble acts as well as your not-so noble ones (like killing innocent people), thus giving you two different ending depending on how you acted throughout the game.

Disappointingly, the graphics have not been tweaked to fit the Xbox’s powerful graphics capabilities.  In fact, the game looks exactly like the PS2 version only with some of the roughness smoothed out a little.  There’s nothing here that packs a visual punch but that doesn’t mean that this is one ugly game.  You’ll find plenty of details in the various area you’ll encounter including office buildings filled with office furniture you can reduce to pieces and streets filled with futuristic buildings alive with light and billboards.  And while the characters you encounter are not highly detailed, they still move realistically (although seeing dead bodies de-materialize before your very eyes doesn’t help the realism factor).

The sound just doesn’t have that impact that most first-person shooters possess and this is a major disappointment since, at times, you’ll find yourself in some pretty intense battles.  Your enemies cry out in pain as they’re being shot or are burning alive and they also manage to shout some things at you during fights.  The rest of the dialogue is done through cut scenes and is done nicely.  The score is also underplayed in this game and much of it is overshadowed by the voices of your comrades that pop up often throughout the game.

Red Faction II thrusts you deep into the people’s revolution and has you enjoying ever bullet-filled minute of it.  As far as first-person shooters are concerned, this game manages to offer some really entertaining action sequences.  Although the single player mode has a great story, it is just too short.  Still, the multiplayer option is just too fun to pass up.  Buy this one if you’re looking for a good old-fashioned uprising mayhem.  

 
Gameplay: 9.3
The controls in this game are perfectly tight and the game runs along smoothly--this, my friends, is the way a first-person shooter should be.  You won’t find yourself struggling to make sense of the controls because movement and aiming smooth enough that it just becomes natural.  The same can be said about jumping into vehicles.  Unlike Halo or 007: Nightfire, controlling vehicles are seamless tasks that won’t have players wasting time trying to figure out how to make the vehicle in question go reverse.  Switching weapons on the fly also keeps the action moving nicely.

Graphics: 7.2
Visually, Red Faction II doesn’t go the extra mile to enhance the PS2 graphics by adding Xbox-exclusive features like bump-mapping.  Pretty much, the graphics are rather plain in different areas such as certain interiors and characters.  The character’s faces, for example, are not expressive and nobody seems to blink even though there is a fair amount of lip-synching.  Yet all is not bad in this department since there are plenty of detailed areas.

Still the visual highlight is the Geo-Mod technology that alters the environment in most entertaining ways.  Grenades leave scorch marks and shatter things like wooden tables and bullets riddle the flat surfaces of plain walls while leaving deep pockmarks on marble.  And there are walls that can be punched through with a grenade launcher.  For those who haven’t seen this technology at work, you will be impressed.

Sound: 7.0
Unfortunately the sound in this game is more of a whimper than a scream.  You expect a game with so much happening at once to sound like a lot of things are happening at once, but somehow the sound effects lack that audible punch.  Your weapons just do not make quite the impression that it should, especially when you’re in a firefight against multiple foes.  Even if you have a good sound system hooked up; there isn’t much that will truly surround you with sound.

The soundtrack is also a bit on the weak side, although much of it is muted by the cries and bits of dialogue yelled at you by the enemy.  You’ll hear them shout things like “You killed my partner!” or “Prepare to attend a funeral . . . yours!”  Much of the dialogue found in this game is actually done excellently, especially from your comrades.  One voice you’ll recognize right off the bat is that of Lance Henriksen (Bishop from the movie “Aliens”) who does a great job as Molov, the leader of the Red Faction movement.

Difficulty: Medium
The opponent AI is slightly more improved than the first game, but not by very much.  Enemies still don’t duck for cover very well, but now they run away when the gunfire becomes a little too much for them to handle.  Sopot’s Elite Guard also range in skill so you’ll find that superior officers come equipped with more powerful firearms than regular guards do.  While many of the game’s levels can be on the plain side, there are other levels throughout the game that are challenging enough to have you restarting the level all over again.  Luckily, the game features Halo-styled armor regeneration.

Concept: 8.0
Although it may seem a bit dated, the Geo-Mod technology is still impressive enough that gamers will still be smiling the second they punch a hole through a wall and using it as an alternate exit.  New to the series is a “Heroics” meter that determines what type of ending you get (there’s a good and bad ending).  Killing innocent people, for instance, earns you a red star.  Help some civilians out of a tight spot and you get a green star.  And, of course, commandeering vehicles is always a welcome feature.

Multiplayer: 9.5
One of the series strongest features is the multiplayer option and thankfully this sequel not only continues the tradition but also adds more to it this time around.  There are more maps and arenas fit for up to four players and you can even add bots to the mix to spice up Deathmatches or Capture the Flag sessions.  Or, if your friends aren’t available to play, you can always go up against bots gamers name and can adjust to make for a more challenging game.  This is split-screen multiplayer action at its finest.

Overall: 8.5
Who would have thought that staging a revolt could be so fun?  Red Faction II is a first-person shooter with plenty of action and a great story, but the heart of this game is its multiplayer fun that’s fit for a group of friends or just yourself.  While the single-player story mode is relatively short and most of the levels are rather hastily put together, half the joy is completely trashing your surrounding.  Fans of first-person shooters should pick this one up.