Crisp game thats honestly just plain entertaining
Upside- The well rendered scenery of the parker sector clocked in red dust was visualy striking, as was the starting cutscene. The cover feature is very adaptable. Ex; parking a car and using it for cover, or smashing a hole in the top of a fence and posting up behind it. The destructible environment is a definite plus, made all the more realistic by stress points within certain buildings. Destroying these will make the building fall with alot less effort, although its up to the player to find these spots themselves. Combat has a solid feel, with a fair variety of weapons that can be used to adapt to certain situations and missions. Proficiency with all weapons is prefered, as ammo can be scarce in the heat of the moment.
Downside- Limited capacity to carry weapons. Weapons on hand are relegated to your d-pad. The sledgehammer is non-removable so really you can only bring three weapons to a fight with continuously spawning EDF soldiers. Gameplay becomes repetitive as you go through each of the five sectors (six if one counts the free fire zone). Not really any large urban areas that one can revel in destroying and large scale demolition is limited to the wrecking crew mode.
Multiplayer
Upside- average match only lasts 10 minutes long. Changable backpacks allow for clever combos that can be used on the fly.
Downside- Lag allows the sledgehammer to hit targets it should be unable to reach. Cover feature is disabled in lou of backpack activation. Chaotic, and average player does not have a microphone with which to coordinate proper strategy.
Note: Physics are also well done, guaranteeing that you won't see cars driving halfway through solid stone, or a car getting stuck in the floor with the top sticking out of the ground
Description: Sandbox/ Free roam.
Other Sandboxes: Mercenaries, Mercenaries 2, GTA franchise
These are the other games in the genre, but Red Faction 2 delivers its own unique feel.
Final Note: Most review information written here is subjective and based off of my own opinion and can in no way convey to the individual the pleasure he/she will get out of the gaming experience. The purpose of this review is only to aid those interested in the purchase decision process.