The Bail-Out: Red Faction Guerrilla

Today's post brought to you by The Letter Shame. I rarely do this, but today I Bail Out of a game. The last time I did this, and the burning shame of it still tears at the corners of my soul to this day, was Gun. It was the final game I played for the original Xbox, if that helps you gauge how long I've been carrying that weight. I made it all the way to the final boss of the game, but just could not put him to bed, somehow. I didn't so much give up, as I put it down to save my marriage, due to my immature tantrums. Coincidentally, today's Bail Out is also over an open-world game.

I had heard, for so long, great things about this Red Faction Guerrilla game. Most specifically about it's destruction physics. Now, I must tell you that the aforementioned physics have nothing to do with my Bail Out. They are, as advertised, top notch. Trouble was, I only got to enjoy them a little bit at a time.

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Red Faction Guerrilla, for me, suffered from what you would expect from an open world game. There are several missions spread out over it's vast landscape. You spend a bit of time preparing for said missions, time driving to said mission, and then time participating in said mission. The problem with Red Faction was that I died. A lot. Rather quickly, as well. In a game like GTA IV, I didn't often feel the pinch of this, because GTA IV was a vibrant world, full of endearing characters and interesting stories. Red Faction (being set on a colonized Mars), unfortunately is a rather barren landscape filled with NPC's you'll never talk to and missions which are all largely based around destroying random property owned by the faceless, oppressive Villain Company.

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Oppressive Villain Company is well staffed and well supplied. When I tried to tackle these missions, Oppressive Villain Company oppressed the ever-living life out of me. Rather quickly, for the most part. This sent me back to home-base and docked me a few loyalty points from the surrounding community. So, I start at square one with the preparation, the driving, and the participation again. The driving, in particular, was what got really old. This is a complaint you hear often with open-world games. Red Faction lost me because there was nothing between the gaps to make me want to keep going. Just brown mountains, NPC's who don't talk to you, repetitive missions, and a protagonist who doesn't really interact with anyone. It just wasn't fun for me anymore.

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So, sorry Red Faction Guerrilla, I just didn't have what it took to endure you. Not going to say you're a bad game, or give you a score at all. For all I know, you're a great piece of work for someone made of sterner stuff. I hope you find them out there Red Faction. Somewhere out where dreams come true.