Red Faction

 PC
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 180 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 131 out of 180
  2. Mixed: 38 out of 180
  3. Negative: 11 out of 180

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  1. RowanF
    Jun 11, 2009
    9
    A lovely game. The geo-mod is really good however, unfortunately, the game makes almost no use of it. At the beggining there are a few attempts, but these quickly stop as the game progresses. Whilst this may seem a little disappointing, you will soon be so caught up in the story, the objectives, the whole Red Faction universe that you wont even mind. This is a great game, not because A lovely game. The geo-mod is really good however, unfortunately, the game makes almost no use of it. At the beggining there are a few attempts, but these quickly stop as the game progresses. Whilst this may seem a little disappointing, you will soon be so caught up in the story, the objectives, the whole Red Faction universe that you wont even mind. This is a great game, not because it's incredibly fun, realistic or epic, but simply because its an interesting, well played out tale that's good fun to play and has a host of great characters and weapons.… Expand
  2. JaydenPickens
    Feb 20, 2019
    9
    Remember playing this one back in 2002... what a game it was! The destruction feature was amazing and you could destroy everything and build corridors with explosives... it was insane! Now, going back to this game and it's still amazing. The graphics are old, but the destruction is still on point. It's just amazing. The storyline in all Red Faction games was never revolutionary and theRemember playing this one back in 2002... what a game it was! The destruction feature was amazing and you could destroy everything and build corridors with explosives... it was insane! Now, going back to this game and it's still amazing. The graphics are old, but the destruction is still on point. It's just amazing. The storyline in all Red Faction games was never revolutionary and the original RF is not a surprise in this department. Single player and multiplayer are on point. Buy this game and blow stuff up! Lead the faction! Pickens approves… Expand
  3. JawnMan
    Feb 27, 2012
    8
    Total single-player completion time: 6 hours.
    I was always hesitant to pick up Red Faction. But I'm glad I finally did because it was worth the experience. Sure, the graphics don't hold up well, the voice acting is laughably bad, the stealth levels are annoying, getting one hit killed by the AI the instant you peak a corner is cheap, and getting 1920x1080 resolution requires a community    Total single-player completion time: 6 hours.
    I was always hesitant to pick up Red Faction. But I'm glad I finally did because it was worth the experience. Sure, the graphics don't hold up well, the voice acting is laughably bad, the stealth levels are annoying, getting one hit killed by the AI the instant you peak a corner is cheap, and getting 1920x1080 resolution requires a community patch. But the game is FUN. I used the various weapons equally, the environmental damage is neat (although underused), the story is simple yet interesting, and the fast paced gameplay keeps you on edge. What I especially appreciated were the various branching paths leading to the same objective. I only wish the game were a bit longer.    … Expand
  4. JohnLemon
    Jan 22, 2013
    9
    A great game. Hell, this game actually made me love FPS, before Red Faction i always preferred PRG's and other games. This game has interesting story, nice design and cool storyline, certainly must have for any FPS or Sci-fi fan.
  5. Jay_Pickens
    Jul 25, 2018
    9
    Remember playing this one back in 2002... what a game it was! The destruction feature was amazing and you could destroy everything and build corridors with explosives... it was insane! Now, going back to this game and it's still amazing. The graphics are old, but the destruction is still on point. It's just amazing. The storyline in all Red Faction games was never revolutionary and theRemember playing this one back in 2002... what a game it was! The destruction feature was amazing and you could destroy everything and build corridors with explosives... it was insane! Now, going back to this game and it's still amazing. The graphics are old, but the destruction is still on point. It's just amazing. The storyline in all Red Faction games was never revolutionary and the original RF is not a surprise in this department. Single player and multiplayer are on point. Buy this game and blow stuff up! Lead the faction! Pickens approves!… Expand
  6. Caligo
    Jul 30, 2002
    10
    Wonderful... absolutely WONDERFUL. I've NEVER seen a game with such AMAZING landscape damage capabilities. You can blow up practically ANYTHING! And great gashes, the VEHICLES!! The only FPS game I've ever seen with vehicles was Tribes 2 (though Tribes 1 probably has them too), and they were cool, but THESE VEHICLES TOTALLY BEAT THE LIVING SNOT OUT OF THEM!
  7. AJGilmore
    Nov 27, 2001
    10
    Red Faction has everythng a first person shooter should have...and more. The multiplayer mode is awesome and the controls are easy to master. All in all not a bad game!
  8. DavidW.
    Feb 23, 2005
    9
    I bought this second hand just to see what it was like and its now my favorite game. The graphics are great and it runs smoothly on my laptop, just as good as halo if not better because of the superior graphics plus halo always crashes when i run it on my laptop.
  9. Stevie811K.
    Nov 17, 2001
    9
    Not the best grafix compared to "Max Payne" but more enjoyable. the multiplayer is superb and unrivaled. Blasting your way through the scenery is an excellent touch. How some players float and become invincible is cheating and not good. I'm moaning coz *i* dont know how to do it,,,,,YET lol keep up the most excellent work violition. do i ever shut up? i dont think so either lol.
  10. faceless-1
    Sep 3, 2014
    9
    This game is one of mine most favorated FPS games of all time. Even to day this game single player still beast 99% of curent games. Even to day this game is awesome and worth playing.
  11. Klewer
    Aug 24, 2013
    8
    A highly enjoyable game at the time it was made with many great ideas. The game starts off really well in a great setting and good atmospehre. Gameplay starts off at a good pace however it starts to get very frantic and begins to lose some of the atmosphere. Only thing stopping it from similar quality games of the time such as Half Life is a little lack of polish in certain areas and notA highly enjoyable game at the time it was made with many great ideas. The game starts off really well in a great setting and good atmospehre. Gameplay starts off at a good pace however it starts to get very frantic and begins to lose some of the atmosphere. Only thing stopping it from similar quality games of the time such as Half Life is a little lack of polish in certain areas and not taking advantage of the biggest asset with the Geo-Mod.

    Still well worth playing.    … Expand
  12. morfil
    Nov 1, 2013
    9
    Red Faction is fabulous. It moves at an extremely fast speed, and it has a bit more depth to it than other first person shooters, which usually center around the plot of "find the keycard to open the door". There is very little of that in RF.

    The game is rather difficult, which compensates somewhat for the fact that it is short, maybe 10-15 hours long. But those 10-15 hours are worth    Red Faction is fabulous. It moves at an extremely fast speed, and it has a bit more depth to it than other first person shooters, which usually center around the plot of "find the keycard to open the door". There is very little of that in RF.

    The game is rather difficult, which compensates somewhat for the fact that it is short, maybe 10-15 hours long. But those 10-15 hours are worth it, as there is no wasted time here. RF never, ever, gets boring.

    As for the controls, if you have played Oni before, you already know the basic control scheme. It's fairly easy to get used to. Just play the training level and you'll probably have it down quickly, although you may want to indulge in some minor retooling, since the action button is insanely far away from the movement buttons in the default control scheme.

    As for the graphics, they are good, but not great. There is a certain choppiness to everything in the cinemas, and sometimes movement of your enemies seems quite awkward and forced. But this is okay, since you encounter some rather nasty looking creatures later on, and the lack of excellent graphics means that they are not quite as terrifying as you would expect.

    One really nice facet of this game is the Geo-Mod engine, which allows you to blow holes in about 80% of everything you see. Door locked? No problem. Just whip out the Rocket Launcher (a.k.a. "Big Earl")and blast about 3 rockets into the wall, enabling you to simply go around the door. Unfortunately, you cannot simply blow a hole in the door, and there are parts of the game where you can't take advantage of the Geo-Mod engine. Oh well.

    Lastly, the plot and voice acting are both very good. The plot is simple, but not boring at all, and the acting is great.

    This game is unbelievable. Volition and THQ did a great job.    … Expand
  13. RichardM.
    Jan 29, 2002
    10
    It is a really good and nice looking game. And the Geo-Mod is great!
  14. OllyC.
    Sep 30, 2001
    9
    Brilliant gameplay...great graphics...fun vehicles...great!
  15. IainD.
    Apr 7, 2002
    10
    Cool!... cool!....cool!
  16. DrapeZ
    Apr 20, 2002
    10
    Sweet.
  17. AndrewW.
    Feb 10, 2003
    9
    Awesome.... No matter how long you play the storyline always keeps you going...
  18. Dep
    Dec 1, 2001
    9
    It's very cool.
  19. TroyW.
    Apr 22, 2005
    10
    This game got me hooked on pc.
  20. MatsS.
    Nov 29, 2001
    9
    It`s hot...
  21. JoshuaM.
    Nov 20, 2003
    10
    I loved this game, but could not help cheating first. I think that it would be harder and more chalenging if you didn't. Oh, yeah, I would also like to know if there are any cheats for the multiplayer games on the internet as I see people flying and using rapid fire. BUY THIS GAME!!!!!
  22. ChrisK.
    May 29, 2006
    8
    This game's worth the play and seeing how it's only about five to ten bucks for a new copy, I suggest testing it for yourself. Although it's been outdated by Red Faction II and all the new games out there, this is the prequel which made Red Faction II such a "great game."
  23. EliasO.
    Oct 8, 2006
    8
    This game is definitely worth buying if you're into abit of sci-fi, and action. The story is intresting, the action is cool, and the ending is exciting, Red Faction 2 was a big disaster though.
  24. iddqd4
    Jan 23, 2018
    8
    このテキストは私のプロフィールにスコアが表示されるようにここにあります。
  25. Sandweech
    Mar 16, 2015
    9
    When I was younger everyone I knew was a huge fan of 'Half Life', myself included. And 'Red Faction' was a pretty popular game upon it's release, but for the most part nobody really cared about it all that much after that. Which makes sense I suppose, I mean, 'Half Life' had the mod 'Counter-Strike' and it's revolutionary multiplayer, and 'Red Faction' had the gimmick of being able toWhen I was younger everyone I knew was a huge fan of 'Half Life', myself included. And 'Red Faction' was a pretty popular game upon it's release, but for the most part nobody really cared about it all that much after that. Which makes sense I suppose, I mean, 'Half Life' had the mod 'Counter-Strike' and it's revolutionary multiplayer, and 'Red Faction' had the gimmick of being able to destroy everything in your path, which was actually a pretty big deal back then if I remember correctly.

    But still, 'Half Life' was the game everyone cared about, the game everybody played; so it's safe to say that 'Red Faction' was swept under the rug for the majority of kids growing up in the 90's. Which isn't all that surprising actually, games were much more hit or miss back in those days, so when people found something that was great, they stuck to it and played it til they could no longer. To say it best, 'Red Faction' was the Utah Jazz to 'Half Life's' Chicago Bulls. Yeah, let's see how many of you get that reference.

    However, after coming back to this game after almost two decades, and having never beaten it until just recently, I can honestly say that 'Red Faction' is just as good as 'Half Life', if not better. You would think that such an early game with the premise for total destruction would be mediocre at best, but the developers nailed it the first time around. Combine that with combat that's just as fun as any other first person shooter on the market today, controls that feel natural from the get-go, and the ability to drive vehicles much like in the 'Halo' games, and you've got yourself one hell of a timeless shooter.    … Expand
  26. Signas501
    Mar 22, 2015
    10
    Up on Mars, a mining corporation known as Ultor mercilessly works their minors, most dropping dead because of a new plague. A faction known as the Red Faction has spoken up, lead by their leader Eos. The protagonist Parker is caught up in a small riot after his shift, and is forced to join the faction and stop the Ultor. Ultimately fighting to the control tower to call for EDF (the earthUp on Mars, a mining corporation known as Ultor mercilessly works their minors, most dropping dead because of a new plague. A faction known as the Red Faction has spoken up, lead by their leader Eos. The protagonist Parker is caught up in a small riot after his shift, and is forced to join the faction and stop the Ultor. Ultimately fighting to the control tower to call for EDF (the earth defence force) to assist. Fending off mercs, and security the whole way through.… Expand
  27. gameboy92
    Sep 29, 2018
    8
    since this game came out on Sep 18, 2001 you will not get that much graphic or game play (AKA control ) however the story is interesting and that will keep you busy . you can use Pure faction to get better experience and FPS control .

    https://youtu.be/dWTW4ukdRXs Story 10/10 Realistic 7/10 Graphic 7/10 Game play 8/10 Sound 8/10 --------------------- Total 8 Single player 8    since this game came out on Sep 18, 2001 you will not get that much graphic or game play (AKA control ) however the story is interesting and that will keep you busy . you can use Pure faction to get better experience and FPS control .

    https://youtu.be/dWTW4ukdRXs

    Story 10/10
    Realistic 7/10
    Graphic 7/10
    Game play 8/10
    Sound 8/10
    ---------------------
    Total 8

    Single player 8 hour or more
    Worth to buy this game with $ 9.99 no you can wait to get it around $ 5 or wait for the bundle    … Expand
  28. Paulpolska
    Feb 25, 2016
    8
    Very good game. Amazing graphic details for 2001 year. Very interesting locations and this game is still living. In the past the geomod engine give the players amazing destroy system
  29. HumanMarsNet
    Feb 28, 2016
    9
    Despite being 15 years old now, Red Faction is still the best computer game set on Mars. There are only some minor things not letting it get the maximum score.

    As in a classic first-person shooter (FPS) game, you will be shooting enemies a lot in Red Faction. Both the enemies and available weapons will get tougher over time. This monotony is split by a few "stealth" sections, several    Despite being 15 years old now, Red Faction is still the best computer game set on Mars. There are only some minor things not letting it get the maximum score.

    As in a classic first-person shooter (FPS) game, you will be shooting enemies a lot in Red Faction. Both the enemies and available weapons will get tougher over time. This monotony is split by a few "stealth" sections, several driving/flying/swimming sections (which was quite a new feature in 2001) and a few cutscenes. Speaking about cutscenes - if the game as a whole graphically is quite good by standards of 2001, then the cutscenes are definitely outdated.

    Red Faction technically is not really innovative game (think of Max Payne, which was released the same year), mostly following the well-tried experience of the Half Life (1998) generation FPS games. The exception is its innovative Geo-Mod game engine, which allows to create fully destructible game world. Too bad this potentially revolutionary game engine wasn't used to its full potential by Red Faction's developer team; its most unique features are hardly used designing game's locations. It's interesting the much newer Geo-Mod 2 engine is heavily used in Red Faction: Guerrilla, but lacks the reality feel of the older Geo-Mod engine.

    The game is too easy to beat - if you play carefully and quick-save a lot, even at "impossible" difficulty level there will be only a handful of challenging moments in the game.

    The story in the start lacks some logic. Why Ultor would spend enormous money on shipping miners to Mars and then "treat them like dirt"? Every miner on Mars has cost Ultor hundreds of thousands, if not millions (it's year 2075 - only a few decades after the first colony on Mars). It's economically unreasonable to beat them up or shut down just for fun.

    Read full review @ HumanMars.net    … Expand
  30. poppycat
    Feb 28, 2016
    10
    The best thing about Red Faction is that the creators included an editor by mistake . With this tool you can create your own levels for the game and actually post it on a server for all to download and play .
  31. Genek13
    Nov 18, 2019
    8
    As and hardcore FPS type of gamer I think this game was very decent back then, with very unique story and physics.
  32. AxeWould
    Jan 13, 2021
    8
    В детстве любил ее безумно, но в 2021 уже не так вставляет, просто годный шутер на свое время вообще был шедевром.
  33. lukehimself
    Jul 11, 2022
    10
    Multiplayer.. Multiplayer community is what made this game INCREDIBLE, on PC.
    There were hundreds of clans, dozens of RF dedicated websites for news and forums (like redfactionview)..
    I participated in numerous clan battles, even played against some of the devs.. Red Faction multiplayer formed my mouse & keyboard skills, and for a while, it was the main competition to Counter Strike..    Multiplayer.. Multiplayer community is what made this game INCREDIBLE, on PC.
    There were hundreds of clans, dozens of RF dedicated websites for news and forums (like redfactionview)..
    I participated in numerous clan battles, even played against some of the devs..
    Red Faction multiplayer formed my mouse & keyboard skills, and for a while, it was the main competition to Counter Strike..
    The devs killed the series by refusing to continue the legacy of multiplayer with their next release, they removed multiplayer altogether.. I was active in the community during that moment, and it was like a slap in the face.
    So the community took over, pushing out a new unified server browser, pushed out multiple patches, integrated an map auto-downloader for community created maps! RF lived on for YEARS after THQ and Volition abandoned the game and their multiplayer fan base.
    Long live ZenDragons -z.d- and all the other community clans and members!    … Expand
  34. Nick7000
    May 4, 2023
    8
    Великолепна для своего времени. Элемент всеобщей разрушаемости доставляет до сих пор.
  35. Jackie_Jackson
    May 26, 2022
    8
    Я так долго пытался сбежать с Марса но в конце к своему ужасу понял что Я и есть Марс лол

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Best PC Game of 2001
12
#12 Most Discussed PC Game of 2001
13
#13 Most Shared PC Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. GameZone
    80
    Red Faction is not a classic, but the new Doom ain’t out yet buddy. Red Faction will allow you to practice the frag fest fever for the time being.
    Read full review
  2. Game Over Online
    80
    A couple of years ago, Red Faction would have been a stellar title but now, it’s simply a very good one.
    Read full review
  3. Yahoo!
    80
    The single-player experience is great on its own, which explains the success of the PS2 version, but with the addition of a powerful and customisable multiplayer mode, PC owners are in for a treat.
    Read full review
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