Red Faction

 PlayStation 2
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 109 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 72 out of 109
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 109
  3. Negative: 10 out of 109
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  1. JS
    Dec 16, 2009
    10
    One of the best FPS games of all time. It set the stage for the modern controller use. Play Halo 1 and then this. You'll see why the Halo franchise changed their controls. Now every FPS out there uses this formula. Great vehicles, terrain destruction. Non-stop multiplayer action. The multiplayer bots had some impressive AI at times.
  2. TADA
    Jun 10, 2003
    10
    Any better than it is and the game would not be allowed to be played! The Geo-mod engine adds for some awesome gameplay, and the railgun's ability to shoot through walls means that my brother's character has slumped down in a heap-with me the cause. I reckon that Elusive possum should pull his head out os his arse-he could get a better view then maybe.
  3. [Anonymous]
    Oct 25, 2001
    10
    Great graphics.
  4. ArkonBlade
    Sep 1, 2011
    9
    the first FPS game for a console that used duel analog controls that showed us what FPS games could do. now add in destructable enviroments , alot of cool guns , a decent story line and you have a pretty fun game . also had a death match bot system since this was before the Ps2 was online ready and it gave you more reason to play the game.
  5. DanH.
    Aug 8, 2001
    10
    This game is cool. The two player version is the best.
  6. JamieE.
    Aug 10, 2003
    8
    This is a top-notch game. The graphics are good, the storyline is very deep, the multiplayer mode is very hectic & fun and the geo-mod is bound to be the future of FPS games. The only downfall may be the length... but it's a great all-round game.
  7. JohnR.
    Jul 24, 2001
    10
    I think this is one of the best FPS games I have ever played. You can blow all kinds of sh** up.
  8. V.Tek
    Sep 7, 2001
    10
    Now this is an Amazing game...lots of gun action..interactive enviroments which they took advantage of...and the story line was interesting...after about 5 minutes of game play, the next thing I knew it was 30 hours later and the bags under my eyes were so big I thought I had went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson himself...Overall, very addicting game, although it would have been nicer if multi Now this is an Amazing game...lots of gun action..interactive enviroments which they took advantage of...and the story line was interesting...after about 5 minutes of game play, the next thing I knew it was 30 hours later and the bags under my eyes were so big I thought I had went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson himself...Overall, very addicting game, although it would have been nicer if multi would have been more PS2 friendly. And about another 30 hours more game play would have made this game PS2's best creation.… Expand
  9. V.Tek
    Sep 7, 2001
    10
    Now this is an Amazing game...lots of gun action..interactive enviroments which they took advantage of...and the story line was interesting...after about 5 minutes of game play, the next thing I knew it was 30 hours later and the bags under my eyes were so big I thought I had went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson himself...Overall, very addicting game, although it would have been nicer if multi Now this is an Amazing game...lots of gun action..interactive enviroments which they took advantage of...and the story line was interesting...after about 5 minutes of game play, the next thing I knew it was 30 hours later and the bags under my eyes were so big I thought I had went 10 rounds with Mike Tyson himself...Overall, very addicting game, although it would have been nicer if multi would have been more PS2 friendly. And about another 30 hours more game play would have made this game PS2's best creation.… Expand
  10. HarryR.
    Sep 9, 2002
    9
    I think that the geo mod techolgy is great i would recomend it to friends its a brilliant.
  11. MaxB.
    Jun 7, 2005
    10
    Seriously who ever thinks its crap or boring is stupid, this game has such an amazing atmosphere sure there always gunna be better graphics and multi-player but you cant buy or put money into atmosphere seriously i felt so involved with the game felt like i was there, maybe i love it so much because it reminds me of the film "total recall" which i love but my number 1 game of all time evenSeriously who ever thinks its crap or boring is stupid, this game has such an amazing atmosphere sure there always gunna be better graphics and multi-player but you cant buy or put money into atmosphere seriously i felt so involved with the game felt like i was there, maybe i love it so much because it reminds me of the film "total recall" which i love but my number 1 game of all time even beating the crap new san andreas.… Expand
  12. JustinS.
    Aug 3, 2005
    10
    Red Faction is so much fun that it beats out lot's of today's shooters.
  13. JeremyB.
    Oct 19, 2001
    10
    Great game with good weapons, graphics, and a good story plot.
  14. TimW.
    Jun 20, 2001
    10
    I think this is the best game ever made, the graphics, story, the challenges and everything between: you never know what's next. And of course the best part is the GUNS baby!!
  15. CreepingDeath
    Aug 26, 2001
    10
    Everything about this game is awesome. The gameplay rules, graphics are top notch, and the way you can interact with the scenery is great!
  16. Borgy
    Jul 4, 2002
    10
    RULZ.
  17. BrendanM.
    Sep 4, 2004
    8
    Loved the game! Great Geo-mod engine, abillity to talk to people, guard commentary, great weaponry (precision rifle being my fave), game never slows down (no matter how many explosions or bullets flying across the screen), entertaining bots... especially when on fire ;), superb ai on harder settings. Problems are... multiplayer leaves something to be considered, posters all over attract Loved the game! Great Geo-mod engine, abillity to talk to people, guard commentary, great weaponry (precision rifle being my fave), game never slows down (no matter how many explosions or bullets flying across the screen), entertaining bots... especially when on fire ;), superb ai on harder settings. Problems are... multiplayer leaves something to be considered, posters all over attract guards attention to you, can get very frustrating and, finally, no during-game cheats for professionals who feel that there could be something else in the game.… Expand
  18. NickM.
    Aug 17, 2006
    9
    this is one of the best games i've played.. its not a angry type game.
  19. RagnarB.
    Dec 20, 2001
    10
    It's excellent. The geo-mod adds everything in a game that I ever wanted.
  20. JordanH.
    Dec 4, 2001
    10
    I think this is the best title of middle 2001 and everyone should go buy it. I would rate it 11 of 10 but since you can only rate up to ten, I will do that. BEST GAME EVER!!
  21. D.M.
    Aug 24, 2001
    9
    Great game, loving the geo-mod. Only 2 players is pretty crap, but I don't own a multi-tap anyway. The guns are cool...hopefully the PC version will provide some good multi-player.
  22. DanB.
    Jan 28, 2006
    10
    Lots of fun. Still on of my favorite games. Its amazing you don't see more games using Geo-mod. Its the one thing that put this game over the top.
  23. TheQuietGamer
    May 12, 2011
    8
    This is by far one of the greatest games on the PS2, the campaign is long and fun, and only gives you a few chances to catch your breath among the pulse quickening fights, it even mixes it up with some stealth missions, and the story backing it all is pretty good, but gets crazy some times, the graphics do show age as this is an old game, the voice acting and sound effects are awesome, theThis is by far one of the greatest games on the PS2, the campaign is long and fun, and only gives you a few chances to catch your breath among the pulse quickening fights, it even mixes it up with some stealth missions, and the story backing it all is pretty good, but gets crazy some times, the graphics do show age as this is an old game, the voice acting and sound effects are awesome, the multiplayer is ok with some friends, but it won't keep your attention long, my main complaints are that it has random load times you'll run into while playing that are pretty long, and that in order to save you have to hold down the buttons for a while in order for it to register and it takes a while to do that, as I said before this is one of the greatest games for the PS2 and can be picked up cheep, so if you still have a PS2, this is a game you should look for, it's great.… Expand
  24. Bulbotrax
    Oct 11, 2019
    8
    A very good FPS at that time. Good feeling with the weapons.
    too bad the geo mod is underuse.
  25. barkweed
    May 31, 2014
    9
    This game is great, especially for when it came out (that's important). The destructible environments were fun, the environments varied from bunkers to space stations, and the enemies are challenging even on normal difficulty. Anyone who says this game is not good isn't intelligent enough to factor in the age of the game.
  26. Heisenberg93
    Sep 4, 2018
    8
    It's interesting to observe how, in the years, landmarks and standards in the complex world of video games changed. During the last decade, generally, what has been Call of Duty is comparable to what was Half-Life at the turn of the late 90's and the first half of 2000s. And the result of what Half-Life meant in that period is indeed Red Faction.

    The plot is actually very interesting    It's interesting to observe how, in the years, landmarks and standards in the complex world of video games changed. During the last decade, generally, what has been Call of Duty is comparable to what was Half-Life at the turn of the late 90's and the first half of 2000s. And the result of what Half-Life meant in that period is indeed Red Faction.

    The plot is actually very interesting and well written, although it doesn't shine particularly. Very clear are the references to historical events such as the Russian revolution and thematics such as the fight against patronage and capitalism itself that through companies oppresses and exploits workers in a vision so futuristic of ancient values. It is no coincidence that Parker is a proletarian, a member of a "red faction", which color recalls socialism and communism but also the color of Mars, the "red planet". A good fusion of classic themes with equally classic science fiction.

    You know, video games' world was better once, this is a fact... but if there is one thing that the seventh generation of video game consoles (2005-2017) has improved in all aspects is the responsiveness of analog sticks and aim rendering in first-person shooters – of course never comparable to the deadly accuracy of a computer mouse. This is the real problem of this game: aiming does not work well. For me it's just wrong to play an FPS with auto-aim but after trying playing without it for about 2-3 hours, and I quite skilled at this genre, I gave up... I had to activate it. Even with the "Fine Aim" function, certainly appreciable, the situation doesn't change much, and auto-aim is the only way to seriously enjoy yourself. I thought it could be a problem because of emulation, but by checking out an original 2001 review on GameFaqs, it seems like the problem always existed. As I said, certainly, today steps forward have been made. I therefore suggest playing with auto-aim but using "Fine Aim" mode to get an extra challenge. In the end, you control the trigger pressure: try to aim manually, if you see that you cannot do it, let auto-aim helping you, it's the best compromise. It's not worth seeing this game become frustrating more than fun. I assume that this problem won't be found if you decide to play the PC version, so go for it. As for the rest, Red Faction is a great video game, indeed because developers knew from who to take inspiration. There is a good variety of weapons, most with primary and secondary fire. There is also use of vehicles like an armed jeep or submersible. The variety of situations actually is even more varied than Half-Life: it goes from simple shooting at enemies to passing unnoticed during espionage and undercover missions. Very sad note for the infamous (optional) stealth section in "Capek's Lair": rather than slaughtering every living being in the building, it's possible to go "unnoticed" disguising as a doctor and carrying out different undercover tasks to reach the final goal. What is the problem? Well, not only playing stealth guarantees no bonuses, no rewards, but ultimately it's also mandatory to engage in a gunfight with several guards, being with no armor and armed only with a silenced pistol – you cannot take any other weapons when you are disguised. I couldn't believe how much the game destroyed its own coherence, becoming so ridiculously difficult and senseless in the last 5 minutes of that part and making the stealth executive completely useless. And the PS2 version-mandatory auto-aim helps very little since it automatically points to enemies' body protected by bullet-proof jacket while their weak point is at the head. Really, I was speechless: a failure of game design as big as planet Mars itself.

    Graphically the game is very nice: settings and models of characters and weapons are really well done. Some animations, mostly facial, don't do well today but at the time they were certainly more valid. What really surprises, however, and what demonstrates Volition's tech skill in creating the game, is the destructible environment and interaction capabilities of Geo-Mod: hardly possible at its time – and still today outclasses many modern games – much of the environment it's susceptible to explosions and percussion, breaking up in a realistic way. A system ahead of its time, no doubt. Nice soundtrack, but nothing really special.

    "No good idea goes without a few retreads" a wise video game-related YouTuber once said. And this is exactly what Red Faction is. A game that is son of a legendary success, but it managed to take its own path, with important innovations and a well done design. Let be known: it's not a perfect game, and it has its flaws. But also let be known that it's a game that must be played, especially if you are a lover of FPS games.    … Expand
  27. Twiki
    Apr 15, 2022
    9
    If you look past the graphics this is still one of the most fun FPS games out there. It has very good controlls, tons of weapons (very satisfying), and a good story. Also enviroments are great. For FPS lovers this one is highly recomended by me. Play it on the emulator and graphics will be not too bad.
  28. Yojimbo2015
    Jul 18, 2023
    8
    Immersive first person shooter with an innovative feature that enables you to reshape the landscape using explosives; this combined with the sprawling environments and vehicles to commandeer makes it very much a forerunner to the Halo games. Combat can be a little fiddly thanks to the fact that enemies refuse to stay still for more than a microsecond, but atmospheric graphics and a niceImmersive first person shooter with an innovative feature that enables you to reshape the landscape using explosives; this combined with the sprawling environments and vehicles to commandeer makes it very much a forerunner to the Halo games. Combat can be a little fiddly thanks to the fact that enemies refuse to stay still for more than a microsecond, but atmospheric graphics and a nice storyline make for a quality action adventure.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

19
#19 Best PS2 Game of 2001
18
#18 Most Discussed PS2 Game of 2001
38
#38 Most Shared PS2 Game of 2001

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
88

Generally favorable reviews - based on 25 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 25
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 25
  3. Negative: 0 out of 25
  1. GamePower
    75
    For all of its strong design and competent game play, however, Red Faction still never quite adds up to the "Half-Life" it aspires to be.
  2. TotalGames.net
    94
    Totally immersing from the start, never letting up and always lashed with the sort of extreme violence that we’ve always wanted.
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  3. Cinescape
    83
    While the controls leave much to be desired, this is one of the few must-owns for any Playstation 2 owner.
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