Red Faction II

 Xbox
Metascore
74

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 20
  3. Negative: 1 out of 20
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  1. Game Chronicles
    89
    A great game with surprisingly good controls for an FPS game that you play with a gamepad.
  2. GameZone
    85
    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.
  3. TeamXbox
    84
    The single player mission is a walk in the park, but it’s worth playing a second time on the hardest difficulty, forget the length. If the single player mode is a breeze then multiplayer would feel like a tornado.
  5. IGN
    83
    Fun, certainly, but the single-player is a bit too linear for my tastes and the game ends well before my bedtime.
  6. Game Informer
    83
    If you've never played this game before, the thrills it delivers are of the highest level, and the unique Geo-Mod technology creates a number of interesting gameplay strategies. [Apr 2003, p.93]
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  7. Official Xbox Magazine
    83
    A very good game, but unfortunately it lacks that certain "magic" to take it to the next level. [May 2003, p.77]
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  8. Gamezilla!
    80
    Plays like most typical first-person shooters with a less than interesting plot, generic characters and fair voice acting.
  9. GamePro
    80
    Improves on the first "Red Faction" on almost every level. The graphics are superb, the action is relentless, and the Geo-Mod aspects play a more integral role in the game.
  10. Adrenaline Vault
    80
    A tight control scheme, some exceptional gameplay thanks to the Geo-Mod engine and a solid split-screen multiplayer component make Red Faction II a safe purchase for any action fan looking for more than a mindless shooter.
  11. G4 TV
    80
    Delivers a fluid and challenging (if thinly plotted) single-player experience and shell-shock multiplayer that makes this new Xbox recruit easily worth the war debt of the game's price tag.
  12. Play Magazine
    80
    What is here is handled extremely well, from the just-right control and intensely staged action to the cool weapons and nicely drawn world. [Apr 2003, p.62]
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  13. XGP Gaming
    77
    The sequel to the original Red Faction, it is one that will satisfy the offline FPS fan.
  14. Electronic Gaming Monthly
    75
    A rocket ride with airtight controls and quicksilver pacing that's rarely interrupted by aimless wandering. [May 2003, p.132]
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  15. GameSpot
    74
    It's not long on looks, but it's got no shortage of action.
  16. Village Voice
    70
    Fans of the original will notice the drastically reduced "geo-mod" function—no more digging tunnels or indiscriminate destruction.
  17. TotalGames.net
    70
    The artificial feel of the game hampers its campaign to become one of the best shooters of its kind, and (as we’ve seen time and time again) the main gimmick has sold the rest of the experience short.
  18. XboxAddict
    70
    I really can't put my finger on it with this one, It just seemed...eh, Vanilla.
  19. Gaming Age
    58
    Slight edge might be given to the Xbox because of its superior dual analog sticks, but the GCN yellow c-stick isn’t too troublesome.
  20. Cheat Code Central
    50
    It's what I call an "equal sequel" which means the sequel is nearly identical to the original in every respect. I've already played the original so why do I want to play it over again?
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  21. Xbox Nation Magazine
    40
    With little here to massage the mind or engage the heart, Red Faction II becomes nothing more than a linear on-rails twitch-fest. [June-July 2003, p.92]
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Awards & Rankings

72
#72 Best Xbox Game of 2003
67
#67 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2003

User Reviews

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User Score
5.7

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 18
  3. Negative: 5 out of 18
  1. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Aug 2, 2022
    8
    Not as good as the first game, but a lot of fun. If "Red Faction" was modeled after "Half Life", then this sequel is a "Halo 2" clone. It's aNot as good as the first game, but a lot of fun. If "Red Faction" was modeled after "Half Life", then this sequel is a "Halo 2" clone. It's a fast-paced shooter with plenty of destructible environments. If you liked the "Timesplitters" franchise, then this will appeal to you. I would rate it with an 8 out of 10.… Full Review »
  2. SerenityNowGang
    Mar 15, 2021
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. THQ, I know it's not your fault, I really do. I've been your loyal customer for years and enjoyed replaying red faction 1 on the PS2. The game has impacted my gaming career so much that I decided to order red faction 2 on the Xbox from amazon for 6 bucks with high expectations. Maybe this will be fun compared to the first game that I played years ago, right? But unfortunately, I was wrong. REAL WRONG. This game clearly barely lived up to those expectations. It's not only a disappointing sequel, but one of the most frustrating FPS games that I've played in a very long time. Now, the change in the story structure and environment is one thing, but I much gladly prefer the dark, and gloomy atmosphere of mars in the first installment compared to this generic bullcrap. The story itself and the multiple endings are so uninteresting and so predictable that it barely even matters anyway. The graphics unsurprisingly, while a slight improvement, aren't very impressive. While the graphics in the first game, although pretty dated now, still at least hold up very well alongside codename 47. The lip sync work and character animations in the in-game cutscenes look stiff as crap and look awful and on par with a freaking ps1 FMV CG cutscene. The cutscenes, let me make this very clear, The freaking cutscenes aren't skippable AT ALL. Good Lord, MAN! Even when you die and start another playthrough or somethin', you still can't skip them no matter what you freakin' DO! The level design ain't much better, as it's so streamlined and so uninspired. Since there's no real checkpoint system, the levels are split up into loading segments. Which isn't that bad at first, until the actual annoying difficulty spikes start popping up almost immediately and crashed the whole party. You'll die constantly and it's extremely frustrating, since there is no checkpoint system and you guessed it, forced to sit through the cutscene before trying again. Because like I said earlier, you cannot skip cutscenes even if you die. Oh my freaking god! What kind of stupid bullcrap idiotic design choice is that!? Oh Dios! I thought it was bad with the sands of time, but nothing compared to this, ARRRGH! You can't skip the in-game cutscenes in sands of time but at least if you die, they allow you to skip them. But here, you can't do jack bullcrap! Story of my life... The draw distance in the submarine levels is far worse than expected compared to jaws: ultimate predator and superman 64. For a ps1 game, I understand. But in an Xbox game? This is UNACCEPTABLE! It's all shaded in fifty shades of ugly muddled brown compared to mud water. Plus the submarine is very annoying to tolerate and control because of the draw distance. I cannot understand what's so difficult about BACKGROUND RENDERING! Even Conker's live and reloaded while not a good remake overall, had better background rendering than this! The boss fights here are terrible. They're either far too easy or just annoying and frustrating as balls. I'm not even gonna mention those. The real annoying boss fight I'm focusing on is the final boss and the leader of the red faction himself, freaking Crate Molov! This boss can go eat my darn shorts for all I care! The first phase, a giant mech suit that shoots bullets and missiles that always hit you every time. The second phase when his mech suit is destroyed, he uses an OP gun that will either shoot you in one hit and or take off one of your 3 health packs on contact if his shot magically lands at you. i try and try my darnedest to avoid him and keep my distance from him to try land as many hits as long as I don't get hit. But, the game will throw in a curve ball cheap shot at you and tell you to piss off anyway. GAME OVER, too bad, so sad. Now, you'll have to sit through the unskippable cutscene to try again. ARRGGH! Man, screw this game, screw this bullcrap design, screw the story and characters, (except Alas), I HATE IT! I hate it, I hate it, I HATE IT!!! All they do is waste your time and make you mad for no good reason! This game is a scam and a disappointment. Big disappointment. And the geo-mod technology that's on the first game and that returns here is almost a complete lie. It's completely scripted, no questions asked. RF2, SUCKS! The graphics are bleak, the level design is bleak, the story is dull, the unskippable cutscenes piss me off, and the ending is far from rewarding. Even if you choose easy to make things more easier, it ain't gonna help much. (Easy, Doesn't help much) (Normal, Frustrating) (AND HARD, It's a death wish). This game is frustrating and far too short, has no online multiplayer, and the substance and replay value is low. Aside from the bonus content you could unlock and see on the menu. Even for the Xbox digital version's price of $14.99, it ain't worth it. Please don't waste your money on this. Go play Red faction guerrilla instead, buy a different game, stop at NOTHING. Avoid it at all costs. You should consider skipping this game.… Full Review »
  3. storygamer
    Aug 27, 2020
    7
    A symphony of destruction. Cool shooter with good single player and better multiplayer. Story and graphics are a bit trashy but the enormousA symphony of destruction. Cool shooter with good single player and better multiplayer. Story and graphics are a bit trashy but the enormous arsenal of weapons and the action packed gameplay make amends. Pretty alright!… Full Review »
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