RF Demo Preview from Console Domain

NOTE: This preview was originally posted on or about 20 Feb, 2001 by Jayne Bowen on Console Domain, which is no longer available.

The first level of the Red Faction demo saw us deep in the bowels of a modern day fortress styled room. Corridors with what looked like blocked exits and closed doors seemed to make any kind of escape hopeless. A mass of enemy soldiers with machine guns swarmed in around us, but luckily there was a mounted machine gun and ammo pickups to be had as well as remote mines for use later on. When all ammo in the mounted gun was gone it was time to pick up a nearby machine gun and make for an exit. On the way we come across more enemy soldiers and decide to blow a hole in the wall with one of our remote mines so that we can duck behind it for more cover.

Our only means of escape demonstrated the Geo Mod technology's capabilities brilliantly and the freedom that you will actually have when you play the game. Any concrete or stone surfaces can be destroyed and cleared out of your way so, with this in mind, we decided to check out if it really worked. We blew holes in the ceiling with our machine gun and stood underneath the falling rubble from the assault as it dropped about us. We blasted holes in the walls and floor with mines and smashed glass with our guns until our surroundings looked nothing more than a bombsite. Some holes in the floor went so deep that if we had fallen into them we wouldn't have been able to get back out.

As we approached a door that appeared to be locked and wondered where we had gone wrong a cunning plan sprung to mind and we got ready to blow the side of the wall away with a mine. As the smoke cleared from the explosion our way is made clear and we crawl through the hole we've just made.

After more enemy attacks and corridor levels, where all-out battle is in full effect we finally reach the next section of the game and take command of a mini-sub. Firstly, the water we're about to be submerged in is covered with ice. After a brief slip and slide across the ice - just to check out how realistic it is of course - we plant a mine and watch as it rips the ice apart. One more blast and we're lowering the sub into the water and heading off into the murky depths. The sub handles well and after a few short moments of getting accustomed to our new watery surroundings, we're attacked by an enemy sub. A few heat seeking missiles destroy our opponent with spectacular effect and we move onwards and upwards through the water filled tunnels, which are moodily lit by small spot lights, which give us just enough visibility to make it through. Just as we thought it was safe to leave the water we have our first animal enemy encounter. A vicious water-living mammal attacks our sub and we reverse rapidly as we fire at it. After a fair few rounds, the beast floats belly up and we are on our way again. We spot daylight above and after breaking the surface ice with a missile we hit dry land, leave the sub behind and proceed on foot.

Next we enter what looks like some kind of aircraft hangar. Again plenty of enemies - some armed: others definitely not and we decide to leave at least one hostage in tact to tell his superiors about our amazing finesse in battle. At this point in the game we get yet another weapon to check out and after picking up a rocket launcher with heat sensor (on which you can actually see bodies - dead or alive - behind walls) we're off to beat a boss type character - a massive floating robotic contraption. A few more enemies later and it's all over - too soon for us by far.