Of course, Red Faction is a completely different game as a result, but the destructive capabilities and fun factor have not been diminished. There’s nothing to suggest that the switch has led to a worse game. While the trademark structural destruction has remained, indeed taken to a completely new level, the switch in views has been lamented by those who were expecting more of the same. The first two Red Faction games’ destructible FPS gameplay received excellent review scores and enjoyed healthy sales. Already this change has split fans right down the middle, and there’s little surprise why. The first is the switch from first-person to a third-person view. And it’s on foot that you see the headline changes the developer has implemented first-hand. So much fun was it to wreak havoc with the Walker that I found myself ignoring most of the available missions and laying waste to everything in sight instead.Īlas, the Walker had to be put down in order to get a more rounded feel for Volition’s GTA on Mars. It has two attacks, a down to up arm sweep which sends vehicles spectacularly spiralling off into the distance like swatted flies, and an over the top smash with both arms, perfect for blowing up cars and making a mockery of underlying building structures.

At publisher THQ’s recent Gamers Day in San Francisco, California, where a brand-new Xbox 360 build was playable, I just couldn’t resist. Now, with you in control, Guerrilla’s world is begging to be trampled, walked through and smashed into smithereens. It rises, like a Transformer stretching its legs after sitting in the same place for too long, and stands up straight, towering over the now puny enemy soldiers below. The game’s protagonist, Alec Mason, a Mars miner who finds himself at the centre of the Red Faction rebellion against the oppressive EDF, climbs into the small cockpit and sparks the hulking beast into life.

Now, imagine splicing that with the city-destroying Godzilla – that’s what the Walker feels like to play with. Imagine what the love child of Transformers’ Bumblebee and Ripley’s exosuit cargo loader from Aliens would look like. It’s also the game’s best vehicle for showing off what Guerrilla is all about – the most impressive destruction you’ve ever seen in a video game. It’s the Mining Walker that makes Red Faction: Guerrilla, Volition’s third in the popular series, the absolute blast I hoped it would be.

Red faction guerilla walker locations