Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Just plain fun"

I'm not a gamer who can't play shooters. My aim sucks and no amount of remedial Call of Duty will fix that. Bring on Red Faction: Armageddon. It's a shooter, but it makes allowances for those of us who are aiming-challenged. The snap-on lock isn't perfect, but it's an aim assist that makes the regular weapons accessible to everyone. The small arms weapons are the standard fare shotgun, pistols, assault rifles, etc. The shotgun is a lot of fun, but keep in mind the short range. The explosive weapons are everything that one would expect from a Red Faction game. The Magnet Gun is in a league of its own. Even if you miss, the resulting flying debris is enough to make you chuckle. When everything else fails, bring out ye olde sledgehammer to get up close and personal. The mining mechs are seriously over-powered, however. Don't climb in one unless you want to waltz through an area with nary a scratch from any enemies. That being said, I'm all for being invincible once in a while.

The difficulty is fairly balanced, giving each difficulty level it's own feel. The nano-forge repair ability is very useful, especially in combat. The levels are very linear, and there's no exploration to speak of other than scouring corners for salvage. S.A.M. seems to be an attempt to mirror the snarky E.D.I. in Mass Effect 2, and while it's more like a voiced computer instead of a real personality, she does provide some useful information. There's no cover system to speak of other than being behind something. No peeking out, no sniping from afar. Cover is destroyed fairly quickly, so get used to using the Nano-Forge in combat to help out. So far the story is engrossing, and I'm interested to see how it all plays out. The voice acting is truly top-notch, and I've yet to encounter a cringe-worthy line from any character.

All in all, I put in the game and lost four hours before I even realized it. The single-player campaign seems to be farily short, but the sheer joy of destroying everything makes it a game I will play again. Armageddon is definitely a great destrictive shooter, but it might not be for everyone. Rent before you buy, and you won't be disappointed.