Red Faction: Guerrilla Multiplayer Beta Hands-On

Red Faction: Guerrilla doesn't hold a very sunny outlook for mankind. According to the game's story, even in the distant future when we've found a new home on the crimson soil of Mars, we still can't escape that basic human tendency to run around smashing each other with sledgehammers. It's enough to put a damper on the hopes of anyone dreaming of a peaceful future, but the good news is that now you can partake in that sledgehammer smashing with THQ's public multiplayer beta. We recently took a stroll through the beta to see how all that destruction plays out in a multiplayer environment.

There are two competitive multiplayer modes available in the beta. Team Anarchy is Team Deathmatch in disguise, while Damage Control is a territories mode with some of Red Faction's trademark destructibility thrown into the mix. Each of the beta's three levels--Crash Site, Radial, and Dead Zone--contains three specialized structures that can be taken over by either team. When your team is in possession, you collect points at a higher rate than the guys trying to kill you. Simple, right? But here's the twist: Rather than taking over capture points by standing near a structure and letting an imaginary onscreen meter fill up, you have to destroy it--either by blowing it up with an explosive or chipping away with a sledgehammer or gun--then rebuild it using a building-regenerating gun. Using this un-weapon results in a stream of energy flowing out and chunks of rubble quickly fusing back together to form what was the structure before it came toppling down. A little suspension of disbelief is in order, but it's an interesting twist on the done-to-death territories mode found in nearly every shooter.

No matter which mode you choose, the first thing you'll want to do when you begin a game is find a backpack. You can think of these as utility packs that grant you a new move or technique for as long as you've got it strapped to your back. The rhino pack gives you a sudden, powerful burst of speed that only lasts for a second but proves very useful in taking down walls--and people!--when combined with a sledgehammer strike. The concussion pack emits a blast of energy all around you, basically turning you into a grenade without the unfortunate side effect of getting blown to pieces. Firepower increases the damage of any gun you're firing for a few seconds, fleet foot gives you a brief speed boost to quickly run out of--or into--harm's way, and jet pack gives you a quick aerial boost to get onto rooftops. The backpacks generally take about five or so seconds to recharge, but helpful LEDs on the back of the packs let you know when they're recharging and when you can use them again.

Once you get knee-deep into the action, you'll probably notice something a little different about the destructibility. The damage that occurs so convincingly in the game's campaign has been slightly scaled back to accommodate the actions of 16 players. You'll still be able to destroy buildings and see each bit of concrete, rebar, or steel mesh come crumbling down, but things are a little different in terms of how semidestroyed buildings handle stress factors. In the campaign, you'll see buildings with a pair of walls blown out creak and groan under the force of gravity then eventually topple over. Here, though, buildings manage to stay perfectly upright until you demolish every piece of wall holding them up. It's certainly a downer, but with the full allotment of players, structures come down so fast you may not even notice it.

Much of that is a product of the weapons available to you. You'll find the usual assortment of assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, and other staple weaponry, but a few other fun weapons exist to make things interesting. The grinder is our favorite, a gun that shoots radial saw blades like bullets. It doesn't have the highest rate of fire, but it's easily one of the most satisfying kills in the game. Explosions come fast and often, too, as you can equip yourself with satchel charges, proximity mines, or other tools to wreak havoc on people or buildings. Proximity charges are a great way to protect the boundaries surrounding your captured territories, while satchel charges prove a good way of strategically knocking down silos and towers to block the paths of enemies. And, of course, there's the trusty sledgehammer--useful as a melee weapon and a simple way of getting through walls when don't have time to run around.

The action in Red Faction: Guerrilla's matches can be easily described as frantic. It doesn't take much to knock buildings down, and it also doesn't take much to kill you, either. It seems each character drains health more quickly than characters in other online shooters. If someone's shooting at you from behind, you rarely have time to turn around and fire a countershot. In fact, your best bet is to hope there's some cover nearby so you can shake your enemy and find a few seconds to let your health regenerate. But without any substantial respawn timer, you'll find yourself back in the action in no time.

By the time you read this, the Red Faction: Guerrilla beta will already be open to the public. Details are available on the official Web site at www.RedFaction.com. The full game--minus Greek letters--will be available in 2009.