Red Faction: Guerrilla, UFC get demos

The Red Faction demo is a single-player sample of the upcoming third-person shooter, which casts players as a freedom fighter on Mars struggling against the overbearing Earth Defense Force (not to be confused with the carelessly catastrophic Earth Defense Force 2017). Over the course of a single level, players will be able to witness the latest changes to the series' physics-based GeoMod destruction technology.

For players who prefer their havoc more hands-on, the UFC demo allows users to re-create a recent light heavyweight bout between Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. Although Rua won the fight in convincing fashion--with The Iceman essentially retiring from the sport afterward--the demo gives Liddell's fans a chance to get revenge by virtually pummeling Rua into a bloody stupor as much as they want. It also includes part of the full game's tutorial mode to ensure that the aforementioned pummeling is delivered with punishing precision.

Unfortunately, the demos will have to tide interested gamers over for several weeks. Red Faction: Guerrilla won't launch until June 2, while UFC 2009 Undisputed is set for a May 19 debut.