One of the few great first-person shooters on the PS2.
The enemy AI is pretty good. Originally, the prison guards are idiots, but as you run into better trained guards and mercenaries, your survival skills (meaning how readily you run like a little girly man) should improve. If they don't, you won't get very far. In swarms or one-on-one, enemies are tricky and remember your ploys to end them.
My complaints are few and far between. There could have been more boss fights, more modifiable terrain, and less linearity. Actually, these are more like "areas that could be improved". To me, only 2 boss battles was a little disappointing.
Controls are as good as you'll find in a FPS. I really like the ability to auto center and quick pivot. The PS2 controller is adequate in controlling the hero as he attempts to escape the mine prison. I find the controls similar to Goldeneye 007 or a Turok game. The many weapons are relatively simple to maneuver, with adjustable sensitivity and realistic performance. The rail driver is particularly awesome, and more fun to snipe with that in RF2. As expected in a FPS, there are weapons for precision, high-destruction, scatter, and general-use fire.
Graphics are quite good but not astounding. Characters look good and not too polygonal. Environments certainly make you feel like you're in a industrial nightmare; greasy metal, cluttered floors, blasted ceilings, it's all there. Weapons look sweet when they fire and there aren't issues with clipping and pop-ups.
The story is well written and helps keep the game interesting. Your reluctant hero, Parker, signed up to work in the Ultor Corporation mining facility on Mars where the laws are made by Ultor. Though promised riches in short time, the miners are actually prisoners who suffer in deplorable conditions with a high mortality rate. So an uprising is planned and Parker is the spearhead.
Gameplay is part of what makes this game unique. Specifically, the GEOMOD technology. Oftentimes, if you don't want to go the prescribed route, you can literally blow open a new one, assuming you have enough explosives. It's a mine, so you'll find heaps o' boom-booms. There's plenty of different mission styles, often within the same area. Sometimes you need to be sneaky, sometimes brash, sometimes complete a specific sequence of tasks. Hop in a tank or a submarine too, it's all good.
Lastly, the multiplayer. It's good, but there's a heavy potential for cheese. Campers loaded with the rail driver, for example, are a real pain. In this mode the enemy AI is particularly clever and ruthless. If you practice with the multiplayer, the 1P enemies will seem easier. There are still modifiable environments, often leading to powerups and highly-desirable weaponry. 2P mode allows for one-on-one, free-for-all, and team battles. It's good, but not as good as the sequel.
One thing is for certain, I never felt bored playing Red Faction. Maybe it is because I am not a PC shooter snob, but I think RF is a worthy addition to a PS2 collection.