Red Faction II Review (RAGNOS1997)
DISCLAIMER
The review you are about to read is based on my own experience with the game, my judgment, and the rating system! No third party has impacted anything said in this review. This review is also 100% spoiler-free.
Gameplay and Interaction (14 out of 20)
I feel like the first game set quite a high bar in terms of gameplay freedom and versatility to the point where this one feels like a completely different game. The gameplay portion doesn't give you complete freedom like in the previous one and is too linear, in my opinion. You get a list of objectives you must complete, and there's not much you can do besides that. The game itself doesn't expect you to roam around but go straight to the point, and this did shorten up the gameplay time quite a lot. There's usually only a single path to the objective and so on.
The amount of different stuff you get to control and use is great, at least, and that diversity helped keep my interest. Explosives and environmental destruction play a more significant part than in the previous game. I feel like, at times, the game doesn't show you exactly what it wants you to do, not that it's a bad thing but going through a specific section to find out that you can't proceed before you do something else is a thing I ran into many times later in the game. A wide variety of enemies is a welcome change, as it helps freshen up the later missions.
Graphics and Sound Quality (15 out of 20)
Sadly, the graphical presentation is the best thing. I think it looks impressive for the time, and that's mostly it. There are limitations, such as using a single image-like low-resolution background as tiles for the skies and water, but the overall presentation is great. Voice acting is kind of weird. I understand that the voice actors can only do so much with what they were given, but it doesn't sound good. A few characters sound significantly better than the rest, and it is distracting. Audio quality is a disaster in the PC release, and installing the HD Music mod is a must as it drastically improves the quality.
Performance and Optimization (12 out of 20)
While this game doesn't have many performance issues, the problems that it has, are creating dozens and dozens of other issues that otherwise wouldn't exist. The game has a 66 FPS lock, and no matter what I tried, it only locks to either 40 or 66. 66 FPS doesn't feel great with high mouse sensitivity, and playing at a lower value doesn't work either in such games as the enemies can come from everywhere. Unlike the previous game, Red Faction II has some issues with mouse jitter. Moving your mouse doesn't feel smooth, and I missed shots that I otherwise shouldn't be missing. Playing at a lower mouse sensitivity isn't feasible, and it doesn't do much to eliminate the issues.
Story and Content Value (10 out of 20)
In terms of story, Red Faction II doesn't feel like a direct sequel but a standalone video game. The plot didn't make sense in the first game, but the plot in this one is too goofy. There is no online mode, not that anyone would be playing it all these years later, but rather some mode with the bots that I didn't bother checking out. The story mode is too short. I think we can all agree that in no context is too short a great thing. However, every mission being different is what kept me interested. There are quite a few interesting sections, and it did deliver something new with each mission. Had it been two to three hours longer, I think it would've made a perfect game, as throwing everything in from the player in short few hours is overwhelming, and the last third of the game takes everything and turns it upside down. Everything happens so fast and isn't done well in this game.
Animations and Movement Controls (12 out of 20)
The animation work is decent, but some enemies do not feel like humans, but rather robots moving around with no brain. I feel like this is why most enemies are just standing in one place until it is their time to die. Shooting static targets isn't fun. On the other hand, movement is quite good, and all the vehicles you get to control handle very nicely. I did find myself tripping over a few objects. Weapons feel great to shoot, and blowing stuff up is satisfying.
Final Score and Conclusion (63 out of 100)
Red Faction II is a poor and too explosive sequel to an otherwise surprisingly good first game. With a ton of performance and other issues, I finished the game with a bitter feeling in my mouth. The story not being linked to the first game doesn't help either.