This is a hard review to write, because I am essentially reviewing vanilla ice cream. What does vanilla taste like? I find this to be ineffable. Vanilla as a concept cannot be broken down any further than just calling it sweet, and yet vanilla is not just sweet, it's vanilla.

Mindlessly fun for brief stretches of time; damage modeling is still well beyond probably any other series

Damage gimmick isn't nearly what you'll want it to be; largely uninspired; a step back for the series from the last title

It's time to get your ass back to Mars, and the only thing that's missing from Red Faction: Armageddon is for the cheesy dialogue to have actually been voice acted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Destruction-focused gameplay is still a ton of fun; Magnet gun is cool; Looks good

Run and gun gameplay is way behind the times; Only one multiplayer mode; Far more linear than the last game

The poor miners in Red Faction can't catch a break. For years they were beaten down by the Ultor Corporation, whose ruthless oversight made life on Mars unbearable. Earth Defense Force troops stepped in…only to become the workers' new oppressors.

+ Balls-to-the-wall action; wonderful weapons; a carnage lover's delight, + Pretty good story; smart content-balancing in a number of ways

- Short on multiplayer options; campaign drags toward the end, ? Will the series ever return to Earth (where it went in Red Faction II)

I have fond memories of Volition, Inc.'s original Red Faction. Blowing holes in the ground just to see how far you could go, ripping buildings out from under enemies and busting through a wall to get to...

+ Great weapon selection; + Geo-Mod 2.0 is more than a gimmick; + Multiplayer modes are enjoyable; + Nano-Forge helps set game apart

Enemies have no personality; No competitive multiplayer modes

One of the best reviews I've ever read began with a simple question: "What the **** is this ****?" I think it was about a Bob Dylan record, but honestly, not much else really stuck with me besides a bewildered critic trying to make sense of something confusing.

I can't help but wonder whether Red Faction: Armageddon turned out the way it did because of THQ's transmedia strategy. The other partner in that enterprise is Syfy, a cable channel known, in part, for its weekend lineup of C-grade monster flicks.

Bringing a whole structure crashing down on a monster using the magnet gun

The monster didn't seem to notice it

The Red Faction games have always been just on the edge of the huge success that developer Volition deserves for all their efforts over the years. The series got its biggest boost with the last game, Guerrilla , where building destruction - including huge multi-story structures tumbling to the...

Despite having a bit of a lack of identity, Red Faction: Armageddon is a high-quality game. It presents varied game play elements throughout its eight-hour long campaign, all of which happen to be quite fun and engaging.

After playing through the first time, i must say, that i was very impressed. If you are the "sandbox" player, probably not the best game for you. If you enjoy a good story, solid progression, and even a little challenge, this episode of Red Faction is great.

Red Faction: Guerilla was an awesome game, so I went into Armageddon with high hopes. Unlike Guerilla, this game is pretty linear and it suffers for it. The awesome destruction is still here, but unlike Guerilla, most of the things you blow up are small structures requiring little effort.