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The forceful push can topple walls and send enemies careening off into the distance, while the protective shell can block enemy projectiles and slowly kill any foes unlucky enough to be caught inside it. Powered by a gadget on your wrist, these unlockable, upgradable abilities operate on a cooldown timer and can significantly boost your destructive potential. The sense that you are a force to be reckoned with is further augmented by your suite of nano forge abilities. The robust weapons make you feel like a powerful warrior, and Darius' mobility lets you move confidently and quickly around the battlefield. Almost every man-made structure in Red Faction: Armageddon can be destroyed, and it's very satisfying to take out a sniper by detonating the walkway under his feet, or to splatter a group of advancing aliens with a few well-placed charges. A charge launcher that lets you fire and then remote-detonate explosives, a laser that dissolves walls and enemies with equal vigor, and a gun that shoots miniature black holes are just some of the enticing weapons you pick up along the way. The familiar sledgehammer from Red Faction: Guerrilla returns, but the combination of your powerful melee attack and expansive arsenal makes it likely that this implement will take a backseat to more potent weaponry.
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Right out of the gate you get a taste of the power at your fingertips with a plasma cannon that blows a three-story hole in a building and topples a guard tower in a single blast. Instead, expect to get caught up in the thrill of destruction. The profanity-laden dialogue might make you smirk from time to time, but don't expect to get much out of the boilerplate plot.
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The cutscenes that chronicle the alien outbreak may look nice, but they tell an uninspired story full of action-movie cliches. After a brief prologue, he gets caught up in a deadly alien outbreak that threatens every human on Mars, and his quest to save the day drives the rest of the campaign. The most pertinent fact is that you play as Darius Mason, grandson of Guerrilla's protagonist, Alec Mason, and like his ancestor, Darius is a man of action, not words. The events of Red Faction: Armageddon take place two generations after those of Red Faction: Guerrilla, so while fans can spot connections between the two games, they are little more than historical references. Now Playing: Red Faction: Armageddon Video Review By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
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