Red Faction: Armageddon Commando & Recon Edition Xbox 360

Released on 09/06/2011

• No more Red Faction, says THQ

  It's a sad day for gamers who like smashing up Martian buildings, as the only gaming franchise to scratch that particular itch has been reduced to rubble with one swipe of THQ's business sledgehammer. In a call with investors last night, THQ CEO Brian Farrell declared that the company will not be continuing the Red Faction brand n any meaningful way

  Red Faction began in 2001 as a first-person PS2 shooter with occasionally destructible scenery. It was followed by a sequel the following year, notable for offering an early bit of voice work for one Jason Statham, who loaned his gravelly tones to the character of Shrike.

  The series then reappeared in 2009 on the current console generation, where it switched to a third-person openworld adventure Total Recall crossed with GTA and finally delivered the sort of demolition fans wanted, thanks to an excellent physics engine.

  This year's Red Faction: Armageddon changed style once again, taking the series underground as a third-person alien-splatting corridor shooter. The launch was supported by a live action movie, shown on the Syfy Channel.

  But now there will be no more, which is a shame since there was still a lot of untapped potential in both the Mars setting and the impressive demolition gameplay. Armageddon will be the series epitaph, so if you haven't played it already why not give it a try and pour out a 40oz on the corner for your martian homies?

• Darksiders reborn?

   

  When publisher THQ collapsed earlier this year, most of its games were snapped up by other companies. Saints Row 4 and Metro: Last Light both ended up with Dead Island publisher Deep Silver, for example.

  Some titles remained unsold however, resulting in a second auction. Now Nordic Games has splashed out and picked up the rights to series such as Red Faction and Darksiders. It's the latter title that has gamers buzzing at the moment, after word that original developer Vigil Games - now part of Crytek - still wanted to work on a new game in the apocalyptic saga.

  It seems that Nordic Games agrees, and while owner Lars Wingefors won't confirm who he's been talking to, it seems clear that Darksiders 3 is something he's definitely interested in.

  "We are not a developer," Wingefors said in a Eurogamer interview. "We should not create a sequel. We need to find the best creative team to look into a sequel.

  Does that mean he'll be tapping the former Vigil team to continue the series? "Without saying we have been in contact with Crytek USA, I'd love to do something with them if we can find the right set-up," he said. "I have a great respect for those guys. They made very good games. But I'm sure they have a full agenda. Making games takes time."

  The previous two Darksiders games are among the most underrated of this console generation, so here's hoping this is more than business chatter.
  

  Published: 24/04/2013

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