THQ gives first look at Red Faction II

The first screenshots of and new information from Red Faction II, the follow-up to THQ's first-person shooter for the PlayStation 2, have been released. Set five years after the revolution on Mars that the original game focused upon, Red Faction II's story centers upon a plot by commoners to overthrow a powerful dictator. In development at Volition, the same team that created the original, Red Faction II features an enhanced form of the Geo-Mod engine, which lets you destroy the environments in real time.

You play as Alias, the "demolitions guy" of a six-man team of experts bent on dethroning the dictator. The gameplay will require you to fight as a team, commandeer tanks, hovercraft, and submarines, and master an arsenal of 15 weapons. Grenade launchers, sniper rifles, rail drivers, and grenades currently make up the list of official armaments. New weaponry is awarded when the game's many boss fights are conquered. There will be dual-handed weapons, multiple mission objectives per level, and a four-player multiplayer option with customizable bots.

Further enhancements include graphics, enemy AI, and multiple endings. An auto-save function and full USB keyboard and mouse support wind out a rather impressive package. Red Faction II is currently scheduled for release near the end of this year.