GamerNode: Columns - History 101: Destructible Environments in Videogames

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2001 - Red Faction (PS2, PC)

This game pretty much pioneered the term "destructible environments." In the PS2's youth, the system was going through a serious game drought, especially in the FPS department. Early in the summer of 2001, though, it received a shooter that really demonstrated the PS2's power.

Using "Geo-mod" technology, Red Faction allowed players for the first time to alter the terrain with explosives how they saw fit. You could blast a hole in the rock around a locked door or destroy a bridge an enemy vehicle was driving across. Hell, within the first few levels, players could tunnel down until they discovered a hidden lake, which served little purpose other than to showcase the game's destructible terrain.

While the engine proved to be much more limited than gamers would have liked, it was well suited for multiplayer games taking place in smaller arenas. Players could create their own caves to snipe from, or blow shortcut tunnels in CTF games.

The sequel for Red Faction came out the following year and featured more of the same destructibility, but wasn't received as well as the first. Following a different cast of characters and storyline, the game was set on Earth instead of Mars and felt too far removed from the previous game. It was also a very short and linear experience. The multiplayer aspect was enhanced with the inclusion of bots, extending the game's replay value by quite a bit, however.

2002 - MechAssault (Xbox)

If piloting massive, armed, walking robots and leveling entire cities while fighting off your enemies sounds like an awesome idea, that's because it is, and it was called MechAssault.

The game's powerful, walking Mechs could punch giant dents in buildings with their weaponry, exposing rebar and insulation before eventually bringing them down to a pile of dusty rubble. Taller buildings could also be brought down to crush enemy Mechs and infantry with satisfyingly explosive results.

MechAssualt also became one of the Xbox's premier titles to utilize the Xbox Live online service.

2002 - Robot Alchemic Drive (PS2)

This rare title escaped the attention of most gamers (including myself) and slipped into obscurity rather quickly. And although it featured huge walking robots battling each other, the scale was much, much larger than anything in MechAssault.

Players took control of Meganites -- large, walking robots controlled by remote (there was no cockpit) -- and fought off the invading alien Volgara in large cityscapes that could be ripped to shreds from the ensuing battles. The destruction of city buildings wasn't encouraged, but a little 'collateral damage' was often unavoidable, as seen in the video above.

Is it just me, or do the anime-style graphics and robot designs look like a cross between Transformers and The Power Rangers?

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