Red Faction

The series has had three unique styles of gameplay. The first is a traditional first-person shooter element which was used by the first two games in the series, while the second is a third-person style of open world gameplay which was used in Red Faction: Guerrilla, and a third-person style of corridor shooter used in Red Faction: Armageddon. Both styles share a common element, the series' unique environmental destruction features. This was enhanced in Red Faction: Guerrilla when it was applied to every building in the game making the game's entire environment (except for the terrain itself) destructible.

The first two games were traditional first-person shooters with unique environmental destruction features that were praised in both games. The games include vehicles, pistols, rifles, explosives, and other traditional shooter weapons and features. While the first two games did not re-invent the first-person shooter genre, their Geo-Mod Engine and rebellious story made both games a new step for the genre.

The series has generally received positive reviews, with the original Red Faction and third installment Red Faction: Guerrilla getting the most acclaim, while Red Faction II and Red Faction: Armageddon received lower scores. Some common flaws are that the graphics are considered behind their time or unremarkable. Also, the scattered story and limited interactivity in the levels have been criticized overall. On the positive side, the series has been deeply commended for its unique geometry modification capabilities, intelligent AI, and prevalent storytelling themes.

Praised for its long play time, great gameplay, and smart AI, Red Faction was generally given average to great reviews by critics. The game was also criticized for its scattered story and mediocre graphics. GameSpot gave the game a great review saying, "It's a great big game with much to explore and enemies tough enough to make it worth playing through more than once." GameSpot awarded the game with an 8.9, giving it a rating of "great". GameSpy awarded the game an overall score of 89/100 and called the PC version, "the best and most well-rounded first-person shooter released in a long time."