Red Faction began as an FPS back in 2001, with a focus around destructible terrain. Set on Mars, it was all a bit Total Recall – miners on the red planet, striking back against an oppressive corporation.

It was good fun, nothing groundbreaking (except for the actual ground breaking, literally) – with a sequel in 2002. But the series was at its best when many years later they released:

1001 No.81: ‘Red Faction: Guerilla’ (2009)

Red Faction Guerilla brought the Red Faction series into ‘next gen’ territory, bringing with it a 3rd person perspective and a free-roam environment. And it totally suits it – the surface of Mars becomes your playground, as you can destroy pretty much anything and everything you come into contact with.

The storyline… well, who really cares. Same old save the rebels from the evil corporates. It is kind of weird that you’re up against an organisation named EDF. Of course it’s not the French energy company, but the Earth Defense Force. It does add a fun element to the game though if you imagine yourself a British Gas employee, screwing up the power plants of your rivals whilst gathering inaccurate meter readings.

But destruction is the real name of the game, in any way possible – though bringing down a building with your own sledgehammer is extremely satisfying. The physics are so much fun, and with thermal charges, cool ray gun things and rocket launchers (and stompy robots) blowing things up is bloody brilliant.

I really can’t think of a game since that has done it quite as well: and even the follow up game, Red Faction Armageddon, didn’t come close – actually pretty much killing off the series due to dumping the open-world freedom of Guerilla and putting you back underground.

Guerilla is well worth a visit if you’ve never tried it. Red Faction is dead now, dying with THQ – though purchased by Nordic Games, so a resurrection is always possible. We can live in hope!

Screenshots don’t really do it justice. To whet your sledgehammer’s appetite, watch this – and tell me you don’t wanna blow some shit up.

It is always a safe bet to assume that most retro gamers have a list of hardware they would like to own. For some this list contains a delightful array of exotica. For others it is list of childhood dreams that have thus far evaded capture. For me it is a mix of both.

The top 3 on my wishlist (in no particular order) are the illusive Vectrex, the Atari Lynx and an Out Run arcade cabinet. Obviously the Vectrex and Out Run cab, much like a high class hooker, would be an expensive purchases to make. The Lynx on the other hand, like your average hooker, is both affordable and readily available – yet still it evades me.

I have lost count of the auctions missed or lost on eBay. The amount of hours spent contemplating spending the money on a lesser quality unit just to own one – despite knowing there is better out there. The multiple afternoons lost to wondering the car boot sales and charity shops to return empty handed. It was starting to look like this seemingly accessible console was to remain on the wish list for some time. Or was it…?

It was Tuesday the the 18th of June 2013 and I had just returned home from a hard game of reality. As I walked into my lounge, ready to collapse in a heap on the sofa, my girlfriend smiled and gestured towards an object on a chair. The mysterious object appeared to be a medium sized boxed and was covered by a sheet. Fearing it to be a chinchilla I cautiously peeled back the sheet to reveal a plain brown box. Still fearing an attack from a small fury animal I again opted to take caution when opening the box. Digging through the foam packing it started to become clear what this was. It was not a chinchilla. It was an Atari Lynx! a Lynx 2 to be precise, and with 6 games plus a power supply!

I could not believe it! Had I subconsciously been mentioning how much I wanted a Lynx to the point where buying one to shut me up was the best option? Is there a catch to this gift? Am I dying? As luck would have it the answer to all of my questions was no. It seems I am simply blessed to be with a girlfriend who appreciates, understands and is willing to fuel and support my nerdy ways. For this I am not only extremely grateful but also the proud owner of an Atari Lynx.

That’s another one crossed off the list.