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I suffer from a mild case of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Before I go to bed, I need to check that the doors are locked (my wife, god love her, locks the door when she gets home from work in an attempt to make an end run around my condition). I can't walk away from my car without hitting the lock button on the key fob several times -- even after I hear the horn honk after the doors lock.
As a fan of role-playing games, my OCD takes control of my gaming on a regular basis. I recently got to the point where I can actually pass up items that I don't need in action-RPGs such as Sacred 2 (sadly, I still feel compelled to get every item in standard RPGs, like Neverwinter Nights 2). I'm still working on the Icewind Dale series; while I've beaten the games, I still haven't beaten them with every character class in the series. Yes, I'm that OCD about my RPGs.
But after playing Red Faction: Guerrilla for a couple of days, I'm afraid -- very afraid. This game's sending my OCD into overdrive.
Red Faction: Guerrilla's sledgehammer is without a doubt the best weapon that I've ever used in a shooter. (Confession: I'm partial to sledgehammers; they are the coolest tool ever created.) I can't stop myself from bashing buildings, signs, and walls as I travel to objectives. I spent nearly an hour smashing objects during the training mission. Hell, I couldn't even resist smashing things in my first multiplayer match (no wonder I got just two kills in 10 minutes).
I haven't figured out why I find smashing things in Red Faction: Guerrilla so compelling. Am I trying to find scrap? (You use scrap to purchase upgrades and weapons.) Do I feel that I need to destroy as much as possible before moving to the next level? Or do I just enjoy smashing things with a big hammer?
I do know that I've never had this much fun with a shooter. I'm not good at shooters, especially in the multiplayer arena (yes, I'm the guy who gets killed 2 seconds after the match starts). Red Faction: Guerrilla makes me feel like I don't need to be good at -- or even like -- shooters, because it offers me much more to do. Can't get a good angle on the EDF soldiers hiding behind a wall? Throw a couple of charges and blow up the wall. Having trouble getting around? Smash a route through a wall. This may be what I like the most about Red Faction: Guerrilla: the ability to play on my terms.
Even if all I really want to do is obliterate every sign, wall, and building on Mars.
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