GamerNode: Columns - History 101: Destructible Environments in Videogames

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2007 - Stranglehold (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

When Stranglehold came out during the infancy of the Xbox 360 and the PS3 it got ignored by many gamers, but that didn't mean it wasn't a notable shooter.

It also didn't do anything drastically beyond what Max Payne did in the previous generation, but did make next-gen improvements to the formula. One area that got the next-gen treatment was, of course, the destructibility of the environments. Bullets tore chucks and pieces out of the walls, shattered glass,and  made things explode and spark in beautiful fashion, all in slow motion and in HD. The destruction wasn't on the same scale as Red Faction, so you weren't bringing down entire buildings or blowing gaping holes in walls, but it was still impressive, satisfying, and fit the style of game very well.

The obliteration was encouraged for defeating enemies and for nabbing yourself some nifty achievements, too. Shooting hanging signs would sometimes take out multiple enemies, and players were awarded an achievement for completely destroying a dinosaur skeleton in a museum level.

Playing the game now does expose some problems that make it obvious it was a first generation title on new consoles, but the action is still there, the gunplay is satisfying, and the destruction brings back memories of watching the lobby scene in The Matrix.

2008 - Battlefield: Bad Company (Xbox 360, PS3)

Battlefield is a franchise that needs no introduction for PC fans, but for console fans, it's not quite as well known. Generally known for its hectic and fun multiplayer battles, soldier classes, and vehicles, destructible environments came as a welcome innovation to DICE's underrated FPS Bad Company.

And the new Frostbite engine was more than up to the task to create some of the most realistically destructible environments to date. Grenade launchers could blow huge holes in any building, and trees could be mowed down with vehicles or gunfire. Entire villages could be wiped from the map after particularly nasty battles or inaccurate air strikes. Unlike most games, the destruction here had a "real" feeling to it, especially when looking around a town after a battle had taken its toll. It also changed the way you fought the enemy, since any cover you found could usually be destroyed in an instant.

Bad Company also featured some devastating sound effects to go along with all the action.

The newest release from DICE is Battlefield 1943, a remake of a PC classic for the XBLA and PSN which uses the same Frostbite engine as Bad Company, so the environmental destruction and all-around graphical quality is very similar.

2009 - Red Faction: Guerrilla (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)

Red Faction: Guerrilla is pretty much the new golden standard for how destructible environments should be done. Instead of focusing on realism, Volition chose to make the destruction more fun and over the top; buildings explode and crumble to the ground how you want them to, not how they always should thanks to the new "Geo-Mod 2.0" technology.

Every building in Red Faction: Guerrilla is destructible (and I do mean every building), and using different tools from your arsenal of annihilation will cause it to collapse differently every time. You can whittle around the outside using the universe's most powerful hammer, ripping out rebar, reinforcement beams, and drywall until the building starts to lean and creak before coming down all at once. You could vaporize it from the inside out using the Nano Rifle, use remote-detonated explosives to take out its strongest points, or blast it to dust in one shot using a Thermobaric Rocket. Hell, you don't have to even shoot anything, you could just get in a truck and drive straight through it. The possibilities are almost endless and are always entertaining.

Throw in some very solid multiplayer action, great missions, and some bumpin' audio, and you have yourself one of the best titles of the year so far, and one of the best ever in the family of videogame's destructible environments.

Did I miss anything? Feel free to leave any comments about some worthy games you played where the destruction really got your attention. 

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