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This information got leaked during a financial conference call a little while back, but now it's official: THQ has announced Red Faction: Guerilla, currently in development for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

Perhaps most surprising about this unveiling is the format change: rather than being a first-person shooter like its predecessors, Guerilla will be a third-person "open-world" action game. The setting is 50 years after the events of the original Red Faction, and you will be controlling an insurgent who is battling against the oppressive Earth Defense Force. Also, the intriguing technology - called GeoMod at the time - that allows you to blast away just about every part of the environment, will return in all its next-gen glory.

"Red Faction: Guerrilla expands the signature destruction elements of the series and pushes the boundaries of next-gen gaming on a massive, terra-formed Mars where gamers can literally tear down the enemy EDF presence brick by brick," said Mike Kulas, president of Volition, Inc. "With a new 3rd person perspective, a full cover system that allows for guerrilla style tactics and a diverse planet to explore we're excited to revitalize the gripping world of Red Faction for high-definition platforms."

For now, we only have a vague release date, as the game is scheduled to arrive some time during THQ's fiscal year 2009, which puts the title between April 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009. Stay tuned for more details.