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May be a cliche, but an amazingly well done one!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: October 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let's see - this computer game involves 2 plumbers who get wrapped up in world-changing plots. There's an evil group out to destroy things as we know it, and a beautiful girl in trouble. Sound familiar?

Nope, it's not Super Mario X. Instead, this is the start for Freedom Fighters, set in an alternate reality of New York City. In this version, the Russians are taking over the world and have just reached your metropolis home.

The graphics on this game are simply amazing. It's more of a cel shaded high-end cartoon feel than a realistic one, but the facial expressions and movements are dead on. You move through various areas of New York - Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the landscapes and buildings are very well done. You move through movie theaters, churches and more, and as the game progresses they turn into more and more of a war zone. Escape from New York was just the beginning.

The gameplay is great. You start out as an 'average Joe' - but as your search for your brother continues, and you get involved in the resistance movement, your character wears more gear, knows the ins-and-outs more, and draws more followers. At first you only have 2 people believing in you, but as you prove yourself you can recruit more and more followers to help you out.

The sound effects and music are excellent. The ambient noise are right on, giving you a sense that you really are under fire in a dirty New York street. The music is rich, Russian epic, giving you the sense that a gigantic empire is rolling across the world, and you are a mere toothpick in its path.

The AI and gamplay is superb. Your teammages take cover, peer around corners, provide covering fire, take over machine guns when they're available. You can tell them to advance to a given point, or 'scout an area', or follow behind you, so depending on your gameplay style you can be as specific as general as you wish.

There are helicopters that chase you down, APCs that bring reinforcements, buildings to run around in, streets to terrorize. There are turned-over cars, barbed wire fences and everything inbetween. The in-game maps are incredible and the physics are very realistic. Having been in New York many times and having a boyfriend who grew up there, the atmosphere is dead on.

Highly recommended for any strategy-war fan who really enjoys a game that envelops you. This isn't an arcade blood-and-guts fest. The game lets you heal your teammates, build a reputation and make a stand to protect your home and your family. Just about the only thing this is missing is multiplayer. We can only hope that a future release will add that in, and make this a true gaming classic.

A diamond in the bargain bin

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: March 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Freedom Fighters is a great game, and it's only problem might be that there is not enough of it. The game is very simple, but it somehow just manages to be nonstop action and fun. The price for this game has dropped so far that even despite the fact that it's a bit short, buying it should be a no-brainer.

The game is played in a series of chapters, each of which contain 2 or 3 submissions. In each submission, you usually blow something up like a bridge or depot, and then capture an important building. The best part of every mission is at the end, when you go to the roof of the building and raise the Stars and Stripes over it. You get this warm, fuzzy patriotic feeling and then move on to the next mission so that you can shoot some more evil Commies. Yes, it's corny, but it works great. The game does a great job of paying homage to Cold War era action movies like "Red Dawn" and "Missing in Action". Between each mission, you get to watch a Soviet propaganda news broadcast describing your activities as "terrorism". The news broadcasts are usually pretty funny and provide a good reward for completing each chapter.

The graphics for the game are decent, but not great. The scenery is immersive enough to be believable, but other games out there look sharper. The cutscenes don't look very good, and characters don't move their lips when they talk.

The core gameplay is what is so great about this game. You control a squad of Freedom Fighters, and you lead them through the streets, pointing them at objectives and generally shooting anything with a red star on their uniform. Mission design is great, and no two missions are quite the same. Gameplay isn't complex. There aren't that many weapons that you can use, and you can only give three simple commands to your squad ("Follow", "Attack", and "Defend"). Usually, your squadmates are good at fighting, but you will do most of the work. AI for enemies is good enough to give you a good challenge, but never frustrating. Enemies are pretty good at using cover and avoiding grenades, but you can often snipe them from far away, and they won't do much to retaliate. The action is always exciting, but you still have to use your head. You are usually outnumbered, and lots of areas are guarded with machine gun banks or guys behind walls. You have to use your head, but the game never gets bogged down with micromanagement.

Freedom Fighters has a checkpoint save system that we PC gamers love to hate. However, the game is very forgiving. Squad mates never get killed. They just get incapacitated, and you can revive them with health packs. You never have to worry about running out of those, since each level has tons of them laying around. You can take plenty of bullets yourself, so if you get surprised, it usually won't kill you.

The soundtrack might be my favorite part of the game. Jesper Kyd composed the music for the game, and it's simply excellent. The opening track is a booming orchestral piece of music that sounds like it could be a Red Army cadence. The action music is great at raising the tension in the levels and giving the game a sense of drama.

The interface for the game is not good. You can tell that this game was not designed for the PC. If the game wasn't so simple, then this might be a problem. Also, as I said before, the game is pretty short. I finished it in about 10 or 11 hours, although I liked it enough to play it again. Other than that, the game doesn't have any real problems. Since the missions aren't very scripted, you can find different ways of fighting the same battles. It might have only been 4 stars when it first came out and cost fifty bucks, but now that it's really cheap, there is no reason to miss this game.

absolutely excellent tactical RPG

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: February 01, 2005
Author: Amazon User

You can go to any of dozens of gamezine sites and see good full-length reviews of this game. In general, they agree that Freedom Force is a great game, deserving of its award-winning status. It is well-designed; it captures the flavor of Silver Ago comic book superheroes; and, in addition to the balanced and interesting built-in heroes, there is tremendous flexibility in custom character creation and power design. One legitimate downside is that the main campaign, although very entertaining and extensive, is fairly linear and after playing through a few times (you may choose different heroes for your squads for each mission), you may get too used to the gameplay. But, in all sincerity, I say that anyone who grew up reading comic books and has any love for the genre is really missing a tremendous treat by not trying this game.

However, my favorite feature is the extent to which new missions and campaigns ("mods") can be written by the community of FF enthusiasts. And there are thousands of new powers and skins (costumes) and meshes (body types) freely available online, essentially allowing the player to play an incredible array of superheroes. Also, there is a "Danger Room" mode where you can choose any any squad you want and then choose any group of enemies you want an battle it out. The modding enthusiasts have expanded on this as well and there are variations such as "beat the clock" missions, "unending wave of villians" mode, etc.

A note to address the earlier misleading review of the jewel case edition. It is true that the game (like many other programs) has trouble with Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Windows XP and will not run under it. Unfortunately, the developers were hit with this SP2 problem as they were pushing to complete two other new games (including the sequel to Freedom Force!). However, contrary to the prior review, they *have* said they are working on a fix and they are hoping to have it out at about the time (soon after) the sequel is released.

Anyway, this is a great game and I strongly urge anyone to give this game a try (I have a hard time imagining a better video game value right now). If you have XP with SP2 installed, then buy a copy (what is it now? Five bucks?!?) and keep an eye on irrationalgames.com for the announcement of the SP2 fix.

** Update: the SP2 patch is out, as promised. It is at http://www.freedomfans.com/news.php?id=37 **

A Good Game, Practically Free

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 11, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I rate this game at 3.5 stars, but since I don't have the option of saying 3.5, I'll use 3 stars. At ten bucks, it's worth trying this game out to see if you like it. That was my thought going in. I found the game to be a lot better than I expected.

The game has many innovative or semi-innovative gameplay features, that help to separate it out from the masses. The ability to recruit fighters, move from one area to another and back via the sewers, the ability to affect the enemies maneuverability, the number of possible ways to approach an objective, and others, all combine to make the game seem fresh by comparison.

The graphics are great, with the exception for character animations during gameplay (the cutscene animations are ok). During gameplay, I initially got a feeling of shooting in an arcade. But I got used to that quickly and it didn't significantly detract from the game.

The gameplay itself is great, if short. I was dissappointed when this game was over, which is an indicator of both the fun-factor and the short length of the game. Some other games, you can't wait to get through, some seem to end at just the right time.

My only real complaint about the game is in the save model. This had a big impact on the enjoyability of the game and dropped it down about half a star in my estimation (I would have given it 4 stars, rather than 3.5). Every time you move from one map to another, your game is automatically saved, but the map you just left is also repopulated with enemy. You don't have the option of saving to different files for later retrieval; you have one game, with its savepoint that you can restart from. This lack of control is unacceptible in a PC game. Twice I had bad experiences with the save model. The first time, I got part way through a map, left it to go to another map to get some explosives, and came back only to find that all the progress I had made had been lost because of the repopulation. Worse, was later in the game where I completely cleared out a level (I thought). My objective was not complete, but I couldn't figure out why, because I seemed to have done everything. After wandering around and finding nothing else to do, I went back to the rebel base and lost all my progress. I realized what I had missed, and had to repeat the entire map from scratch. During a map, you have a handful of locations you can go to and do a "quick save" and you can recall those save points, but only until you do a true save by moving between map locations. Then your quick save is lost. The simple ability to do a regular save at these points, rather than a quick save, would have made most of the save issues go away. The game limits your ability to save every 5 seconds, which I like as I think it makes for more exciting action, but the save model in this game was poorly thought out.

All in all though, I thought the game was very fun and well worth the bargain bin price. Pick up the game, figure out the save model, never leave a map unless you understand the implications of doing so, and you'll have fun.

A good buy INDEED!!!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is going to give you tons of fun for a bargain price.

Freedom Fighters is a great little 3rd person shooter that requires thinking and taking advantage/managing resources available. Maybe your first mission is to blow up a bridge...but you need to start another mission first to get the explosives!!! That is the fun in the game.

Your missions require some planning and thought. Don't be mislead - this game is a GREAT SHOOTER! You just can't go in guns a blazin' every time. You get to climb onto roof tops if you are observant enough to investigate alternate routes to attack the enemy. Yes, this game is versatile and you don't have to follow the scripted routines of games like Call of Duty or Medal of Honor.

The graphics are pretty good, the game play is as fast or as calm as you make it, the sound effects and music are enjoyable too. You are limited in weapons and some may get a bit bored. I liked that. The premise is that you are poor, resource drained street rebels (like the movie Red Dawn). So if that is the case, you WOULD have limited weapons to use.

Enemy AI is a bit lame. (I don't any soldiers that would crawl slowly in a wide open street when snipers are picking them off..lol) At times the AI is very tough and other times the enemies are completely deaf and blind it seems. I was disappointed by this. However, the enjoyment and adventure provided more than make up for this.

This game can be solved in 6 hours or could take you 12 hours depending on your methods and strategies.

Get this game, study the in-game maps and briefing reports, use your noggin', move slowly, use the terrain to hide and then let 'em have it!!

Great Buy

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: December 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I picked this up at a local retailer before Amazon made their price drop. After playing it, I feel that it definitely worth more than the 19 I paid for it. It is a fun game with pretty cool graphics. The look of the game is somewhat cartoonish, but still quite good looking. I like the theme of an alternate history it uses as its backdrop. You can control an increasingly growing band of rebels. Once you start accomplishing objectives, you gain more charisma. It is your charisma which allows you to recruit more rebels to fight with you. The game is not a real time strategy and does not pretend to be. The commands you give your rebel figthers are simple and to the point. Which I personally like. Give it a try. You can't loose at less than 20 bucks!

Freedom Won too Soon!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: February 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

My favorite games include first-person shooters like Quake II and Unreal, but I have enjoyed third-person action games too. Two of my favorites are Rune and Heretic II. So when I realized Freedom Fighers was this type of game, I gave it a shot. The game's great, but a little blemish or two keeps it from perfection.

One of Freedom Fighter's best assets are its controls. You can customize the control keys in the Options menu to suit your preferences. I felt comfortable with the controls throughout most of the game. The camera angle generally worked well too. Nevertheless, I found the weapon and inventory acess a little awkward because you need to go through your inventory items by moving the mouse wheel. Overall, however, the game feels comfortable.

You also control a squad of fighters, and this group combat is perhaps Freedom Fighter's forte. The AI is good, and your comrades will fight and attack enemy Russians automatically. You can easily call off their attack, however, and some parts of the game it is wise to do so. You can also command them to defend a position or attack a target. It looks great, and all allies and enemies move in a realistic fashion.

As for graphics, Freedom Fighters is a very good looking game. The levels are attractively designed, and the game renders some of the best fire and smoke effects I've seen in any game. The buildings seem almost real, too, and its fun to wonder around and fight inside and outside these structures.

As good as Freedom Fighters is, my only major complaint is the length of the game. It's SHORT! It only took me four days including the day I purchased the game to beat it. So the total time was maybe only eight hours or less.

Freedom Fighters is a top-notch action game, and it does everything right, but it should be longer!

Pros:
Great graphics
Very good level design
Good AI
Best squad combat I've seen

Cons:
Too short!

I hope they make a "Freedom Fighters 2"

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: November 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game because of the bargain price and because I was bored. Well, I was blown away by this game!!! I heard about it a year or two ago but didn't pay attention to it. I'm just glad that I finally discovered what a GREAT game this is.

Sure, it's not without its flaws and I can think of a couple things that could be improved, but overall this is a GREAT combat game with a FANTASTIC story that makes you feel like you're living through the invasion of the United States in an alternate reality.

I really, REALLY hope they make a sequel ... what better praise is there?

A short, somewhat interesting game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: November 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I finished this today. The game has some rough edges. However, after the first few missions I started to get into the game and worked around the faults. Once I got into it, the game was over quickly. It is worth $15, but not $40. This is a play once game; the storyline is scripted enough that replay would be the same thing again. There is no multi-player.

If you like shooter games, especially on game consoles, this game is for you. The squad aspect is a good part especially when you get 6+ members; saves you getting shot up as much. They are helpful but require some babysitting.

The storyline is simple with some interesting twists. The weapon choices are realistic and you can only carry 1 long gun and 1 handgun at a time. You can pick up dropped weapons. This game is designed for closer range action so medium and long range accuraccy is poor except for the sniper rifle. Choosing which long gun to carry can be a challenge depending on the mission.

Saving before completing a mission is difficult and frustrating when you're used to saving anytime like most shooter games. This game is a third-person shooter. Some people like that format; I prefer a first person view. It was an interesting game, it just felt like playing on a game console instead of a PC; that is why 3 stars instead of 4.

Done...already?!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 28, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Got this game yesterday...finished it yesterday. Took all of 8 hours to get from beginning to end in medium difficulty. The lack of multiplayer seriously hinders replayability score.

But it's fun. I wouldn't sit around playing a game for 8 straight hours if it wasn't enjoyable. The enemy AI is really tough, but I find the friendly AI to be less then helpful. Don't get me wrong, sending in 6 or so of them against an enemy held position can do wonders for your health. And the casualty is minimal and usually none as long as you take out any enemy machine gunner or heavy infantry or tanks or anything besides regular enemy. Yeah...baby sit them a bit, if you will.

The game touts that what you do in one area effects your other misson. True to a point. You see, the game is divided into 7 different 'chapters'. Each chapter has around 3 missions. What you do in one mission only effects what the other mission in each chapter. New chapter has nothing to do with the last or the next one other then to carry the story along.

My biggest gripe, in this review full of it, is the total lack of recoil control for your shots. You line up your shots and pray that the bullets hit the target. Shots go towards the general direction of where you aim...NOT a good thing for a game so shooting oriented.

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