"Freedom Force Has Me Fighting Back Tears, Sniff"

My jaws sunk low, self-emitting air filed around me, and stupidly I gawked at my PC screen. Since when did a game rekindle my fancy for the first form of literature I warmly embraced? Anime, at times, is juiced up with vague or unnecessary talk with global weight on crushing action, but comic books have grown as a nippy alternative to time-consuming novels with marvelously penciled scenes. Where comics like the dormant Battle Chasers and, all-time favorite, Spawn attenuated my reading and visual proclivity, Freedom Force successfully lands on the video game populace in style. Full of tantalization, the game rips a new outfit on the grounds of gaming. I haven’t experienced this kind of cunning direction, ever. Irrational Games assembles a flat-out ambiance which thrusts players into thrilling heroism. The RPG/Strategy affiliation shreds awesome gameplay components. Every description in the game is an indication that the company was rapt on fashioning a game based on the comic book medium. Freedom Force takes in all the legacy and stereotypes of the 60’s Silver Age, and on the videogame scale, it rumbles.

Sweaty-palm action awaits as soon as you decide who to take from a pool of heroes. After selecting four members, you then jump onto the fray and gain following missions. More often than not, your elite band of defenders must put an end to rampaging supervillains along with their loyal minions. Reasonably linear, the lion’s share of Freedom Force is the mastered mechanics, and the ironic yet interesting cost of being violent superheroes. Remember anime (or even Power Puff Girls) where the forces of good take it on the open streets, disregarding the safety of structures, and bulldoze it down? As Uncle Ben once said from Spidey comics, “with great power comes even greater responsibility.” Ditto, here. Pedestrians mind their walks of life, cars burn rubber, and in the center, a heated clash between the forces of good and evil. Oh, dear! Oh, my! Being reckless may trigger unwanted wreckage of the city that is supposedly under your protection. Depending on your choice of attacks, Patriot City can be decimated to rubble. Strategic usage of the environment (i.e. lifting cars as projectiles) should be limited due to the sensitivity of the backgrounds. From caving buildings to impersonating Babe Ruth with traffic polls, needless destruction is booed.

Devilish destruction reduces the bag of important Prestige Points. Awarded after victory, these points are applied to attain additional heroes. EXP points are also given to prime a hero’s abilities or expand them. As an incentive to minimize running amok, if you fail to wisely handpick a fit squad, future supervillains will squash your band of heroes into turd. Ample with whirls of Real-Time frenzy, a tide of excellent RPG elements, and the aim to prevent harm on Patriot city, Freedom Force is smart as it is witty.

Totally smitten with Freedom Force, it hurts to divulge the minimal frowns upon it. In fact, the game gets terribly hectic without any sign of slowing down. Selecting commands may provide golden opportunities for curt surprises from concealed enemies. Failing to detect them means your good guys go down and dead. Without radar or even a teeny map, studying your surroundings seems like
a tactical joy, but the constant, overbearing work is strain for the eyes. Trust me, if you thought 4 heroes is depressing petty, it’s enough with the brutal and lighting-quick square offs. Also, no automatic pausing is a pain. Frequent instances of tongue-lashing conforms with the in-game chaos. Even so, the robust personality of Freedom Force dwarfs the potholes floating around it. However,
far from perfect, there is nothing quite like this and is the closest thing to match a child’s interactive role in a comic book.

The hero cast is intentionally cheesy as the Super Friends. Stereotypes of the 60’s comics (corny dialogue) forges together and packs a full press of eccentricity. Merciless creatures alternatively keep the 90’s evil-doer persona unbroken. Expect the trademark of what Marvel Comics originally gave rise to. Where DC presented the typical “superhero stops supervillain,“ Marvel effectively introduced a new prospective and presented the personal life of its characters. Freedom Force excels on it too. Character growth was nice to witness, but the cast is so overpopulated that various characters are overshadowed by the stars. Cheesy hallmarks and naturally droll, the clowning occasions in Freedom Force deserves recognition.

Voice-overs are gallant, funny, and when called for, somber. Excellent themes manage to merge an exclusive fusion of topnotch sound quality while comic-looking graphics that are so colorfully caustic it’ll have your gums bleed. Once a “FOOSH,” slashed across the screen, I was tickled by my comic book sensibilities. Characters are fleshed out with exaggerated, superhero costumes and work well with the polygonal construction. The interactive 3D environment and superhero powers are very cool to watch when toyed with. The option to tailor the camera view is welcomed, especially when seconds of disorder surface. The thick quality behind every inch of comic book design has me fighting back tears.

“Sniff, it’s beautiful man. Just beautiful.”

Vast in the digit of powers and tactics, the single-player is an experience of immersive frolic. Many people responded with a confounded, “huh,“ when I asked if they knew the existence of Freedom Force. Can anyone say, “sleeper hit.” Hallmarks of the game siphons reality, and lets the boyish imaginings to roam free and putter with the infectious bounties of the game. Logging hours on the extensive single-player, the chance to shape your own characters, appearance, powers, and pick out an assortment of Marvel and DC skins, will have you brewing cup after cup of coffee. Now, to shut these blood-shot eyes. . .

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 04/12/02, Updated 04/12/02