"Clobberin' Time!"

Freedom Force is one of the better ideas I've ever heard of for a video game. Take a super-hero theme...but allow the player to control a whole team of heroes. Do this by implementing a half and half action and strategy game, and allow characters to be fully upgradable and customizable. Throw in a killer soundtrack, perfectly acted voice overs, great graphics...and you've got a winner on your hands.

It's really, really good, with only a couple of flaws to trip it up. FF is definitely something to look into if you're a fan of good action/strategy games, of super heroes, or any combination of the two.

The best parts:

The presentation is just incredible. The method of storytelling, the way the frames fade in and out, the drawings of the characters, the voices of every character from the narrator to the lowliest thug, it's all A+ material. Everything from the options menus to the instruction book is written in comic book style, with little captions, word balloons, the perfect ''letterer'' writing. I would even say with no hesitation that I've never seen better overall presentation in a videogame before in my life, with the possible exception of Medal of Honor for the Playstation. It's that good a total package.

The plot - _really_ drives this game. You find yourself playing level after level because you actually want to know what happens, in addition to wanting to kick some bad guy buttocks. The initial story of the origin of Minuteman, for example, is absolutely fantastic and enthralling, as well as being entertaining in a classic comics sort of way. It also helps that the character is always talking about getting ''those Ruskies'' or ''Reds'' in a perfect non-PC homage to how comics really were back in the day. The graphics - in combination with terrific outfit design. FF is simply a marvel to look at, with clean textures, bright colors abounding, excellent shading and light sourcing. The character designs really show it off too - you can see the characters mouths move when talking, make out subtle details of the fabric they wear, see the flowing capes flutter with changes in the wind.

The game's customizability and expandability - the chance to make your own skins and create your favorite heroes is a nearly invaluable part of the game. I'm sure that in no time there'll be skins available on the net for the old Avengers, the Mighty Thor, the whole cast from Kingdom Come on the DC side...since anyone can create them.

The sound effects - perfect. The sound of a punch hitting its mark, of a phone booth crashing down upon a hapless thug, of a laser beam firing through the air, it's all wonderful. The details have been thoroughly researched for this fine project.

The few negatives -

The gameplay engine is not bad, but it's not a work of genius either. Basically, the game plays largely like Baldur's Gate in that it acts out things in real time, but with the player's option to pause the action at any time and make changes or direct characters. This in and of itself is not all that bad, but...at least to me, it feels either like an action game trying to be a strategy game, or a strategy game trying to be an action game. Not something I despise as an end result, but not something I find incredibly attractive or addictive either.

This leading into a lack of replay value, to some extent. While it's true that one could play the game repeatedly with different casts of characters, customizing and creating here and there, I still don't find FF to be nearly as good the 2nd or 3rd time through. Keep in mind, it's a rollercoaster thrill ride the first time thanks to the great plot and presentation, but the gameplay never really clicked with me well enough for repeat adventures.

In short, it's hard to give a game like this a rating of only an 7 out of 10, but that's where it lands. It's a combination of a high 9 out of 10 for presentation, and a middling 6 or 7 out of 10 for the gameplay engine. And since gameplay always wins out over bells and whistles (even the best bells and whistles in the universe), the game winds up a very, very high 7. An excellent game with a lot of well-implemented new ideas, with maximum enjoyment being achieved the first time through.

Highly recommended, short-lived, top quality game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/22/02, Updated 10/26/02