"A Super Game"

Freedom Force is one of those underdog games that are fantastic in concept and fun to play, but unfortunately the name of the game never really becomes all that big.

In a genre that is primarily overrun by orcs, dwarves, and elves in a fantasy world, Freedom Force takes the concept of an action RPG with a party and gives it a superhero angle. The result?: a great game that has some unfortunate, but small, faults.

Story: 9/10

The basic story is that you take the control of a group of heroes known as the Freedom Force on a journey to stop evil doers all over the world. Little canisters have fallen from an alien space craft to earth, giving certain humans superhero powers and what not. You start off as the Captain America-like Minute Man and eventually you'll run into another superhero named Mentor, and then shortly after that you'll organize the birth of the Freedom Force and the group grows larger with more heroes you meet, and your ultimate goal is to stop the bad guys from taking over the world.

The story takes place as an old 1960's era comic book. You have your typical heroes and villains that will remarkably resemble that of the actual superheroes that started off at that time period and have remained popular to this very day. Each hero has their own origin story that is told in the form of a comic book with voiced over dialogue.

Perhaps it's nostalgia, but the story of Freedom Force really does a fantastic job of capturing the tone and mood of the comics that were made in the 1960's. Each character has their own distinctive personalities that you'll either love or hate, and if you like comics, you should definitely get a kick out of Freedom Force's story. And to top things off, the ending of Freedom Force was really cool. Sure, it's cheesy, just like the 60's comics were, but that's part of the reason why it makes the game so great. Surprisingly enough, the ending is actually pretty powerful, and resembles what makes comic books so great.

Gameplay: 8/10

This is a party based strategy RPG when you boil it down. This is no Diablo, or Final Fantasy, or anything like that. To be honest, I don't think I've ever really played a game like this before. It's sort of like Neverwinter Nights (if you've ever played that game before) only with a party.

Initially you'll start off with one hero, then eventually it will expand and you'll be able to choose who you want in your superhero party, being able to control a party of four at the max. Each super hero will have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, depending on their stats and powers. Some superheroes can fly, while others can climb buildings, or shoot laser beams, or hurl a bomb at someone, etc. This will eventually become the central part of the gameplay: managing your team and organizing a strategy of going around fighting bad guys.

Like any RPG, there's naturally a stat system that you can use to increase your heroes abilities. Freedom Force has this thing called prestige points, and basically what this means is that the more good that your heroes do, the more prestige points you will receive, and those points can be used to increase hero stats, purchase new and upgraded super powers (which you'll have a limited use of using with a power bar, similar to mana in fantasy games) or simply purchasing new heroes to use in your party. You can obtain prestige points by saving pedestrians, completing your mission in general, and the less destruction you do will also grant you more prestige.

Speaking of destruction, the environments are fully destructible. You can level a building, pick up and throw a car, or even pick up a street pole and swing it around like a bat. This part of the game can become really fun. There's something satisfying in picking up a car and hurling it half way across the map and seeing it explode into something else. (some heroes are stronger than others)

One of the more confusing elements to Freedom Force is its interface and control scheme. Fighting in the game can be kind of weird at times, especially when it comes to managing your party. This is a real time strategy RPG, meaning that it isn't turned based. However, you can right click on an enemy or object, and the game will pause to bring up this submenu that shows a list of what powers you have and what you can do. A lot of the times the fighting can become hectic, especially if you're focusing on one or two heroes, while the other two end up half way across the map because someone shot at them (leading your hero to go chase them down and fight back by default) and before you know it, nearly half of your party has been killed. Management of your heroes is a very key point in the game, and sometimes it simply becomes overwhelming. However, it is a skill that you can become accustomed to if you have the patience to do so.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are superb, what can I say? It really makes you feel like you're actually in a 60's comic book brought to life. They are very cartoonish, but what can you expect from a comic book game? Occasionally there will be a mess up in the graphics, but it's usually never anything too bad.

Sound/Audio: 9/10

The music sets the tone of the 60's comic era very nicely, and the voice work is really good as well. Although a bit cheesy at times, it's still very well done. Unfortunately, the game has some sound issues in the technical department, so make sure your sound card is up to date.

Multiplayer: 3/10

To be blunt, the multiplayer sucks. Basically you're only option is a death match mode, which doesn't work at all for a game like Freedom Force. Sure, it might be interesting at first, but it loses its appeal after initial use. Perhaps if the game had an option to play missions in a co-op mode, that would have been great. Maybe have four players control one superhero each, or maybe have two people control two heroes and go off to do missions, but alas this option is not there. If you're looking for a fun multiplayer game, look elsewhere. Freedom Force sucks in this department.

Replayability: 6/10

Once you beat the single player missions, there's really no point in playing any more. There is a Freedom Force editor you can download that lets you play around with the game's models and such, and you can also create your own custom hero. You can also replay missions to get better prestige points to unlock more powers and heroes to add to your party. But overall, the games single player is where it shines, and once that's over with then there isn't much point in playing more.

Final Thoughts:

Freedom Force grew on me. It's not one of those games that everyone is going to like. In fact, when I first started the game, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it either. But as the games concepts and story unfolded, the game grew on me a lot. However, the managing system can become tedious, and the interface's even a bit confusing, especially for people who just want to jump in and play a superhero game. This game requires a pretty good learning curve, and in that regard I can't exactly recommend this game for everyone. However, if you're looking for a good superhero game that really brings to life those original comics, and will make you think and strategize your options, then by all means Freedom Force is an excellent choice.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 05/23/03, Updated 09/16/04