"I am forced to eat my words about cross-platforming..."

Freedom Fighter is basically a game about an American, Christopher Stone's struggle against the fictional Soviet invasion over the United States of America. Developed by IO Interactive and published by EA Games for the PC, this game is proof that not all cross-platformed games are wasted. This game is also available for the XBox, PS2 and GameCube.

GRAPHICS - 8 / 10
This game is definitely not going to win any awards on eye candy, but the graphics are still acceptably sweet compared to some other recent games. The particle effects in this game is incredibly detailed, although it does hog the system quite a bit, especially in the heat of battle. The environments are extremely realistic, with crumbling buildings and smoking debris. The character animation is quite well done, with the rag doll physics inplemented almost perfectly. Unfortunately, there are still some cases where people can be seen through walls and guns get stuck in mid-air. Fortunately, these problems are minimal, and won't hinder gameplay much.

SOUND - 9 / 10
There is only one word that can describe the sounds in this game: Immersive. The shouting of your character as he gives orders, the sound of multiple guns blazing as you rush towards your enemy, the richocheting of bullets from various surfaces, and the agonizing screams of the enemy as they get killed. These sounds blend together in harmony, making your desktop computer one live battlefield as it convinces everyone who hears the sounds made that it is real. In fact, it would have gotten a perfect 10 if it wasn't for the fact that there is no variety in the annoying victory music.

GAMEPLAY - 10 / 10
This is where this game really shines. Right in the beginning, the game drops you smack dab in the middle of a warzone as the Soviets invade Manhattan. As you try frantically to escape this chaotic battlefield, you are taught the basic mechanics of the game without you even realising it. The game then progresses through multiple chapters which consists of several areas where you can decide which to attempt first. Some missions require you to move to another area/mission to aquire some items before you're able to complete it. The squad system in this game is also very interesting. You initially start off with a maximum of two squad members, but as the game progresses and you complete more mission objectives and pull off heroics like healing wounded people, you're awarded 'Charisma Points'. Charisma Points are basically Experience points in RPGs. As you gain more Charisma Points, you will increase your Charisma Level, which decides how many rebels you can recruit. My only complaint about this game is that it is too short. Before I knew it, I've won the war, and I've spent less than 8 hours playing this game.

CONTROLS - 8 / 10
I've expected this to suck after being cross-platformed from consoles. I was wrong. The controls are simple and responsive, with full mouse capability to aim and shoot unlike some other cross-platformed games like Enter The Matrix. The squad control system is also simple and efficient, with only three keys: Regroup/Follow, Scout/Attack and Defend/Stand Ground, yet they were enough to issue commands to your squad members effectively. This game's movement scheme is camera orientated like Spider-Man: The Movie Game, but unlike Spider-Man, this movement scheme doesn't suck, mainly because you actually get to use the mouse to shoot and switch to aiming mode, as well as move the camera.

STORY - 7 / 10
A story about an epic struggle of a young man against ruthless Soviet invaders. 'Nuff said. There isn't much of a story here, but it does teach kids about patriotism and stuff like that. The game rocks anyway, so who cares about the story.

REPLAYABILITY - 9 / 10
Some missions are annoying, but some are really worth playing over again just for the sake of nostalgia. After you complete the game, you're awarded with a level selector like Max Payne's. This lets you select and play your favourite missions over and over again, especially since the game is so short.

OVERALL - 9 / 10
I don't believe this will ever happen, but it did. I wholeheartedly admit that I am forced to eat my words about cross-platformed games being failures. IO Interactive not only brought this game to FOUR platforms, it did it successfully. This game is worth playing no matter what is your favourite genre. Don't be surprised if you're suddenly staging a rebellion against your boss/school principal with your friends.

PROS
- Best cross-platformed game ever
- Good controls
- Intelligent AI
- Great sound
- Teaches kids to be patriotic
- Cool logo

CONS
- Too short
- Could cause players to start rebelling against everything
- The main character is a plumber??!!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/03