Freedom Fighters

"Review not intentionally written on the Fourth of July."

Where do I even begin with a game such as this? You don't get an experience this great very often, and I am very disappointed with more people for not supporting this game. From the wonderful setting and plot to the strategic and engaging action, this game is a complete masterpiece.

Plotline and Story Development:

The first of many things that make this game so impressive. The game takes place in a modern setting, with an alternate history in which the Cold War never came to a conclusion. The Soviet Union has taken on an Imperialist set of ideals and has worked to conquer several parts of the world while the United States has merely watched with an attitude of appeasement and isolationism. The game's story begins with two ordinary plumbers who start off their week fixing the plumbing of a prominent spokesperson against Russia's New World Order. They are then caught up in an attempt to capture said spokeswoman during Russia's "Liberation" of America and the game takes off from there.

The plot wastes no time getting right into the story, and the pace never feels slow or dragged out. Several twists along the way keep the story interesting. One of the most impressive game stories I have ever seen (probably the most impressive from a shooter, with the possible exception of Bioshock). Freedom Fighters offers a very interesting look into one of the most important clashes of ideology in history. The game is also full of patriotic messages and Anti-Communist storytelling. Anyone who loves America, freedom, and Capitalism as much as I do will no doubt get a warm fuzzy feeling inside while taking down those darn Reds in this game.

Presentation:

The graphics of this game are about average for a game of the sixth generation. It looks nice, but nothing really that impressive. Everything looks like what it should and nothing really looks out of place.

My only downside with the physical presentation of the game is the camera. The C-Stick works great as a method of camera control, but I noticed a lot of the camera shifting around when I was trying to focus on something. Especially when I entered the over-the-shoulder viewpoint and even more when I was ducking. Both of these actions are very important so you may struggle against this a bit. It doesn't affect the gameplay, as your character will always look where you set him to and will always shoot where you aim, it's just a matter of the picture moving around and being an irritant.

The music on the other hand, was wonderful. Russian church music doesn't always seem like a natural choice for a game soundtrack, but sure enough it worked. The manner in which one of these tracks will come on after an objective (such as destroying an enemy helipad or bridge or something) gives you a major sense of accomplishment. The combination of such massive, yet meaningful destruction and the music to complement it really creates a very impressive scene. Several parts of the game are powerful enough to have been taken straight from a movie.

Like the graphics, the sound of the game does what you would expect it to and not much more. However, unlike the graphics, that is actually something very impressive this time. The way in which gunshots are flying everywhere in some of the games more intense scenes is quite atmospheric.

Gameplay:

Oh where do I even begin with this one? How about the controls that feel entirely natural and cause little if any problems throughout the game? This setup allows you to issue orders, aim and fire at enemies, climb, duck behind cover, all very easily and naturally. This helps a lot in drawing the player into the game's atmosphere.

Or maybe I should talk some about the way in which you can command your troops? Throughout the game, there are several optional, but highly recommended, side objectives that you can complete to increase your charisma, thus convincing more soldiers to join your cause and follow your orders. The artificial intelligence of your allies and enemies however, is a mixed bag. Your soldiers will do some smart things, such as taking cover behind anything that would work, but at the same time, do some very foolish things, such as try to rush an enemy standing behind a machine gun. Also, they have a bad habit of following you too closely and getting in the way of your shots. The enemies are the same way, they will make some nice decisions like calling for help when your group is spotted or move around and try to cover themselves as you attempt to snipe them, but every now and then, they will simply stand there oblivious to you as you blow their brains out. This isn't a huge problem, and the AI is pretty good for what you can expect at this point in time. However, when you're playing on the highest difficulty all by yourself because your teammates decided to stand on some C4, it can really rub the player the wrong way.

On a more positive note, the player has to do a fair bit of strategic planning themselves. Those side objective that I mentioned aren't just for charisma purposes. Say one such objective is to take out a Helipad. If you decide not to do that, you might end up running down an open street with a Helicopter chasing after you (not a very fortunate situation). However, if you take it out, you will have a better chance of succeeding in other levels where that Helicopter would be. There are several such situations as this, and the map layout makes it so that you will never end up in a near-impossible situation without the ability to go back and do said side objective. Your methods of prioritizing and strategic thinking on several maps simultaneously can be the key to success. Also, weapon choice and proper use is essential. You have eight slots in your inventory, two of which are changeable primary and secondary weapon slots. Picking the right weapons and using all eight of your items in the field is important in any situation. Last but not least, in the field, you will have to watch for where your enemies are, where you are, what either of you can use for cover, if there are any nearby items laying around to take advantage of, what your ammo situation is, all kinds of things. And the maps are perfectly designed to provide the means for all such planning. The highest difficulty setting- "Revolutionary: Against All Odds" is especially fun. In conclusion, Freedom Fighters is largely about tactics, and is a ton of fun for anybody into military strategy.

Of course, that's not to say that the shooting components of the game are overlooked. Shooter fans will also love this game. The game can just as easily be played as a "Run and Gun" shooter if you so choose. However, choosing to do so will definitely put the highest difficulty setting off limits, and possibly the second highest as well.

Replayability:

The main story of Freedom Fighters takes somewhere around ten to fifteen hours to complete. Possibly more or less depending on the difficulty setting. There are four difficulty settings ranging from very easy to very challenging. And all four (except maybe the easiest one, depending on your skill) are worth playing for their various levels of required mastery. But my favorite part of the replay has to be the multiple hidden sections of the game's levels. This game is filled with hidden areas that hold weapons, soldiers, strategic locations, all kinds of goodies. Finding these areas and learning how to take complete advantage of everything you find is one of the most rewarding and enjoyable parts of the game.

There is also some multiplayer in which each map has one flag and four bunkers. The objective is to take control of the flag for a set period of time. However, when I played this game with a friend of mine, we would always just ignore the flag and spend hours taking each other's bunkers in a repeating cycle. If this game ever gets a sequel (please IO, make it happen), there needs to be some online multiplayer. On the downside, there are only three maps to play on, but each one requires some practice to learn how to properly make advantage of everything that is on there.

Overall:

Pros:
+Wonderful story, characters, and pacing.
+Great Music and Sound
+Controls work great
+Lots of Strategy
+Good Shooting
+Lots of Replay

Cons:
-AI can be very frustrating
-Multiplayer could use some work
-Shifty Camera
-No sequel
-The very few enemies with bulletproof vests. Seriously, that's not a challenge, that's just dumb that I can only shoot them in the leg or use Molotovs or Grenades or something. >_>

In conclusion, this is a wonderful game that I give my highest recommendations to. It's a complete shame that this game was so overlooked by the gaming population. Not only because it's a wonderful game that deserves more attention than this, but also because we're now very unlikely to get a Next-Gen sequel that works on some of the problems with this game and adds some more guns, more secret areas, more multiplayer content (Online!).

I couldn't decide for a while whether to give this game a 9 or a 10, if 9.5 was an option, I might have gone with that considering that the game is by no means without its flaws. However, there's so much done right with this game that I couldn't help but give the higher score.

The bottom line: If you see a copy of this game for cheap, give it a shot! I suppose my whole purpose for writing a review of a near forgotten game from several years ago is just to say that. This game is one of the most original and fun games in recent years, and one of the greatest games I've ever played.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/06/09

Game Release: Freedom Fighters (US, 10/01/03)