"The makers of Hitman strike again, in one of the best shooters to ever grace a console"

Freedom Fighters is a third person, squad-based shooter, from the makers of Hitman 2: Silent Assassin. It combines the guns a-blazing action that many hardcore shooter fans have come to love, with a bit of sneaking around and minimal puzzles, like going to blow up a bridge, or releasing prisoners.

Story: 9/10
This game takes place in an alternate future, in which the Russians dropped an atomic bomb on Britain and ended up winning World War 2. They continued to take over, until the good old United States of America becomes the only non-communist country left in the whole world. Then, the Russians take action.
The story has you, Chris Stone, driving to a miss Isabella something's house with your brother. You are both plumbers. (hmm... plumbers fighting evil, sounds like a famous Italian plumber i've heard of) As you walk in and discover no one is home, a group of Russians burst in through the front door. They believe you brother is miss Isabella's boyfriend, and take him away. It appears the communists have begun their takeover of the USA with an attempt to take Russia. You hide in the side hallway, and then grab your trust wrench to crack some skulls. You run to save your brother, and end up saving a ''Mr. Jones'' who is the leader of an under-ground resistance movement. You then discover the true nature of Isabella, and start your uprising as a Freedom Fighter.
This plays out nicely over the course of the game, which is displayed through cut-scenes and news programs on SAFN, which I believe stands for ''Soviet Armed Forces Network''

Graphics: 8/10
The graphics are outstanding. Many of the objects can't be interacted with, but they all look nice. You and your squadmates have nice fluent motions, which may look a little robotic at times. Facial expressions can change, and not every guy and girl look identical to every other person. The enemies also look superb, and they move realistically as you blow them into the next communist age.

Controls: 9/10
The controls are rock solid, and will feel very comfortable to anyone who play Hitman 2 on the Gamecube. The X, Y, and A buttons are used to give your squad mates their 3 primary commands - Attack, Defend, and Follow. The R button shoots, and holding L brings up an over the shoulder aiming reticle. This way of shooting is easier for scoring headshots, but the movement is a little too jerky. You naturally move around with the control stick, and use the C stick to rotate the way your character is facing.

Fun Factor: 10/10
This isn't a joke. This game is one of the best possible ways to occupy yourself. Shooting people in games is always fun, and the large numbers of opposing forces make this a very appealing game. The squad elements add a pinch of strategy, and the different guns and the reactions of the enemies as you shoot them just keeps your interest high. You will keep playing this game well after completion.

Multiplayer: 8/10
While a cooperative feature would have made this THE multiplayer game to buy, the capture the flag is relatively fun. You can do either 1 on 1, 2 on 2, or 2 on 1. If there are only 2 players, they can't be on the same team.

Fun Factor/Overall: 9/10
While this is a very near perfect game, it still won't appeal to those haters of shooters. If you have any interest in the Hitman series, Real Time Strategy, or any shooter, don't hesitate to go buy this, if you can find it. The Gamecube version of this game tends to be very hard to track down, but look hard! It's well worth it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/03