Freedom Fighters

"A great squad-based shooter for the GCN."

I, for one, absolutely love this game and have beaten it all the way through several times. It's one of those games where you just get wrapped up in the story and care about the characters.

Story - 9/10
You play as Chris Stone, a former plumber turned "Freedom Fighter". The storyline is the basic Cold-War type, except in an alternative reality. The Soviets have invaded New York City and have ravaged it. You, Chris Stone, must form together a band of Freedom Fighters and recapture what is rightfully yours. The story tends to remind you of "Red Dawn", the movie where Patrick Swayze plays a guerrilla freedom fighter, much like the hero in this game.

Graphics - 7/10
The graphics in this game are okay. Although, not extraordinary, they are fairly good. The buildings look believable, as do the characters. The cut-scenes in between missions look very real. The one thing that really stands out in my mind is the fire: the fire in this game looks so totally fake it's pathetic. But, other than that, the graphics are not all that bad.

Sound - 8/10
The sound in this game is great. When you in the midsts of a firefight, you actually start to believe that you're there. With the guns going off, and men yelling, you feel as though you're in the middle of a war zone. Simply put...great sound.

Gameplay - 10/10
The gameplay in this game is the best I've ever seen for a squad-based shooter and you're men and women are not at all stupid. In fact, the AI in this game is very good, and sometimes even challenging to go up against. The command interface is simple: A button that makes you're men attack, one for defending, and another one that makes them follow right behind you. Even though, the commands may be simple, it's enough to get the job done and anyone may pick up the controller and start barking out orders.

In the harder levels of difficulty, it is essential that you use well thought out tactics, or else you and your men will be slaughtered.

Conclusion:
This game is great for any squad-based shooter fan. Or even if you don't like squad-based shooters, you can put it on a lower level of difficulty and not have to worry about strategy as much, and it turns out to be a good shoot 'em up if you do that. My advice: BUY THIS GAME! It is great fun and you will walk away knowing that you saved New York City from Soviet Domination.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/07/04