Freedom Fighters Review (XBOX)
I have a bit of a soft spot for games like Freedom Fighters. That is, I enjoy picking up critically acclaimed games that no one's ever heard of. I suppose it makes me feel special - like I know something that no one else does. That, and I don't want good games to go overlooked. In that spirit, I bought Freedom Fighters a while back, and I just recently got a chance to play through it. The critical acclaim is mostly deserved, but I can certainly understand why it wasn't a more high-profile game.
Freedom Fighters is, at its core, a third-person shooter. But soon enough, it becomes apparent that it is actually real-time-strategy-lite at heart. You take control of a plumber named Chris something just as the Russians successfully invade New York. Your brother is kidnapped, while you're swept up in the chaos and end up joining a group of freedom fighters that operate out of the New York sewer system.
From the sewers, you and your A.I. squadmate(s) can recapture or destroy various key locations in order to weaken the Russians' hold on the country. As you complete objectives and heal wounded soldiers, your charisma increases, which allows you to recruit more soldiers at once. By the end of the game, you can command up to twelve soldiers.
Once you're commanding a bunch of soldiers, the RTS-lite gameplay begins to shine through. You can't run and gun through the levels, and there are WAY too many enemies to take on single-handedly. You are forced to command your troops effectively, while laying down gunfire and chucking grenades. This is where the game is at its best. Controlling your troops is effortless because of the limited number of commands at your disposal (hence RTS-lite), yet it's robust enough to offer satisfying choices.
It really is satisfying to hop on a turret while your soldiers protect your back, or to send your men (and women) charging into a fortified enemy position while sneaking around to flank them. The more charisma you accrue, the more the game becomes about making good choices with your commands, rather than making good choices about where to send your own bullets.
You also have to make good choices about which objectives to tackle and in which order. From the sewers, you are shown a map with several areas, each with multiple objectives. You can tackle these areas in any order. Additionally, anytime you find a manhole, you can return to base, go to a different area or quicksave. You're not given much direction as to the order you should take, but you will soon learn that carefully planning your attack is just as important pre-battle as it is during battle.
For example, in one mission, I was having a hell of a time advancing down a particular street towards the power plant that I had to retake. Standing in my way was a bunch of enemies (one of which was wielding a very dangerous rocket launcher) and an attack helicopter, which could shred me in an instant. I backtracked all through the level, procuring the lone rocket to take out the helicopter, only to find that, by the time we got about halfway down the street, a new chopper was in the air, bearing down on us. After many failed attempts, I perfectly coordinated our attack so that I could pick up the enemy's rocket launcher and take out the new chopper. This was exceedingly difficult, but eventually, it worked.
Listening to the briefing for the next area, I found, much to my chagrin, that destroying the helipad in this area would have eliminated the enemy's air presence in my previous mission. Had I known that, I could've taken the power plant in less than half the time, with about a tenth of the frustration. Needless to say, I planned my attacks much more carefully from then on, and to great effect.
I really enjoyed making these types of strategic decisions and carrying them out in the context of an action game. Do I go straight for the main objective (which clears the entire area), or do I collect more charisma by completing all the secondary objectives? Do I charge in, guns blazing, or do I look for an alternate, less exposed path?
There were, however, some things about the game that I didn't enjoy as much. You're endowed with a too generous auto-aim, which I only forgive because Freedom Fighters isn't really a shooter. Well, usually it's not. There are a couple of missions in the middle of the game where you go solo. One of them was pretty fun. Knowing I could only rely upon myself added a nice amount of tension. The other one, however, curiously decided to introduce the strongest enemy in the game, at the end of the level, with no save points. Restarting that mission over and over was more than just a little frustrating.
Since the game is slightly non-linear, there are some spots where you can get yourself into really bad situations. These can be frustrating as well. The art style is kind of bland (especially compared to the sweeping soundtrack), the story is ho-hum (despite an awesome concept), and it lacks the polish of a first-class title.
So, no, Freedom Fighters is not a AAA title. I understand why it was a sleeper. Its kitschy graphics and non-traditional gameplay (and probably its marketing budget) precluded it from being a mainstream hit. But it is a good game. It has its flaws, but if you take it for what it is, you will surely find an enjoyable experience that few others have.
7.5
-Joule
Freedom Fighters is, at its core, a third-person shooter. But soon enough, it becomes apparent that it is actually real-time-strategy-lite at heart. You take control of a plumber named Chris something just as the Russians successfully invade New York. Your brother is kidnapped, while you're swept up in the chaos and end up joining a group of freedom fighters that operate out of the New York sewer system.
From the sewers, you and your A.I. squadmate(s) can recapture or destroy various key locations in order to weaken the Russians' hold on the country. As you complete objectives and heal wounded soldiers, your charisma increases, which allows you to recruit more soldiers at once. By the end of the game, you can command up to twelve soldiers.
Once you're commanding a bunch of soldiers, the RTS-lite gameplay begins to shine through. You can't run and gun through the levels, and there are WAY too many enemies to take on single-handedly. You are forced to command your troops effectively, while laying down gunfire and chucking grenades. This is where the game is at its best. Controlling your troops is effortless because of the limited number of commands at your disposal (hence RTS-lite), yet it's robust enough to offer satisfying choices.
It really is satisfying to hop on a turret while your soldiers protect your back, or to send your men (and women) charging into a fortified enemy position while sneaking around to flank them. The more charisma you accrue, the more the game becomes about making good choices with your commands, rather than making good choices about where to send your own bullets.
You also have to make good choices about which objectives to tackle and in which order. From the sewers, you are shown a map with several areas, each with multiple objectives. You can tackle these areas in any order. Additionally, anytime you find a manhole, you can return to base, go to a different area or quicksave. You're not given much direction as to the order you should take, but you will soon learn that carefully planning your attack is just as important pre-battle as it is during battle.
For example, in one mission, I was having a hell of a time advancing down a particular street towards the power plant that I had to retake. Standing in my way was a bunch of enemies (one of which was wielding a very dangerous rocket launcher) and an attack helicopter, which could shred me in an instant. I backtracked all through the level, procuring the lone rocket to take out the helicopter, only to find that, by the time we got about halfway down the street, a new chopper was in the air, bearing down on us. After many failed attempts, I perfectly coordinated our attack so that I could pick up the enemy's rocket launcher and take out the new chopper. This was exceedingly difficult, but eventually, it worked.
Listening to the briefing for the next area, I found, much to my chagrin, that destroying the helipad in this area would have eliminated the enemy's air presence in my previous mission. Had I known that, I could've taken the power plant in less than half the time, with about a tenth of the frustration. Needless to say, I planned my attacks much more carefully from then on, and to great effect.
I really enjoyed making these types of strategic decisions and carrying them out in the context of an action game. Do I go straight for the main objective (which clears the entire area), or do I collect more charisma by completing all the secondary objectives? Do I charge in, guns blazing, or do I look for an alternate, less exposed path?
There were, however, some things about the game that I didn't enjoy as much. You're endowed with a too generous auto-aim, which I only forgive because Freedom Fighters isn't really a shooter. Well, usually it's not. There are a couple of missions in the middle of the game where you go solo. One of them was pretty fun. Knowing I could only rely upon myself added a nice amount of tension. The other one, however, curiously decided to introduce the strongest enemy in the game, at the end of the level, with no save points. Restarting that mission over and over was more than just a little frustrating.
Since the game is slightly non-linear, there are some spots where you can get yourself into really bad situations. These can be frustrating as well. The art style is kind of bland (especially compared to the sweeping soundtrack), the story is ho-hum (despite an awesome concept), and it lacks the polish of a first-class title.
So, no, Freedom Fighters is not a AAA title. I understand why it was a sleeper. Its kitschy graphics and non-traditional gameplay (and probably its marketing budget) precluded it from being a mainstream hit. But it is a good game. It has its flaws, but if you take it for what it is, you will surely find an enjoyable experience that few others have.
7.5
-Joule
posted by Voomp at
8:00 AM
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