"When it comes to PC games,
the niche is a hard one to satisfy all gamers. The game
is refreshingly light, yet fully satisfying. Those
looking to fulfill that RPG-RTS itch; should look no
further..."
Intro
I heard about the game last year, but nearly forgotten
about it in the onslaught of console games. The barely
unrecognizable developers, Irrational Games, put
on quite a show; yet lacked the publicity and
advertising needed to flood the market with propaganda.
Unfortunate.
Anyone who fantasize about the whimsical 60's style
comic books, will really take full enjoyment and
appreciate of Freedom Force. Set in a time where
plots where light and comical, you are in full control
of a legion of superheroes (no copyrights infringed).
The heroes are a bit wacky, but unforgettable and
timeless for a lost era. Expect no deep, new-agey, tree-huggin'
missions; but rather witty and "Retro-Cartoon"
type play.
A time where firemen saved kittens from trees...
When you first start off in the game, you can't help but
get sucked into the ultra-cheesy motifs. The characters
and plot are about as dry as an old episode of The
Fantastic Four. I think if you get into this mode,
enjoying the game should be a piece of cake. However, if
86'ed cartoons on the Cartoon Network make you
sick and can only watch CGI, then move along...
The game plays very similar to others in the past. With
a simple point-and-click interface, control is
extremely simplistic. If you can imagine Diablo
in a 60's cartoon, then you can get a good visual. The
initial experience that impressed me was the tone the
game set, and how well the game actually scrolled (although
somewhat linear). Those who cringe at dungeon
crawlers and games in 3/4-overview perspective take
note. Simply by scrolling your wheel mouse (or
another assigned key) will cause the view to be
right on the streets to way up on the rooftops. This
simple option really added to the gameplay issues that
face many games within the genre.
Gameplay is ultra-simple, yet surprisingly fun. Starting
off with the lovable hero MinuteMan, you progress
through a series of well thought up tutorials. The
tutorials play parallel with the opening game, so you
can leave the tutorial aspects if you choose to do so.
Since the game is fairly linear, following the yellow
arrow leads to your next objective. Being a strategic
RPG might sound a bit more exhaustive than it really is,
but it's the only way to classify it. The role-playing
elements are all here, along with the strategic battle
plans that pan out as the game progresses. After a
mission or two, more party members will offer their
help. The variety of heroes, along with their powers are
incredibly entertaining and always quirky.
Since the main draw of the game is the comical aura,
gameplay matches the theme byte for byte. With up to
four characters in your party, the interaction between
environment and gameplay hardly bore. In fact, the
characters are so enjoyable, and the interface so
manageable; you wouldn't want any extras even if you
tried. To be fully honest, the only real negative I
could find in the gameplay aspects, was the lack of an
on-screen map. The maps are fairly small and linear, but
in the midst of buildings and alleys, one can easily get
lost.
Controlling the game is classic RPG/Baldurs Gate type.
Left click performs the primary action, and right
clicking brings up a set of options. Left clicking on a
car, for example, will automatically pick up the
vehicle. Once lifted, you can either set it down or send
it flying. Right clicking, however, would have
given you options to either pick it up or destroy it.
The same goes for enemies. Left clicking will attack,
and right clicking will give you options ranging from a
variety of attacks to numerous special powers, and even
interrogate the baddie. The entire point-and-click
routine pretty much sums up the control aspects of the
gameplay. The interface is also cleanly laid out, and
sticks to the whole 60's theme with an attractive comic
book type font.
The battle system is equally simplistic, yet keeps the
traditional aspects of turn based RPG's with a mix of
real time strategy. Action can be slowed down, paused,
increased and even stopped. This allows you to plan your
attacks with RPG precision, with the fluidity of a real
time strategy game. Surrounding the characters icon, is
two different colored bars. One is for the energy and
the other is the health. More powerful powers and moves
use more energy. For the most part, planning in the
beginning takes little patience. It's not until later
when the energy bar plays a vital role. Since the game
is built on the RPG level, experience is crucial into
the development and advancement of your player. Prestige
Points is the buzzword, and getting these points is
done through a variety of means. Completing sub and main
objectives boost your prestige, and the less damaged
occurred is also rewarded. If you plan on wrecking havoc
by overturning every vehicle in your path, and crumbling
every building, your prestige can be reduced. Once your
prestige builds you are able to acquire new skills and
even new characters.
One of the biggest lures of the game is the
customization of the characters. You can start off and
create your own character, as powerful or as weak as you
want. You can customize everything from strength to
special powers. This all comes at a price, however. The
more powerful you make a character, the more prestige is
required to obtain them. So, in essence, recruiting your
custom built players can take anywhere from about three
to six missions. I would have preferred there to be a
cap on how powerful you could make a character, simply
because the game was way to easy once I was able
to import my custom guy. As much as I appreciated this
option, the challenge was diminished soon after my ultra
powerful character was on the scene. For those looking
for variety, however, an included character editor adds
to the personalization. Go on the web, and there are
literally thousands of downloadable skins. If you
can think it, it's out there somewhere...
The multiplayer was fairly vanilla, and seemed to be
more of a show of "my gun's bigger than yours".
The only option is deathmatch; but it would have been
fun to have mission-based team play. My final gripe would
be the AI of not only the bad guys but your teammates as
well. All too many times, a building would come crashing
down on them, as you scream MOOOOOOVEEE!!!. Sure,
you can control it, but when the action becomes hectic I
expect my team to think for themselves a little bit. The
enemy also plays like a bad rerun of an old Batman
TV. show, and goons are basically mindless.
Everything old is new again...
If you look at the game from a total visual standpoint,
it really can't compete with current titles on the
market. The graphics are very clean, colorful and
sharp. As outdated as the graphics are, that fact never
crossed my mind. I loved the simplistic animations and
backgrounds. They all flowed perfectly with the theme,
and anything more could have made the game too showy.
So, I have to give two thumbs up for the game visually,
and it proves that games don't have to be graphical
juggernauts to compete in today’s market.
Keeping pace with old school cartoons, the voice acting
is cheesy and over emphasized. It plays perfectly with
the feel of the game, and should keep fans going strong.
The background music was limited, and almost
unnoticeable. Sound effects also flow wonderfully with
the pace of the game, and classic "WHAM"
and "BOOM" bubbles pop up accordingly.
66 Says:
The game is really almost a sleeper of a title. Most of
the people I speak to have never even heard of it. I
think if you love the Diablo-type games, this is a sure
thing for you. The interface is very enjoyable, and the
game plays without any sense of urgency. While the
single player game can be completed easily in the 10-15
hour range, the customization really keeps the title
going strong.
I expect in future patches that the multiplayer to get a
swift kick. Once team play and other multiplayer
functions are added, this should be an addictive little
online game. Again, the game is simply a breath of fresh
air and should be enjoyed by all gamers. It's refreshing
to see titles like this come about, and have to give
kudos to Irrational Games and Electronic Arts.
This is a must have for PC gamers everywhere...
Oh, on a side note... I experienced a few problems
getting the game to run; as with many others. I'm
running Windows XP and have an Elsa Gladiac problem. I
got blue screens randomly, and this was solved simply
but hitting the "update" button in the GUI for
my video card. Other solutions should be to make sure
you have all the Direct X updates along with hardware
and software updates for your video card....
9.0
