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Freedom Force Preview
Chris Leyton
00/12/0000
Control a team of super heroes in this unique game based on the comic book license.
Freedom Force looks to be the most innovative and unique comic-book game ever created, breaking the normal action/platformer mould into a strategy affair akin to Biowareās Baldurs Gate series. Every facet of the game has been carefully created to replicate the feel of a good 60ās comic book, think Stan Lee, think colourful and vivid visuals and overly hammy dialogue.
New York City circa 1962 --- the zenith of the Atomic Age, the height of the Cold War. Man was taking his first tentative steps into the void of space. With every rocket launch, with every successful space mission, one question grew more and more important in the minds of all mankind: Are we alone? A dreadful answer was on its way...
Evil incarnate in the form of Lord Dominion lurks just beyond another dimension, intent on absolute supremacy of the entire universe. In a diabolical plot to have Earth destroy itself, Lord Dominion schemes to unleash the awesome might of his Energy X on an unsuspecting populace.
Thankfully you can put an end to this threat as you form, train and lead Freedom Force, a team of 14 comic-book superheroās across over 23 different levels.
Before you start each mission you must choose which of the superheroās will be the main protagonist, and which oneās will join his party of four. As soon as the team arrives at the scene, the game switches to the tactical combat mode that allows the player to direct his or her individual characters to deal with the situation. Itās the standard strategy controls, left mouse button moves, drag boxes to select multiple characters, left click on thugs to attack them, etcā¦ However before you go thinking this is just another strategy game, let me tell you about one or two things that might change your mind.
There are a wide scope of actions available to you, a pop-up window jumps us issuing the commands available to you, in a demo to us Man-Bot was situated near a truck and faced with the task of killing a bunch of nearby villains. Two options were available on the menu screen, lift the truck or use one of his default energy attacks. Selecting the former option, Levine ordered Man Bot to lift the truck and throw it toward the enemies. Levine then had El Diablo finish the rest of them off by picking up one of the lampposts and using it as a massive weapon. Itās not turn-based, but there is a great sense of tactics and strategy, ensuring that all decisions no matter how small have an impact on the action.
Whilst mindless smashing thugs and villains will get you past the first few missions, later ones will require you to think more about using the team as a whole. Different attacks use up different amounts of stamina, use it all up and youāll fall asleep whilst on the job, leaving you susceptible toā¦ well being killed in a gruesome way most likely. The trick is to using the team as a whole and there vastly varying special moves and abilities, in fact you wonāt get very far until you realise the strengths and weaknesses of each character and what makes up a good team.
The environments that youāll face are all completely interactive, allowing you to pick up cars, buildings, boulders, literally anything you can see, can be picked up and used as a weapon by the bigger heroes, whilst the smaller ones can still explode them with a carefully aimed blast. However youāll have to be wary of your surroundings as causing any unneeded damage will see the amount of points awarded to you diminish, equally if the city and its residents remain unscathed you can expect some major points. Points gained at the end of a level are then used to enhance character attributes, power up their special abilities, recruit new members and various other RPG styled elements. The various attributes influence the game amazingly, for example rubber bodies allow players to bounce instead of splatter when they fall or happen to be hurled off a New York City skyscraper.
Visually the game captures the comic book look without being spectacular. The use of bright, vivid yet simplistic graphics captures that 60ās look well. There are also some nice special effects, such as liberal use of dynamic lighting and particle effects whenever a character fires a projectile and reflective mapping on certain characters like The Bullet.
Freedom Force looks to be the first videogame to capture the comic-book experience well, even without a known license and a gameplay style that you wouldnāt expect. The actual game will appeal to strategy fans, as itās one of the best weāve seen in awhile, placing emphasis on team balance and even the smallest decisions.
Key Features
- First PC title to bring fully realized, original heroes to life in an interactive RPG world.
- Over 25 unique heroes and villains, all with their own unique voices, personalities and attributes.
- Control a squad of 4 individual characters - dozens of amazing character animations bring each hero to life.
- Uphold justice with over 23 missions that offer a variety of gameplay from foiling a bank robbery to rescuing a captured hero.
- Missions are based in real New York City locations including Central Park, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.
- Intense 3-D tactical battle engine with fully destructible environments - destroy buildings and then use the debris to attack enemies.
- āModā element allows players to completely customize and/or create their character and even create their own personal āskins.ā
- Breakthrough character RPG skill system allows players to juggle stats, pump up powers, recruit new heroes and develop existing heroes based on experience gained in tactical missions.
