Hello gaming fellas, hope you all are doing great and living the best of your lives. As I had started playing 'Freedom Fighters' a week back and today, I have finished it.
Freedom Fighters is a game developed by IO Interactive (also the developers for Big games like Hitman and Kane & Lynch) and published by Electronic Arts. It remains one of the finest shooter games of its era. Originally released for PS2, Xbox and PC in late 2003. One of the best thing this game brought is the "CHARISMA" system, letting you recruit up to a dozen of freedom fighters like oneself as they liberate New York City from a (Marxist) Soviet invasion.
Storyline is set in an alternative history where the Soviet never collapsed and they have invaded America. A freedom fighter named Chris Stone, a 32 year old plumber and our protagonist fight for his and America's freedom. The story begins with his brother being captured during the initial assault, this causes Chris to join Isabella Angelina's movement, waging a guerrilla warfare from the city's sewer tunnels. The storyline is quite straightforward with a predictable twist. It is full of action scenes and gunship fights with variety of guns. Most of the talks is done on the news broadcasts, offering a lean but engaging arc.
Gameplay is quite innovative and engaging. Controls are smooth, easy to adapt and weapons range from pistols to RPG. What sets it apart is the squad mechanic. By performing heroic deeds like rescuing civilians or capturing strategic points, you earn charisma points. This charisma gives you the power to hire and control a bunch of other fighters. These fighters will follow your lead. There are three main commands one can perform:
1. Follow Me! (Orders your selective group members to stick close to you).
2. Attack! (Engage them to specific enemy or area).
3. Defend here! (Tell them to hold a particular location).
More pleasing thing is that you can specify these commands for each on of the recruits. Let's say you have 6 fighters, you can command two to follow you, one to defend and other three to attack. Isn't it amazing? Well, it is for me.
AI fighters are quite intellectual too, they take cover, provide suppressing fire and react according to the situation, making everything feel varied and alive.
Missions, too, encourage creative tactics, often requiring you to disable anti-air defence system or disrupt enemies supply lines or C-4 a bridge or a helipad. Everything has a meaning in this game. If you have destroyed a helipad or disrupted their supply, you will face a lot lesser enemies.
The game also comes with four difficulty levels: Demonstrator, Rebel, Freedom Fighter, and Revolutionary.
All four levels adjust you, your squad and enemy's damage system. I played on rebel, so it was quite easy. You get to heal a lot easily and frequently or there is ammunition everywhere. As one missile from the tank is not enough to bother us. As demonstrated in the picture.
There is one thing which bothered me along this beautiful journey, accuracy system, I know that it can't be 100% but it wasn't even 50%. You cannot be sure whether its going to hit the enemy not even when you are motionless or crouching.
For a game over two decades old, Freedom Fighters still looks impressive. I played it on PC and high resolutions hit the most, detailed character models and objects, war-like environment. Graphics are peak for that era.
The sound track is mixed with strong voice holds and chorals. The theme is overall realistic, every character has its own voice. even the Russian soldiers narrate in their native language. The sound it plays for resistance struggle is overwhelming.
Climax: In the end, Chris leads a big raid on Soviet controlled SAFN broadcast studios. The final mission includes a massive, multi objective assault on Fort Jay. After the explosives and raised flag, Fort Jay falls and the disgraced General Mikael Bulba who betrayed us flee New York by helicopter. With the Island secured and Isabella safe, Chris and his fellow fighters stand atop. The game closes with celebration, but Chris's final resolve ("We'll keep fighting as long as it takes.") leaves the door open for the struggle to continue beyond the city shores.
For the Freedom Fighters 2, it is still in the making or maybe we will never get to play it (as per my knowledge).
That's all for today's post.
Thanks for sticking by!
Do mention your thoughts.
PEACE 🕊️