Freedom Force

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Start out with a comic-book style origin story that introduces you to Freedom Force, the superhero team you'll control
• Use your group's super-powers to make your way in a fully interactive 3D New York -- you can rip out streetlights, throw cars and demolish buildings
• Zoom in & out, control camera angle, and battle thugs and aliens
• Earn prestige points by saving people, but be careful you don't lose them by causing damage -- the more prestige points you have the better your reputation is
• Unlock other secret origins and secrets of Freedom Force

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005V8TW
• Media: CD-ROM
• Release Date: March 26, 2002
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,706 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Platform: PC | Edition: Standard

Amazon.com Review

Freedom Force is a real-time-strategy role-playing game that lets you guide several heroes through a series of linear missions. The game takes place in the '60s and looks, sounds, and acts like a vintage Stan Lee/Jack Kirby collaboration. Because Irrational Games didn't secure a big-name license (such as Marvel or DC), the game uses original characters, but they've cleverly packed in a character generator, and the Net is rife with fan sites offering, gratis, just about any hero you can think of: the Hulk, Spidey, Batman, and even Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons! You can use your own heroes in multiplayer mode or in the game itself by buying them with your Prestige Points (more on this below).

Starting off as star-spangled spreader of justice Minute Man, you'll begin your quest to thwart the powers of evil. Along the way you'll meet the alien Mentor, the fiery Latino El Diablo, the melancholy Man-Bot, a speedster named Bullet, and many more. Characters have statistics like any RPG and they gain experience as a team. Those on a mission gain the full value, and those back at Freedom Base gain only a fraction. When they "level up" you can buy new powers for them. Saving lives and solving missions gives you Prestige Points, which is a measure of how the citizens feel about your team. PP's let you buy new characters in the game.

The camera system is fluid and intuitive. You can spin around the heroes, zoom in and out, and even set the camera to follow them cinematically. The interface is also simple to use. Click on the character portrait, choose an attack, and click on the bad guy. Things get hectic in battle but you can pause the action with the space bar. You can also choose a slow-motion option, making it much easier to keep up with the action. The graphics are bright and vibrant and the audio is fantastic.

Freedom Force is a great tactical-strategy game on top of being a terrific tribute to the heroes of the comics' vaunted Silver Age. This is a game that's so good, you might want to buy two and keep one safe in a Mylar plastic bag. 'Nuff said. --Bob Andrews

Pros:

• Pays loving tribute to the subject matter
• The game behind the tribute is likewise worthy

Cons:

• The missions are too linear to be replayable

Product Description

Freedom Force puts you into your favorite comic-book adventures as you lead a of team of superheroes in their missions across New York City! Exciting multiplayer games that takes you into the superhero thrills you loved as a kid!

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner In Each Sense of the Word, June 24, 2002

By 

Jeremy Yoder - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freedom Force (CD-ROM)

Graphically, this game is beautiful, as are the sounds and music. It's definitely original with the superhero backdrop, and someone with more than a passing interest in comics and their history will appreciate the near perfect duplication they've done of the 60's era of comics with things such as...

1) Word balloons like "WHAP!" and "BAM!"
2) Cheesy catch phrases like "For Freedom!" and "Moons of Riznor!"
3) Bright primary colors for heroes, as well as fairly cheesy origins

4) Heroes with idealized notions of being "do-gooders"
5) Likewise, half-baked villians with dreams of grandeur
6) Members still have their little spats, possible romances, etc.
7) Comic book cover artwork nearly identicaly to those from the 60's
8) Copying heroes from the past, like Captain America, Bucky, Aquaman, etc.

Strategy and tactics are required to win as you select and use up to a dozen pre-made characters OR CREATE YOUR OWN! The slow-motion effect (that you can adjust) makes this game possible and really shine. Camera control is incredibly easy. The physics engine they've built is superb (everything is destrucible, the more strength a char has, the more heavier objects he/she can lift, great collision detection, etc.) You've got various stats like speed, etc. And there are literally limitless variations of superpowers as you create and customize your own characters.

I've tried to think of some things I didn't like about it, but I honestly haven't enjoyed and respected a game this much since Half-Life. But if I had to pick some things, it'd be...

1) No mini-map. But not a big deal since levels aren't huge and double-clicking on a hero portrait takes you right to them.
2) Multi-player only allows players to fight one another, but not WITH each other. I'm not a MP person myself, so it doesn't bother me, but it appears this issue will be addressed.
3) The only real gripe I do have, is it's too short. However, it is SO FUN that I'm playing it a second time through, but I'll be hiring different heroes this time around.

But there is a very strong silver lining to number 3, and that is they have now made an editor for the game. So you can either create your own adventure, or because of the huge fan base for this game (already, 100's of hero skins have been made by fans -- from Superman to Greg Brady) the fans will be making multiple scenerios, one-time shots, heroes, villians, etc that are downloadable off the net.

One thing to note is that the demo is an excellent good representation of the game. So give that a whirl and if you like it, you'll love Freedom Force! And it's not just me -- if you look at any professional gaming community like Gamespot, etc, you will find VERY high ratings. So if you like strategy and tactics, or comics, or good clean fun, you'll LOVE this game. And if you like more than one of those, you'll be just like me and won't be able to wait for the sequel!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars If you've ever wanted to be Superman for a day..., April 10, 2002

By 

Jack (PC Gaming Limbo) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freedom Force (CD-ROM)

If you took the classic superhero cartoons and comic books from the 50's and 60's and turned them into a PC game, you would have Freedom Force. In Freedom Force (FF), you begin with a mild-mannered citizen mysteriously given superhero powers and follow him as he joins other superheroes, learns about the mysterious origins of his superpowers and in true comic book fashion, defeats colorful super villains along the way.

FF is beautifully rendered with art that reminds a gamer of comic book drawings. The short movies in-between levels are fun to watch and the voice acting is a funny parody on comic book melodrama. Each level has a fully interactive environment as your super-strong hero can pick up cars, lamp posts, boulders and other items to throw at his enemies. Buildings can crumble, heroes can fly, villains can be "POW!" or "WHAM!" to your heart's desire. In short, FF captures all elements of comic book stories or campy superhero movies you grew up on.

The superheroes in FF have different powers and as you progress in the game, you can upgrade their abilities as your experience points increase. Depending on the prestige points you earn through completed objectives, you can recruit new heroes into your Freedom Force Headquarters or you can design your own.

FF is a fun and novel approach to PC gaming. It ends too soon though and the multi-player mode isn't much fun as it essentially just a death match against other online users with their own custom made mega-heroes. The real value of FF will be in the MOD community. Already, many gamers have designed skins and meshes based on classic comic book heroes (Superman, Wolverine, Spider-man, etc.) so that you play your favorite heroes. Another thing to keep in mind is your love of comic books will play a big role in deciding how much you enjoy this game.

ACTION FANS - 3 STARS - The engine in FF uses an aerial view much like the one in the game Black & White but it's not a first-person shooter and while some of the superhero powers make for fun fights it doesn't match up with non-stop speed and action seen in most FPS games.

STRATEGY FANS - 2 STARS - The game does require some strategy. It resembles a real-time strategy game like Warcraft in some ways but isn't nearly as complex. Once you figure out which powers are best, it's easy to clean house with custom made characters or some of the better heroes provided in the game. The entertainment value might please some hard-core strategy fans but most will only get a slight kick.

ADVENTURE/RPG FANS - 4 STARS - The scenes between levels are fun to watch and you will remember the colorful history of your hero and his arch rivals. You can upgrade an in-game hero or a custom character to play the game how you want so it does have RPG elements that will satisfy comic book fans wishing to follow the adventures of their favorite superhero.

X FACTOR - ONE OF THE FIRST SUCCESSFUL COMIC BOOK HERO GAMES - 5 STARS - FF is probably the only game to date that has made such a successful reenactment of comic books. Like I said before, if you cherish the memories of reading the X-Men or are still an avid comic book collector, you will probably enjoy this game and appreciate it more than other gamers.

BUGS - 5 STARS - Very few bugs. I only experienced one crash while playing.

REPLAY VALUE - 3 STARS - The MOD community will make or break this game. FF may be worth the temporary enjoyment but your decision to hold on to it and wait for the inevitable expansion pack will probably depend on what the gaming community invents. Already, skins for most comic book heroes and villains have been created by FF fans and are available for download on the internet. One problem though is if you would like to draw the designs on your custom hero instead of using the skins provided in the game, you'll need an expensive program such as Adobe Photoshop to do it. If you would like to create a different body shape (mesh) for your hero you will need an even more expensive program called 3D Studio Max. If your favorite heroes aren't on the internet and you don't have these programs, you're out of luck. The game's developers have promised to release an editor and different modes for the multi-player option. Unfortunately, because the maps are interactive (destroying buildings, picking up objects, etc.), gamers will only be allowed to switch objects such as villains, citizens, cars, etc. The maps, scenery and permanent structures can only be changed with the previously mentioned software, 3D Studio max, which costs roughly a thousand dollars. So unless you are in the computer business or have a lot of pocket change on the side, you will have to be content working with the maps and city structures already provided in the game and hope that some benevolent soul creates a great map. The original product is worth playing again as you can try it with different custom characters but because FF is lacking a fun multi-player option and the MOD community will be severely limited, FF might not last long on your shelves.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much better then I expected, March 27, 2002

By 

Dylan Holmes "Aerothorn" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freedom Force (CD-ROM)

This game is great. I almost never make purchases without reading reviews first, but their was somewhat of a gaming drought, and I suspected this would be good, so I got it. It has surpassed my expectations. This game is beautiful- the polygon count isn't as high as many games, but its so colorful, crisp, and clear you can't tell. This game has great presentation- it feels like a living, breathing, comic book, complete with over the top narrating, evil communist plots, and invaders from other planets. The Charecter Creation system is great, and lets you custom tailor the looks, powers, attacks, strenghts, weaknesses, and stats of a hero. The game itself is very fun, and is just the right difficulty- always challenging, never impossible. The cutscenes are presented in both comic book form and in in-game engine. The voice acting is way over the top, but good, as thats what it is aiming for, and the sounds are great. Also, the enviroment is fully interactive, so your charecter can pick up and roll fuel barrals, throw cars, swing traffic lights, and destroy buildings. In between mission, you hang out at the Freedom Fortress(your base) and check enemies, minons, and heroes in your database, oversee your heroes training, and get breifings. This game is definitly more then the sum of its parts, and its a blast to play.

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