Back in 2002, Freedom Force hit PCs
and quickly became a sleeper hit by providing action RPG fans with a compelling
blend of great gameplay and a rich back story detailing a brand new canon of
superheroes. Now the sequel has finally arrived and fans of the original should
be very pleased with the results. The core gameplay has been largely unchanged,
but fortunately holds up very well considering its age. Freedom Force vs. The
Third Reich presents a brand new storyline that serves as a nice continuation of
the original plot and the gameplay should be easy for fans of the first game and
newcomers to pick up and play.
Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich
begins shortly after the first game with one of the team, Man Bot, still trapped
in an alternate dimension. The team must now face a new threat as the Third
Reich rises to power. Even though the team is short one member, they gain the
support of a few new members like Tombstone, Green Genie and Blackjack. Plus,
each of the playable characters from the first game still has their original
bios that tell how they gained their superpowers in great classic comic fashion,
and there are brand new ones for the additional members.
For the most part, the gameplay is
the same as the first Freedom Force. You guide one to four members of the
Freedom Force team through a variety of missions, defeating enemies and
utilizing the individual strengths of each member. For example, El Diablo makes
good use of fire but has a weakness to ice and lovely ladies; Mentor has the
ability to control the minds of your enemies but isn’t very physically strong
and can’t take a lot of damage, and so on. You can also take full advantage of
your surroundings, jumping on buildings in order to get a better ranged position
against your enemies or use objects in the environment like parked cars and
streetlights to lay the smack down. As you complete objectives in missions you
gain prestige, thus gaining more superheroes for the team.
The character creation tool from the
first game has returned, allowing you to create your own superhero and pair them
up with your team of do-gooders. You can edit any number of traits in them,
giving them a unique look and special moves that reflect their individual
attributes. There are also some great modding tools that allow gamers to create
their own games using the Freedom Force engine.
The multiplayer elements in Freedom
Force vs. The Third Reich are also pretty sweet. There are some standard game
types like Deathmatch, Arena, Team Arena and so on, but there are also the cool
Story-based mode that allows you to create your own scenarios – writing the
story, choosing the good and bad guys, the location, the game type and so on.
You can even select comic book cover art to add more atmosphere to the
scenario.
The graphics look very good, but not
too updated from the original three-year-old game. The character models look
pretty good, and the environments have a great look to them. There are also some
enhanced lighting effects and some nice shadow effects. Overall, the look is
very vibrant and colorful, and does a fine job of representing the world of
comic books.
The sound effects are pretty good.
The voice acting is very over the top, and each character has his or her own
larger-than-life personality, which adds to the game’s atmosphere. The music is
also quite well done, being appropriately campy and keeping with the overall
mood.
Freedom Force vs. The Third Reich is
a great action-RPG that captures the spirit of the golden age of comics. While
it doesn’t change a whole lot from the original, fans of the first game as well
as newcomers should enjoy this great sequel.
|
Review |
Gameplay: 8.5
Another fruit
from the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” tree, Freedom Force vs. The Third
Reich doesn’t change a whole lot from the first game, but still stands as a
great action RPG with some nice team-based gameplay elements.
Graphics: 7.5
Freedom Force vs.
The Third Reich has some great new graphical features like enhanced lighting and
shadows, but overall the look hasn’t changed much from the original game.
Sound: 8.5
The musical score
and over-the-top voice acting does a fine job of keeping the mood.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 8.5
Freedom Force
works as both a spoof and homage to the golden age of comics. The great story
and interesting characters will no doubt thrill comic book fans, given their
faithfulness to the subject matter.
Multiplayer: 8.5
The multiplayer
is composed of some familiar multiplayer staples like Deathmatch and Team
Deathmatch, and also the great new Story-Based mode, which allows you to
completely customize your scenario, from the story to the villains and
heroes.
Overall: 8.5
Freedom
Force vs. the Third Reich is a fun action RPG with a great story and unwavering
authenticity to the comics on which it is inspired. Fans of the first game as
well as anyone who enjoys comics or action RPGs will have a good time with this
one.
