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Platform: PC, PS2, XB Developer: IO Interactive Publisher: Electronic Arts Genre: Strategy/Action ETA: Q2 2003
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Freedom: The Battle for Liberty Island
Growing
up American in the 80’s, there was always the threat of annihilation
from our nuclear weapon-equipped supposed enemies, the Soviet Union. One
of my favorite movies from my Cold War-shrouded youth is Red Dawn,
where a bunch of American teenagers revolt against the Soviet army that
had invaded and overtaken large chunks of America. Perhaps that’s why
I am interested in seeing how the upcoming multi-platform game Freedom:
The Battle for Liberty Island turns out (which in a lot of ways
story-wise sounds similar to Red Dawn).
Here
are the official facts about the game:
In
a world where the Soviet Union won the Cold War, a fierce conflict is
beginning to unfold in the streets of America. Red Army troops are
pouring across the borders of Mexico and Canada shortly after a nuclear
missile is unleashed on Washington D.C. Chaos sets in when breaking news
informs Americans that their President has been killed and the Russians
have invaded the country.
Players
take on the role of a mild-mannered blue-collar worker who evolves into
a charismatic and fearless freedom fighter obsessed with finding and
freeing his brother, who has been taken hostage along with other New
Yorkers by the Soviets.
The
game kicks into high gear as the player recruits and leads an army of
urban guerillas to take on the Soviet threat in the streets of New York
City.
Freedom:
The Battle for Liberty Island provides two layers of gameplay: 1) A
strategic turn-based mode that centers on base operations in an
underground sewer system and 2) An action mode that unfolds in the
streets where fierce battles are won or lost and resources are captured.
The
player and his fellow fighters wage their war with various types of
single and two-handed weapons as well as unarmed combat martial arts
maneuvers in their quest for freedom. Because
wars are not won alone, a key component of the game depends on the
player's ability to recruit and lead fellow New Yorkers in the battle
against the Red Menace.
A
simple command system allows the player to give orders to his band of
urban guerillas to carry out critical missions.
There
are high rewards and penalties for wins and losses in Freedom: The
Battle for Liberty Island. A Charisma-based Recruiting System awards
points for rescuing freedom fighters or capturing vital installations,
allowing the player to recruit more men. Charisma decreases, as men are
lost in battle, resulting in less control over the resistance movement. Key
features: Character
evolution that transforms the main character from an average civilian to
the toughest Freedom Fighter in the world. Turn-based
strategy element enables players to pick their own mission, each with a
multitude of strategies and different outcomes. Intense,
in-your-face urban guerilla warfare scenarios ranging from small
sabotage missions to large battles where the player has to conquer enemy
installations. Charisma-based
Recruiting System gives players points for rescuing prisoners or
capturing key installations. Points are also taken away if fellow
freedom fighters are sent into battle and killed. Variety
of weapons including machine guns, rocket propelled grenades, and
Molotov Cocktails. Environments
will evolve as time passes. Enhanced
rendering technology via Io Interactive's "Glacier" engine
that lends to amazing 3D special effects such as real-time lighting,
rain, snow, smoke and explosions. Rich
environmental audio such as shouting when in battle, barking out
commands and music setting the pace and mood of the gameplay action. Multiplayer
support—up to eight players on the PC version (LAN/Internet) and up to
four players via split-screen mode on the console versions (PS2, XB).
Ah, the good old days where it has every warm-blooded American’s duty to defend democratic freedom from the big, bad, red Ruskkies. Sounds interesting, and seeing as how the title is being created by the same relatively-new development house that did the great Hitman 2: Silent Assassin (the sequel to the very first game Io Interactive developed, the flawed Hitman: Codename 47) it could have huge potential. I’m not sure about how turn-based strategy exactly fits with action game elements, especially online (for all three platforms), but we’ll see when the game is released.
The
Cold War is set to heat up again this year (on your PC or home console).
-
Lee Cieniawa (January 26, 2003) |
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