FREEDOM FIGHTERS

Release: September 2003
Developer: IO Interactive
Platforms: PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft Windows

Set in a world where the Soviet Union has taken over New York City, Freedom Fighters follow the story of Christopher Stone as he and his allies lead the Manhattan Resistance to free the city from the control of the Soviets.

The game starts off with brothers Christopher and Troy as they set off to meet their newest client, an activist named Isabella Angelina. But when they arrive there, they find the apartment abandoned and the Soviet Union soon invades New York City. With his brother Troy captured by the invaders, Chris escapes to the streets and meets Mr. Jones and Phil Bagzton, a member of the resistance. The trio then work together to rescue both Angelina and Troy and soon retreat to the sewers where they set up their base as they begin their resistance to free New York City. As the game progresses, Chris experiences betrayal and loss as he leads the movement. Overall, Freedom Fighters is an astounding game with a gripping narrative that is bound to get gamers hooked for a couple more replays.

Gameplay wise, Freedom Fighters is a brilliant shooter where the shooting is secondary. One of its standout features is that gamers have to strategically diminish the AI's ability to defend itself before attacking. As gamers keep on accomplishing their objectives, they get to recruit more soldiers to aid them in their battles. At its heart, this is a squad based 3rd person shooter, and it's a really good one. While the controls might be a bit hard to grasp at first (unless you have played Hitman 2), once you get over it, you will find yourself engrossed over this gem of a shooter.

Jesper Kyd's soundtrack makes the game stand out from its peers. It is possibly one of the greatest soundtracks in video game history and it fits the mood of the game perfectly and immerses the gamer into the game. Visually, the game's comic-style art looks great. And for a 2003 game, its visuals are pretty decent.

Freedom Fighters is available on the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo Gamecube and Microsoft Windows. Being a twelve year old game, it runs flawlessly and I would personally recommend gamers to switch their graphic settings to the highest.

Receiving positive reviews upon release, Freedom Fighters is probably one of my favorite gaming titles of all time and to this date, I have been pining for a sequel. This game definitely deserves to be re-installed. And if you haven't played it yet, what are you waiting for? Get yourself hooked to this masterpiece. 

Fardeen Zareef is in a war with carbohydrates but his love of Doritos overwhelms him. He also does not know how to use Twitter and loves to game.