Comments on: Making Of: Freedom Force

By: Markoff Chaney

Markoff Chaney — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 22:51:23 +0000

I just discovered this gem and I can’t believe I had discarded it earlier. I really should get over my ~~hatred~~fear of pseudo-RTS and dig deeper into the genre I’m thinking, especially if beauties like this are sometimes classified as such. Ever since I was playing Alley Cat (not an RTS, I know, but bear with me I say to the odd Googler that reads this missive) on my 8088 and I was fine at 4.77Mhz but when I pushed the nice shiny red TURBO button that brought her up to 8Mhz and rendered the movement of the eponymous cat, shoe and various and sundry other obstacles inherently too difficult and unmanageable for the neurons betwixt fingers and brain, I realized that sometimes my brain just seems to work too slowly for these electromagical device-o-matics and I prefer taking turns with my adversaries when I am able. This game is such an amazing amalgam of all things great about my growing up and it just mashes them together in an episodic strategic engagingly hilarious joyride.

1.4 years late to this post and 7 years late on playing this phenomenal game and I just wanted to express gratitude for sharing more insight to this overlooked timeless game. Thank You.

By: Miles

Miles — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:41:31 +0000

I bloody love Freedom Force. Never got the sequel, I probably should.

Anyone else remember the whole Marvel skins debacle? Good times.

By: Xagarath

Xagarath — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 19:41:36 +0000

Both games are personal favourites, and have been since they were released.
I seem to recall rumours of a more action-based third somewhere in development?

By: Kieron Gillen

Kieron Gillen — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 11:53:30 +0000

The smashing up shit was where my crazy love is too.

By: Arathain

Arathain — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:58:25 +0000

The level of environmental interactiveness was what made Freedom Force, I thought. Nothing says superhero like chucking a car at someone then ripping a tree out of the ground and smashing someone else into a fire hydrant, while a missed fireball collapses a big chunk of building.

I loved the levels where you had to save the city from giant ants and robots and stuff. Also Shadow’s levels where you really got to cut loose.

By: geraint

geraint — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 22:53:54 +0000

i loved both freedom force games, though the european release of the 2nd having Starforce protection caused me no end of problems. they captured the look, spirit and tone of silver age marvel perfectly – and people i’ve lent the game to who have no knowledge of the source material beyond maybe the odd episode of Adam West Batman.

The main issues both games had were ones of balance – i like to rotate a team of 5 or 6 of my favourites, but too often a solid character would become useless for a few consecutive levels because the enemies would be strong against their elemental attacks. the level/enemy design was a bit inconsistent too – the only weak bits of the first game were the second level, laid out to encourage stealth tactics in a game that wasn’t designed for them at all – and early enough that it probably put a lot of people off – and the levels with the fake flying cops, who were cliff-racer levels of irritating (the nazi brain/jar type things were the equivalent in FFvsT3R iirc, though i haven’t replayed it since it’s initial release due to Starforce)

as far as i’m aware both sold relatively poorly, did they not? a shame if so, as we’ll probably never see a 3rd in the series.

By: Deadron

Deadron — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:07:59 +0000

“You live, you lament,” KG noted wearily.

By: Kieron Gillen

Kieron Gillen — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:37:44 +0000

Yeah, it’s terrible writing and for some reason I’ve had a tendency to do it in this sort of feature a lot. I also terribly over-use italics, which I mostly pull out when reposting them.

You live, you learn.

By: Sander

Sander — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:31:10 +0000

I’m sort of bemused myself why this jumped out at me so much, but Mr. Levine is really only quoted as saying one thing in the article. The rest of the time he recalls, laughs, explains (twice), notes (twice), laments, grins (twice), decides, states (twice), exults, and theorizes about stuff.

(Sorry to bring this up Kieron, you don’t write like this anymore, which is one of the lesser reasons why I like to read your work.)

By: Kieron Gillen

Kieron Gillen — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 19:09:24 +0000

A quick google makes me very sad that no-one’s uploaded Nuclear Winter’s theme onto the electric internet.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:56:06 +0000

You’re right about the levels, although Time Master and co. did make a come back in the second game if memory serves, in one of those villain forced to team-up with the heroes scenarios.

The second game also marginalised minute man, which was useful as he got right on my tits in the first.

What I remember was the tone of the second game, its pitch perfect from the washed out colour of 40s comic books levels to the vaguely counter cultural themes that reflected developments in later comic books (like anti-heroes so: Tombstone = the Punisher), the game seemed to carefully draw from a wider range of sources.

By: Solario

Solario — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 18:50:42 +0000

As a comics nerd, I loved both Freedom Force. I do however remember that the sequel was a bit buggy to begin with.