Freedom Force 2
03-07-05, 03:32 PM
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Freedom Force 2
Anyone play the game or tried the demo yet? I haven't had time to download it and give it a try. I think I'm ready for return of Minute Man, the Ant, and the rest of those wacky hereos old.
Until next time, FOR FREEDOM!
Until next time, FOR FREEDOM!
03-07-05, 03:57 PM
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03-07-05, 04:30 PM
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I've played it. If you enjoyed the first one you will like this one too, as long as you aren't looking for anything revolutionary. To me it felt more like an expansion pack than a full sequel. The new material didn't have the charm of the original, but that's probably more because the original was, well, original.
The graphics are improved from the first one. In several details they are actually much better. For instance, the insides of buildings aren't just a solid block any more, you can see different floors, etc. And some of the special effects for the super powers are better. On the whole, changes aren't very dramatic at all. I haven't played the original in several months and it took me a while to even notice the changes.
The gameplay is exactly the same. Environmental interaction is slightly improved, but the first one had such a high level of interaction there wasn't very far to go. For instance, now you can pull manhole covers out of the ground, but unfortunately the character just lifts them over their head and throws them like a rock. I was really hoping they would throw them like big Frisbee.
There are a few gameplay and interface tweaks. For example, the energy X bar for each character is now 3 small segments and each power uses 1, 2 or 3 whole segments. This makes it easier to plan out your attacks. Also each character now has 2 'free' attacks that don't use any Energy X, such as El-Diablo's inferno or Minute Man's Smash. You can overpower most attacks by holding the CTRL key when selecting it, but they have removed the ability to underpower (which removes the exploit of having Microwave teleport all over the map for almost no energy cost).
All the old characters are back, and some new ones. The three new main characters are from the early 40's comic book era, so they don't have 'superpowers' per se. They are more like The Rocketeer or Green Hornet. So their special moves are more like a strong punch, a gun shot, or a grenade. I found them kind of boring myself. There are a few other characters with superpowers who join FF during the game. Some are recruit only, but others get full back stories. I only found one of them worth playing (Tombstone) regularly.
The story isn't too great. Like the fist one it kinda strings you along and takes a quick turn here and there. It does resemble pulpy comic book stories in a lot of respects, so I would say it is successful on that level. I also think the mission designs were sup-par. They just seemed to lack something compared to the first game, and got a bit repetitive. Overall, I would give it a B-, mostly for being in the shadow of a great original game.
The graphics are improved from the first one. In several details they are actually much better. For instance, the insides of buildings aren't just a solid block any more, you can see different floors, etc. And some of the special effects for the super powers are better. On the whole, changes aren't very dramatic at all. I haven't played the original in several months and it took me a while to even notice the changes.
The gameplay is exactly the same. Environmental interaction is slightly improved, but the first one had such a high level of interaction there wasn't very far to go. For instance, now you can pull manhole covers out of the ground, but unfortunately the character just lifts them over their head and throws them like a rock. I was really hoping they would throw them like big Frisbee.
There are a few gameplay and interface tweaks. For example, the energy X bar for each character is now 3 small segments and each power uses 1, 2 or 3 whole segments. This makes it easier to plan out your attacks. Also each character now has 2 'free' attacks that don't use any Energy X, such as El-Diablo's inferno or Minute Man's Smash. You can overpower most attacks by holding the CTRL key when selecting it, but they have removed the ability to underpower (which removes the exploit of having Microwave teleport all over the map for almost no energy cost).
All the old characters are back, and some new ones. The three new main characters are from the early 40's comic book era, so they don't have 'superpowers' per se. They are more like The Rocketeer or Green Hornet. So their special moves are more like a strong punch, a gun shot, or a grenade. I found them kind of boring myself. There are a few other characters with superpowers who join FF during the game. Some are recruit only, but others get full back stories. I only found one of them worth playing (Tombstone) regularly.
The story isn't too great. Like the fist one it kinda strings you along and takes a quick turn here and there. It does resemble pulpy comic book stories in a lot of respects, so I would say it is successful on that level. I also think the mission designs were sup-par. They just seemed to lack something compared to the first game, and got a bit repetitive. Overall, I would give it a B-, mostly for being in the shadow of a great original game.
