Freedom Fighters

An absolute classic! The United States is invaded by the Soviet Union in an alternate reality timeline. You play Chris, a plumber forced to become a Freedom Fighter hero! This game is one of the most enjoyable games from the early 2000's. As Chris, your goal is to take back various locations throughout New York from the Communist Soviets. In order to do so, you must undertake daring attacks on heavily guarded Police Stations, Fire Stations, and many other important locations throughout New York. While you bring bloody hell down on the Red invaders, you will command a growing group of soldiers who support you in your crusade to save the "Big Apple". The squad command mechanics are simple, and fantastic! Sometimes, simple is best. And it is at its best here. Send your soldiers in to attack individual targets, or call them back to take cover near you and defend your position. If one is taken out, run through the gun fire and heal them. Simple, and satisfying! The story is simple as well, with some great cut scenes, illustrating what it might be like after an occupation of this scale. Soviet propaganda news reports which start by attempting to normalize the invasion as if the Soviets are coming to save us from the "evil capitalist government we have been oppressed by". To the player becoming the boogeyman, the biggest thorn in the side of our occupiers as you build and push your rebellion to unstoppable heights. This game, is a CLASSIC in every sense of the word. And it is an insult that we never got a proper sequel. I HIGHLY recommend Freedom Fighters to anyone who loves GREAT games. The Gameplay is simplistic and a total blast, the Soundtrack is one of the best of the era. You will fall in love with this game as many of us did back when it was released, and will come clambering for more. FREEDOM FIGHTERS is a TRUE CLASSIC, you will not be disappointed!

Red Dawn: The Game

Very fun story of a regular man turning into a resistance fighter and eventually rising to the leadership. The aiming is a bit clunky but overall the combat is fluid and satisfying. The ability to choose which missions to do, such as whether hitting the helicopter base or a logistics bridge changes the way you do every mission. If you hit the helicopter base awesome, you no longer have to fear those flying beasts. If you blow up the bridge, you no longer have to deal with the constant flow of reinforcements. The levels are large, well-designed and immersive, from regular neighborhoods to the military checkpoints and underground bases. Even someone with poor sense of direction like me can find their way in the maps and complete the missions. It's also one of the few games I remember that you can easily and satisfyingly lead a group of fighters. Pathfinding is really good especially for its time, I don't remember babysitting them often. The more missions you do, the more authority and therefore ability to lead more troops you get. The ending was also surprisingly poignant, and after all those years I'm still hoping for a sequel. A well-aged game, strongly recommended.

It's good for what it is, a 20 year old game. I still enjoy it and wish they'd make a sequal or even a remaster. It's a fantastic nostalgia hit!

Freedom Fighters is a Third-Person-Perspective Shooter set in an alternate reality where the Soviet Union is bonkers OP and keeps winning the Cold War, culminating in a Soviet invasion of the USA. You are a New York citizen who's forced to flee underground and join the resistance against the occupying Soviet forces. As a rebel, you complete main objectives (capturing HQ buildings by raising a flag on top) and side objectives (rescuing prisoners and bombing infrastructure) in each area, which affects the enemy's strength in nearby areas -- ex. destroying a landing pad will stop enemy choppers from appearing, which is advisable because they have zero chill and will gun you down in seconds even on normal difficulty. Doing these missions and treating wounded civilians will earn you charisma, which increases the number of rebel fighters that you can ask to follow you at a time, up to a maximum of 12 in the late game. While not as effective as the player individually, these friendlies are an important asset, since weapons in this game tend to be rather inaccurate and you can hold little reserve ammo. You can carry grenades, molotovs, one sidearm (of 2), and one primary weapon (of about 6). All of them have their useful niche, but ammo can be hard to find for most weapons other than the Assault Rifle carried by most enemies. Medkits are also a limited resource needed for both your injuries and helping downed allies, so it pays to be careful with positioning. The story is pretty straightforward, and doesn't have much going on other than one foreshadowed twist. It's enough to keep you playing, but don't expect much in the way of complexity. Overall, none of this game's elements (shooting, tactics, story) are amazing on their own, but together they are greater than the sum of their parts, and make up an experience that's surprisingly fun for how simple it is. The original price feels a bit steep to me for a <10 hour game of this caliber, but it's worth picking up on sale.