Freedom Force vs. the 3rd Reich

Arkham Asylum may have claimed the title of best comic book game ever, the Freedom Force games are still the best team-based superhero games ever. Great stories with interesting twists, fun combat and awesome characters. ("For Liberty!")

I really enjoyed playing both of these games and really wished the studio had kept making them. Uses the same engine as Never Winter Nights.

Style and gameplay is identical as in original FF so anyone familiar with that title will feel right at home here. Unfamiliar should catch up quickly but although this game works pretty well as stand-alone title, story is connected with previous events so knowledge of it would be preferable or many things will be unclear. I'd say this game aged slightly better than 3 years older predecessor. Graphics-wise it looks significantly nicer and everything is more detailed and gameplay-wise seems to be more approachable for less patient players. Original FF was often pretty harsh and demanding game which didn't left much margin for mistakes and this is mostly not a case here (except maybe couple missions). Health canisters, which were rarity before, now are generously scattered on the maps, the "heroic revival" ability is much more potent and heroes overall feels tougher and more powerful. It also adds few useful QoL improvements, like showing which heroes leveled up on the training screen or possibility to view details of every skill without need to unlock it first. Of course outside the old squad, which returns in full package, there are new heroes too. I found the ones from WWII era to be all rather "meh" and boring but Tombstone, Genie and Aztec guy are awesome (maybe even OP) and I used them very often. Unfortunately this game is also quite short which is biggest drawback. Raw number of missions might not show it but it took me to finish campaign on normal difficulty approximately 1/2 or maybe 2/3 the time of original FF campaign. Which is shame because it really feels like the game ends at the moment where it should get up steam again. There should be at least NG+ mode so all the high level heroes didn't feel so underused.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. The first game was a great game and this one is a graceful content upgrade with a brand new campaign that continues the original one. It is the same sandbox comic book hero engine, with the same bugs as the original had, with most of the major glitches painted over.E.g. prestige-farming and "teveryone" power-ups are no longer possible. There are new heroes and they are pretty solid. Tombstone ends up being almost as powerful as Maowar. Green Genie is pretty nice. Most old heroes you have almost from the beginning with already a lot of points to offset the shortness of the campaign (blew through it in 9 h). This one does not have any filler unlike the original that also had levels that often were 3+ maps -- a way too long. There should be a lot of modded content for the game. The sequel expands the modding assets, so if you want to play custom games, you probably want to get this release rather than the more limited first game.

The mechanics are a bit janky and the controls aren't very intuitive. However, the colourful characters and compelling story make for a truly wonderful experience. Very reactive world with plenty of opportunity for creativity. Challenging too.