I had this on CD back in the day, and it was an unforgettable experience. Freedom Fighters delivered some of the best guerrilla action of its time, with a simple yet effective squad mechanic, a strong narrative, and levels that burned themselves into my memory. And of course, piling the commies never gets old. The graphics may be outdated, but they’ve aged gracefully. More importantly, the game’s soul remains intact. The soundtrack is an absolute banger, and the characters are very well written. Some missions pushed me hard (taking out the tank, for example), but the difficulty never felt unfair. Even on the higher settings, every challenge felt conquerable with a bit of persistence. The map design walks a tightrope between open-ended freedom and purposeful linearity. It never feels bloated or aimless. I didn’t encounter a single bug, glitch, or soft lock during my playthrough. That kind of polish is rare. My favorite mission is still Desperate Revenge, the stealth op at the docks where I could finally eliminate Tatarin. The tension in that buildup, the creeping sense of danger, and then the chaos that erupts when the Hinds show up (or not, if I take the alternate route and just jump into the water, swimming back to the boat peacefully)… unforgettable. I wish I had the money to pick it up again on GOG. I miss this game. It deserves to be remembered.
I surely had a great experience with it when it came out, and now I'm going to revisit it!
Can't say much. Controls are not easy and the mechanics need a lots of playing to get used to, but I like it this way. The sounds, however... I would rather listen to the old arcade Battlezone beeps-and-boops. But lovely. And nostalgic.
