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| By Brad Cook Remember the comic books of your youth? They promised — and delivered — a larger-than-life world full of colorful heroes and villains engaged in dramatic, sci-fi-tinged adventures. |
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 Freedom Force to the rescue! |
Now you can bring the world of superheroes and villains to life on your Mac
with MacPlay’s combination 3D role-playing and strategy game Freedom Force,
available only on Mac OS X. According to Henry Price, MacPlay’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Mac OS X “allows the game to perform at a level not seen before on the Mac platform. We only wish we could make the game require Mac OS X version 10.2 (‘Jaguar’) so that we could use all the advanced features that the new OS has to offer.”
Minuteman keeps the streets of Patriot City safe.
Drawing on the old Marvel comic books of the 1950s and 1960s for inspiration, the developers at Irrational Games created a story about a group of heroes called Freedom Force, who protect Patriot City from evildoers circa 1962. When a mysterious new supervillain shows up one day, it’s up to them to foil his nefarious plans and save the city.
38 Missions, 1 Big Story
A red-white-and-blue clad hero named Minuteman leads the team (to learn more about all the characters, see “Building the Perfect Superhero Team” on page 2) as they make their way through 38 missions in their quest to unravel the mystery behind the new villain. You decide which four heroes should tackle each mission; for example, some battles may favor characters who can fly while others may be best suited for strongmen. There are 10 villains to defeat in the game, along with a host of minor bad guys such as marauding dinosaurs, giant robots, and even clones of some of the heroes.
Someone unleashes a formidable ball of energy.
“If you ever had a favorite superhero — and who didn’t? — you will find someone like that hero in this game,” explains Price.
The 38 missions form one big story, complete with short movies that set the scene and show what happens next. One or more of your heroes may be in jeopardy at the end of a mission, so it will be up to you to save them in the next one.
The game also features a narrator who sets the scene for each mission and gives it a proper, comic-book-like atmosphere. Irrational Games’ Kevin Hoekman compares the narrator to Stan Lee, whose boisterous personality gave the early Marvel Comics of the 1960s a fun flavor. He explains: “We needed the narrator to become a part of the game, as a character.”
A Genre-Bending Experience
While Freedom Force satisfies tactical fans who enjoy planning battles, the game also appeals to role-playing aficionados by encouraging exploration of Patriot City and interaction with its populace.
Each mission features a primary objective, but if you direct your characters to talk to the citizens, you’ll discover secondary objectives that add to your heroes’ prestige points.
Prestige points? As you accumulate them, the citizens of Patriot City will react more favorably toward the members of Freedom Force. Pay attention to your surroundings during heated battles with villains: if you accidentally knock down any buildings or injure civilians, you’ll lose some prestige points. You can also use the points to recruit new superheroes to the team.
Just
like in comic books, you’ll be treated to a
BLAM, SLAM, SMASH experience.
BLAM, SLAM, SMASH experience.
In addition to prestige points, your characters also gain experience points that they can use to enhance their powers and become more proficient in certain areas. This becomes vital when the missions become tougher and you get closer to the secret behind the new supervillain.
When you’re done with the single-player campaign, head online to the Mac-only free service GameRanger and take on your friends in some superhero battles reminiscent of the best blow-outs from Marvel and DC Comics.
The First in a Trilogy
As in any great superhero universe, the events in Freedom Force are just the start of a grand adventure. The team at Irrational plans two more games, in addition to possible expansion packs. Hoekman explains: “The second game we see [taking place] in the 70s and you’ll see the world of Freedom Force evolve very similarly to the way things evolved in comics: new characters appeared, costumes changed, and characters began having more realistic problems.”
Make your mark, literally, on buildings and more.
He adds: “Our goal is to reach the 90s and add a post-Frank Miller feel,” alluding to the popular artist/writer of such classics as Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.
To get started on your own exciting superhero adventures, visit the online Apple Store, an Apple retail store, or a certified Apple reseller location near you.
If you liked this game, check out:
Baldur’s Gate II Fallout 2 Icewind Dale Myth III: The Wolf Age WarCraft III: Reign of Chaos
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With so many superheroes to choose from, you’ll need our crash-course in Heroes 101.  
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