Freedom Fighters is like a Michael Bay film (Bad Boys 2, The Rock, Pearl Harbor): a big flashy production accompanied with a stupid storyline. Fortunately, narrative is of minor importance in games, because Freedom Fighters' plot is quite ridiculous.

The opening cinematic sequence introduces a whole different series of events in the history of the world since 1945. The Russians end World War II by dropping an A-bomb on Berlin and got to be the major influence in Europe, which has become entirely communist by the mid-fifties. The Cuba crisis has turned out in favour of the Soviets, who are gradually becoming the biggest power in the world. In the summer of 2003, the Kremlin decides to help the United States, the last capitalist stronghold, get rid of their inferior society. During the invasion of Manhattan, a plumber – with overall but without red cap – accidentally gets involved in a resistance movement. This is where you, the player, come in. A hell of a premise, but unfortunately it is worked out poorly. Like the Russians would really broadcast news on TV about a group of rebels trying to sabotage their plans!

Graphics:

The graphics lack great detail, but as a whole the city is convincing. The basketball field in the school and hotel are especially good. It is rather quiet for New York, but under the circumstances of an occupied city it adds to the haunting atmosphere. A minor complaint is the overuse of some objects, such as the Soviet crates. Also, it would have been nice if the environments were a bit more interactive, as only vehicles and fuel barrels can be demolished. Some effects are bad, particularly smoke from buildings, but the beautiful lighting in the snow makes up for this.

There are a few nice touches. As the game progresses the seasons change, which effects both the environments and the length of the hero's hair. The game's menus are sleek.

Sound:

The soundtrack consists of a mix of styles; classical, electronica and the kind I can best describe as typical film music. It may seem like a mess, but it suits the action on screen very well. The eerie tune – reminiscent of Vangelis' Blade Runner music – creates a great ambience while sniping from an empty apartment.

I'm less enthusiastic about the sound. Though the shooting effects are satisfactory, the voice acting is rather bad, mostly due to horrible script writing. The story doesn't seem to take itself too seriously, considering an insider's joke about violent videogames.

Gameplay:

Most of the levels consist of a couple of separate areas, which can be accessed though the rebel base in the sewers. All objectives (mostly something like 'secure that building', 'blow up that bridge') in the areas have to be completed to proceed, but the player can to some degree determine in which order to complete them. The objectives in different areas often relate to one another, so the game still ends up being pretty linear.

You start out alone, but along the way charisma points can be earned by successfully completing missions or helping wounded people. More charisma means more fighters you can ask to assist you. In the early levels you can still apply Rambo tactics, but the latter stages require intelligent use of your team mates, resulting in a mix of action and strategy.

Unfortunately the artificial intelligence (AI) of your opponents is dreadful. They don't run into walls or shoot their team mates, but for the rest they're just stupid. They sometimes prefer to shoot at an opponent 30 meters away to one that is attacking them from close range. Take one down with a sniper rifle and the one standing next to your victim hardly reacts. The Soviets also take cover behind explosive fuel barrels way to often. It's rather amusing at times, but I doubt it was intended that way. Worse, it diminishes the tactical element, changing the game towards the mindless shooter type.

The inclusion of another strategic part also fails. You can only carry two guns at a time, a popular feature since Halo. It's not copied very well though, as you're not entirely free to choose your guns. You always have to carry a handgun, even if you're out of ammo. The attempts to provide a tactical experience besides the action don't live up to their promise, but shooting reds is still fun enough.

Playability:

Like most games with a third person perspective, Freedom Fighters makes use of the two control sticks for movement. It's rather easy to get used to, though you may want to invert looking up and down. You can order either individuals or your team to attack, defend or regroup by pointing in a direction and pressing A, Y or X. In contrast to the enemy AI, your fighters are pretty smart, so this system works quite well. Aiming – from an almost first person perspective – by using the left trigger is tricky. However, there is not much need for it, as your character automatically aims quite precise. This and the automatic reloading system may bother hard core FPS players, but it's comfortable for the rest of us, allowing to focus on the team play.

Lifespan:

On the lower difficulty levels you can rush through the game, but on the higher settings it takes quite a while to complete, even though it's not incredibly lengthy. Unless you're really into this type of game, there's little reason to go through it again when you've played through it once.

The multiplayer mode is a reasonable addition and may increase the lasting appeal somewhat, but it's not a major addition to your multiplayer collection if you already have TimeSplitters 2 or Super Monkey Ball.

Final Say:

Films directed by Michael Bay often don't score very high with film critics, but that doesn't stop many moviegoers from having a fun, albeit superficial experience. In Freedom Fighters the story may be weak and the opposition dumb; the lack of depth doesn't have to stop you from having a great time blasting some Soviets in this otherwise decent game.