Controlling one of those classic early-80's Earth Federation
Starships, players scroll horizontally through a maze of enemy forces and their attacks.
It's intense even though the hardware can only handle two of the brown, star shaped foes.
Their attacks are numerous, and it creates a vivid battlefield, and accomplishment to say
the least given the time. To make sure all aspects are covered as any good knock-off should be, there's a rescue feature. It's essential to a high score to pick up the floating captives. Maneuvering through a barrage of enemies is satisfying if you can pull it off to make the save. There's a small adjustment period at first as you try to handle the ship. It doesn't turn like expected, and if you're at full speed, you'll need to wait until you slow down to make the turn. Knowing what's ahead is critical, and a map/radar would have made this less frustrating when dealing with such crowded space.
It works in both play styles too. It's not just about flinging lasers at each other. The second style of play is about nothing but staying alive, and without any offense. Captives add a heavy chunk of points if you can make your way to them. As the game speeds up, this mode becomes just as intense as the main game. In some ways, it's actually more enjoyable, but it's a shame you can't select a higher difficulty from the start. It takes about 30 seconds before things pick up.
A second player can (barely) join in too. They'll control the hyperspace function, something you could play without for hours and not even know you're missing an aspect of play. Freedom Fighters works as a competitive game, not as a co-operative one.
The speed and intensity makes Freedom Fighters one of the better knock-offs on the console. It offers a lot (especially given the meager hardware), and it's a fantastic way to kill time. You won't last long until you've put in some quality time with it. You'll keep coming back too. Freedom Fighters makes for an addictive "just one more time" title.
