Fantastic comic-book thrills and spills
This is the first game in a sadly short-lived series of real-time tactical role-players that provides an enjoyable take on the superhero genre and makes for an entertaining time. The game takes players on an imaginative and original journey through a 1960s-style comic book world that plays out like a less serious version of Fallout Tactics or the fighting aspects of Baldur's Gate 2. The single-player mode features an enjoyable cheesy and over-the-top campaign that starts out with the accidental creation of the superhero Minuteman after he gets caught up in a secret experiment. Heading out after the evil scientists behind the experiment, you must then recruit extra super heroes to uncover the dastardly plot that now unfolds. The game plays out across a variety of isometric environments which are fully destructible and which can even be used by your bold heroes in inventive fashion (try pulling up a lamp post to whack a pesky enemy over the head). The combat itself if fast and fun, thanks to a combination of excellent controls, wide variety of enemies and the different tactics that can be used. There are also plenty of customisation options for you to play around with and create your own set of heroes, while sound and graphics really nail that old-school comic book feel, with loads of audio and visual effects that sound like they're right out of a Batman episode. There are a few minor flaws with the game, but these don't really prevent it from being what a comic book game should be: bucket loads of fun. The sequel, Freedom Force vs. The 3rd Reich retains this game's sense of humour and adds in a bunch of new features to make it similarly worth playing.
