When asked about which game I’d like to see improvements in, few things come to mind. I usually don’t actively think of ways to improve titles. I may hate on big name games, but the awful taste in my mouth leaves me wishing to have nothing to do with future installments.

There are a few rare games, though, that I feel should be given another chance or that simply could use a few modern flourishes to stay relevant. One such title is an oft-forgotten shooter by the name of “Freedom Fighters.” A game by the “Hitman” developer, IO Interative, and published by EA, a sequel could improve upon some of the few problems I had with the first.

I’ll start off by saying that I really dig the first game. I think it’s a classic, but it doesn’t have any of the modern mechanics that third person shooters now employ. For starters, it lacks any kind of cooperative play (which would work wonderfully in the context of the game). That’s a bummer, but it also lacks a focused camera and replayability.

So, I’ll take a look at some aspects from the first game that I feel could be reworked to greatly benefit a “Freedom Fighters 2,” should that game ever happen.

Plotline



The first game has a very intriguing premise. Taking a cue from “Red Dawn,” the whole plot of “Freedom Fighters” revolves around Russia invading the US after World War 2. Since they dropped the first A-Bomb, the Soviet Union never collapsed. That’s honestly about it, too.

Sure, there are characters and you assume the role of Chris “Freedom Phantom” Stone and follow his journey to retake New York City from the Russian’s. Your brother is captured and you’re left with nothing. You help some guy get away from the Russian’s and join a coalition to reclaim lost territory.

It definitely moves the game along, but the emotional involvement is just missing. Your brother dies at one point in the game and you’re not informed until you start the next mission. I feel the sequel could take this and spin it into a personal vengeance story.

What I would do is simply change actors. Get some more professional voice-overs and a better script writer. Make the game about avenging your lost family and putting pain on the Russian’s for ruining New York.

There’s also a half-baked romance thrown into the original, so I’d immediately kill her off. While that sounds harsh, it would work to get the player truly invested in Chris Stone. Now that he really has nothing left, his plight against the Russian’s would be more enduring.

The intro could make a quick recap of the events from the first game by having Chris and Isabella (the love interest) explain how they got to this point. They could reminisce about their first meeting and even include some flashbacks. She would then be sniped and this would throw the player into the action with little recourse.

The middle section would include some “What-If” scenarios where Chris has to deal with the reality of his loss. He can dream about how he’d save her and his brother and even rewrite history in his mind.

While this sounds fairly flimsy, I’m sure that given the proper attention and care, the story could definitely become very involving and affecting.

Controls



There actually isn’t a whole lot that is wrong with “Freedom Fighters” control setup, but modern shooters just play so smoothly in comparison. For starters, the camera is drawn too far back. When you aim in, the whole world zooms and your character sometimes gets in the way.

Fixing that problem by moving in the camera would be appreciated. The radial menu for weapon selection could also use tweaking. It never seemed to work for me and nobody would give the game a chance if that were the only option.

I’d hate to suggest cutting down on the weapon count, but that may be the best solution. Since everything is squad based, maybe limiting yourself to one or two weapons would be the best way to go about things.

There are also levels in the first game that task you with climbing over boxes, but the mechanic for that is so clunky. You have to be aligned perfectly straight with your desired object and then jump.

Making this similar to “Uncharted” would make the battles tenser and faster paced. It could also allow the developers to provide a more open level design and give players the opportunity to explore new options for replaying.

I will say, though, that I do not believe a cover system should be added. The first game works perfectly without one and I wouldn’t want to see that flow ruined.

Cooperative Play



What “Freedom Fighters” is known for is a fairly unique and innovative squad mechanic. It was the first shooter I can think of that let you recruit grunts to help you in battle. With a point system that rewarded you for completing secondary objectives, you were also able to increase the amount of lackeys you could have with you.

Since the entire game was built around this feature, why not add in multiplayer? I think basing the game around cooperative play would really work. It certainly isn’t uncommon to see you with 10 other people in the first, so having a bunch of those grunts as friends would just be awesome.

Having extra buddies would also fix the first games problem of not being able to command individual NPCs. For some reason, you can either send 1 person or all and you have no control over which person moves. To the first game’s credit, no NPC had better stats than another. That could be changed, though.

Varied Stats



Since the first title allowed you to recruit different people off the streets, why not include some stats for them? Make certain people better at defensive abilities and others really good medics. Carry this over to the single-player and cooperative play and allow for humans to pick specific classes.

Much akin to “Borderlands,” you can now have a game that is less a straight shooter and more a tactical game, just like the whole squad mechanic should be. While its fun to steamroll the Russian’s with 10 NPCs, it could be less frustrating if they wouldn’t all be the same, idiotic soldier.

Medic classes would also fix the problem I had with dying in the first game. While I’m certainly okay with challenge, it was extremely frustrating to have to restart checkpoints when only I died. It makes no sense how 10 other people couldn’t lend a hand.

Extra Modes (Replayability)



While the first game is very well paced and the action is always entertaining, it lacks a lot of replayability. Once you finish the game, you’re done. While the console versions had a throwaway competitive mode, the PC version contained only a cut level.

So, why not do similar things with the sequel and then provide even more? Horde mode is an obvious, considering the game is structured similarly to “Gears of War” and “Uncharted,” but I think we could do one better.

I’ve already mentioned cooperative play, so why not get a more fleshed out competitive mode? Let teams square off against each other with NPC grunts. 4 humans enter the arena and equip themselves with various lackeys. Chaos ensues when players are ordering their grunts around the levels and looking for various weapons, “Unreal” style.

Since we’re dealing with squads, though, why not turn the multiplayer into a completely different genre? “Brutal Legend” actually had a fairly decent console oriented strategy setup, so how about provide a mode akin to that. Let the player fly around the arena, building various units and setting them into battle. The player could then jump into battle when they feel fit.

I would also like to see some developer commentary, a la Valve. Let me replay the game and get some insight onto the various decisions for set pieces and level design. If that is too extensive, then how about a documentary on the making of the game?



Due to some licensing issues and a lack of knowledge of the first game, I doubt a sequel will ever happen. EA isn’t working with IO Interactive anymore and Eidos no longer owns the rights to “Freedom Fighters.”

EA has been losing a lot of faith with gamers recently, though, and I do believe that revisiting this game would be a show of good faith. Everyone loves squad based shooters and having this gem touched up with modern staples would make everyone happy.

If nothing else, an HD remake with these added options would be pretty awesome, too. Not many people have ever played the game (sales figures were never released, but the game did poorly), so getting it out to a larger audience could help generate buzz for a sequel.

Whatever happens, these points are exactly how I’d improve “Freedom Fighters.” I know for certain that these improvements would really get people hyped. Let’s make it happen, EA!