Freedom Force
Reviewed by Yoshi-M
Ahh, games for the Zapper. Nothing like the feeling of sitting back
and blasting bad guys without wearing out your thumbs. The collection
of Light Gun games for the NES was small, and not many were all that
great. When I rented Freedom Force some years back, I expected
something along the lines of Duck Hunt or Hogan's Alley. I was wrong.
In the game, you play a an anti-terrorist gunman who must shoot
terrorists without shooting their hostages. The game has different
levels you must survive through, including an airport (terrorists love
airports it seems) and a city street. One thing you will notice: there be
blood in this game. Not anything gory, but a little discolored splotch on
the chests of your target. The screen moves from left to right, with
terrorists or hostages popping out of windows, doors, etc. You need
patience in this game, because the screen scrolls kinda slow and the
bad guys can pop up at any moment.
Graphics 3 out of 5
At the time, the graphics of the backgrounds and characters were pretty good.
There is even a cartoon like intro when you start the game. However, the
animation was lacking, making the targets look like cardboard cut outs. The
colors were drab as well, lots of washed out colors. Yet the graphics served
their purpose and were easily recognizable (a car looked like a car, etc.).
Music and Sound 3 out of 5
Basic NES sounds for the period. The music was soft and not overbearing, but
was repetitious. The firing sound reminded me of a splash of water, but it
worked. Nothing too extraordinary, nor was it painful on the ears.
Game Challenge 5 out of 5
To this day, I still can not get past the second level. I recently purchased
this game to add to my collection and I still haven't gotten past the hang
ups I had years back. The key: patience and observation. This is not the fast
pace of House of the Dead or time Crisis, so for you gun jocks who like to
fire and forget, tone it down and keep your eyes peeled. The terrorists like
to step out in front of a window or door, then pull a hostage in front of them.
Many times, a poor pedestrian was smited by my oh too quick trigger finger.
Game Play-Fun 4 out of 5
I like gun games. The idea of using a gun and then blowing things away
(virtually, I don't shoot guns in the real world, I just play with them with
on TVs :-) ). And you can't just blast everything in this game, you got to tone
it down a notch and watch where and what you shoot.
Replayability 3 out of 5
Well, its still difficult to play, and some targets do pop up at random. I
can't say how replayable the game is after it is beaten, but I sure keep going
back to it to try and get past the freekin' level.
Game Value 3 out of 5
If you like gun games and this game is cheap, buy it. Its a worthy addition
to your collection. If you don't like gun games, well, then I'd say skip it.
These type of games are like that. Its got a good difficulty level and can
get your heart pumping in anticipation, wondering if a terrorist or a hostage
is going to appear behind that door.
Overall 4 out of 5
A decent game for any gun game liking player. Again, its either you like gun
games or you hate them. If you have a gun and a few bucks, give it a try. You
might not be able to pass the second level either.