Game needing a sequel: Freedom Fighters
Original game format: Xbox, PS2, Gamecube
Why it needs a sequel: Freedom Fighters was a vastly overlooked squad shooter from IO, the makers of Hitman. Not only a brilliant play, FF had an epic alternative history plot that took in a full-scale Soviet invasion of the USA and followed the player’s character as he developed from lucky survivor to self-made military tactician overseeing an entire resistance army.
As the player’s experience grew, the game’s scope grew with it, greater success providing new recruits to the cause and an ever bigger team to play with. Battles eventually became full-scale military assaults on fortified bases, requiring intelligence as well as brute force, and making the player take the role of foot soldier, field marshall, and leader of men all at the same time. Relentless, tactical, a bit satirical and a lot of fun, Freedom Fighters was one of the best shooters of the last generation, and we want more of it. And besides, IO owes us a decent squad game after Kane And Lynch.
As for gameplay, we just want what we got before, but moreso. Tenser, more tactical fights in brand new environments would be a must, as would a bigger, more varied arsenal to master. And with current gen technology, the scale of battles could now be truly epic, making use of much bigger and more complex indoor and outdoor skirmish areas and genuine army-sized squads as the game’s storyline progresses. Larger battles could even make use of a stripped-down hot-swapping mechanic to allow control of multiple commanders at once.
Throw in a decent cover system, slightly more detailed squad commands and online multi-player co-op, and we’d finally have the worthy sequel we’ve always wanted to the worthy game we’ve always loved. And hopefully the resulting positive karma points IO would earn would be enough to actually erase all evidence of Kane And Lynch from history.
