The Freedom Force

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Freedom Force is a computer game developed by Irrational Games and published by Electronic Arts in 2002. The player guides a team of superheroes as they defend Patriot City from a variety of villains, monsters, and other menaces. A sequel, Freedom Force vs. the Third Reich was self-published in early March, 2005.

The game is noted for its humorous but respectful evocation of the Silver Age of Comic Books; in particular, its visual style emulates the art style of the Marvel Universe co-creator, Jack Kirby. Also important is its versatile, expandable game engine, which has allowed a considerable fan-community to spring up. Total conversions featuring Marvel and DC comics characters have considerably extended the life of an already entertaining game.

From January to June 2005, the story of the first Freedom Force game was retold in a six-issue comic book miniseries published by Image Comics. This series was scripted by Eric Dieter and featured Jack Kirby-influenced artwork by Tom Scioli.

Members of the Freedom Force

• Minuteman - Frank Stiles worked on the Manhattan Project in World War II, where he learned that a co-worker, O'Connor, was turning secrets over to the Russians. His efforts to out O'Connor only ruined his reputation; in 1962, he is a bitter old man, feeding pigeons in the park. He chances to see O'Connor speaking to a man who is apparently a Russian agent, so he follows them. Unfortunately, he is spotted and fatally wounded. Dying, he slumps against the statue dedicated to the Minuteman, when a bright flash of light heralds Energy X, giving him patriotically-powered abilities. Minuteman has superhuman strength, making him a powerful melee fighter using his staff, "Vigilance." He can also gain the "Minute Missile" early on, which allows him to stun an enemy from a distance. In addition, he has some of the more accurate throwing skills among the core characters. A possible pastiche of Captain America, Superman, and a host of other patriotic superheroes.
• Mentor - A mysterious alien who is fleeing his home planet to bring news to Earth that Lord Dominion is on his way to conquer them. He possesses mental powers ranging from enraging nearby enemies to curing psychic trauma, and energy powers including some radiation attacks. It is never stated whether Mentor gained his powers by an Energy X "transformation" or if they're common to his race. A mentalist archetype, reminiscent of the Martian Manhunter or Professor Xavier from X-Men.
• El Diablo - A hot-headed Latino and former gang member, granted powers of fire by Energy X, El Diablo joins the ranks of Freedom Force after saving Minuteman and Mentor from the clutches of Nuclear Winter. Wielding the power of fire, El Diablo starts out able to fly and shoot gouts of flame at foes. Later in the game, he is given more powerful ranged attacks, including the ability to make objects explode. He considers himself a ladies' man but his main target, Alchemiss, constantly rebuffs him. As a fire-based character, he is vulnerable to cold attacks. Reflecting his fiery temper, El Diablo has difficulty focusing his powers, often resulting in poor accuracy or misjudged power use. He is also apparently mildly claustrophobic. He is similar in abilities to the Human Torch.
• Man-Bot - Ted Taylor was handsome, athletic, popular, and incredibly shallow. One day while driving, he was hit by an incredibly powerful but unstable bolt of Energy X. Ted was suddenly charged with an enormous amount of power that he had no control over; waves of explosive energy surged from his body unpredictably. In desperation, he turned to his scientific genius brother for help. His brother's latest project, an armor-like suit meant to provide mobility for the disabled, was able to contain the destructive power of Energy X, but Ted would have to stay confined in it until his brother could cure his condition. Ted refused this perceived 'imprisonment' and his brother was tragically killed by an unexpected surge of Ted's power shortly thereafter. Wracked by guilt, Ted dons the suit and vows to redeem his superficial life and his brother's death by fighting crime as Man-Bot. While Man-Bot is incredibly strong and is capable of using Energy X in powerful ranged attacks, he is also slow and can suffer uncontrolled energy explosions which injure friend and foe alike. With experience, he also gains the useful ability to transfer energy to other characters. Man-Bot frequently broods about the burden of his destructive powers, and knows that he will be forced to live in his containment suit forever, for the sake of everyone around him. An armored hero, akin to Iron Man, parallels have also been made to The Hulk, and the Human Bomb, both of whom have an uncontrollable power which defines their existence.
• Alchemiss - Catherine Larchmont-Price gained her powers during a dream when the mysterious figure of the Goddess imbued her with her spirit. She follows the Goddess's instructions to fight evil, and her powers revolve mainly around sorcery and dimensional summoning. Alchemiss tends to have a snarky attitude and doesn't like to ask for help; she refuses the attentions of most men, yet interestingly makes several advances toward Man-Bot over the course of the game. She has few direct-damage attacks and focuses more on status change and knockback abilities. A Jean Grey/Marvel Girl and Scarlet Witch pastiche, which will transform later on into a cosmic powered Dark Phoenix like character.
• The Ant - John Miller was an intelligent, nerdy student, picked on and bullied often. While observing a colony of ants in fascination, a ray of Energy X infused him with ant-like superpowers, including great strength, the ability to burrow, and the ability to throw "acid bombs." The Ant is a born bookworm, tending to be quiet and introspective but also a bit of a clown, constantly wisecracking during fights. The supervillain Shadow had kept him under her control with drugs, using his control of giant Energy X-infused ants to attack Patriot City. Freedom Force broke her evil spell over him and he immediately joined the team. He has a number of moderately powerful melee attacks, and can throw acid bombs and summon swarms of ants. He can also climb walls or burrow underground for protection or to bypass obstacles. His personality, abilities, and origin are reminiscent of the Marvel Comics Spider-Man character.
• Liberty Lad - Young Nick Craft was a huge fan of Freedom Force, the founder of their fan club, and a comic book aficionado. Star-struck, he followed the team everywhere, despite Minuteman and El Diablo's warnings for his safety. Tagging along during a confrontation between Freedom Force and the villain Pinstripe, Nick was seriously injured. Minuteman gave him a blood transfusion that both saved his life and granted him powers similar to his idol. Nick christens himself Liberty Lad and becomes Minuteman's sidekick, boasting super strength and speed as well as limited molecular control. He is very fast and agile, has decent melee attacks and a variety of grenades, but as a youngster cannot stand up to punishment as well as most heroes on the team. He is a "sidekick" character in the same vein as Bucky or Robin.
• Microwave - An advanced robot from a far-flung alternate future where machines rule the earth, Microwave appears suddenly during a battle with Pinstripe and attacks Freedom Force. After being incapacitated, Microwave is reprogrammed by Mentor and becomes a member of the team. Very strong, slow and tough, but vulnerable to electrical damage, Microwave's main strength lies in his radioactive beam and projectile attacks and the abilities to "genetically alter" enemies and clone himself. Reminiscent of the Vision and Red Tornado, robot characters who joined the Avengers and Justice League respectively.
• Eve - The beautiful Eve appeared unexplained in Patriot City Park, wearing a bikini-like outfit of foliage. Her origin is never fully revealed, but she plays a major role in defeating Pan, which may indicate that she is the embodiment of a mythological nature-force as well. Mysterious and quiet, Eve rarely speaks unless directly questioned. She wields a bow and variety of arrows with great accuracy, and can also call upon plants to blind or bind enemies. Her appearance is very similar to the early appearances of Poison Ivy in Batman comics. Her personality and later connection to the Greek God Pan are parellels to Wonder Woman.
• Man O' War - Hank Waters was a grizzled fisherman, but he'd had a run of bad luck. He was taking his beloved ship, the Man O' War, to Boston to turn it over to the bank when he discovered a young female stowaway on board (see Sea Urchin below). A vicious storm struck, during which Hank Waters was thrown overboard. As the stowaway struggled to rescue him, both were struck by Energy X. Hank found himself possessing power over the sea and electricity, which he used to calm the raging storm. Naming himself Man O' War after his treasured ship, he becomes a crime-fighter along with his new sidekick, Sea Urchin. He is one of the more physically powerful characters in the game, has good ranged attacks and can gain the ability to fly. Man O' War's voice is very reminiscent of that of actor Sean Connery and is the water-powered archetype, analogous to Aquaman or Namor the Sub-Mariner.
• Sea Urchin - The same incident that turned Hank Waters into Man O' War gave super powers to Merry Mason, his young stowaway. Like Man O' War, Sea Urchin has electrical and sea-related powers, but much less powerful. Most of her attacks are bubble-based, using her bubble-gun. Like Liberty Lad, she is young and much less durable than other members of Freedom Force.
• Law and Order - Just before mob boss Franky "Scrambled Eggs" Carbone was to stand trial, Pinstripe's goons rigged Judge Wilson's car to explode. Wilson was killed instantly, but there was a witness. Judge Wilson's assistant Sarah had seen Pinstripe at the scene, even though the explosion blinded her. Sarah was placed in the protective custody of an Officer Samson, an inexperienced but honest policeman who refused to abandon her to the mobsters trying to silence her. Facing down the corrupt police officers about to kill them, Sarah and Samson were simultaneously struck by Energy X, fusing them together into a composite being. Sarah became Law, wielding a mighty sword, and Officer Samson became Order, who attacks with an enormous gavel. Only one aspect of the duo can exist at once, but either can transform into the other at will. Law is a powerful healer and a quick but relatively weak fighter, and Order is a slow but powerful warrior. They may be a small nod to Cloak & Dagger.
• Bullet - Dwight Arrow was an Air Force pilot known for being the "fastest man in the sky." During the Vietnam war, his plane was hit by Energy X, which granted him super speed. After his plane crashed, he not only outran the bullets of his pursuers, but ran all the way across the Pacific to America. He decided to become a crime fighter, adopting the identity of Bullet. Bullet is the fastest hero in the game and can also sprint short distances near-instantaneously. Additionally, he is relatively strong, which makes him a valuable melee character. Bullet can also stun enemies by running into them at high speeds and can generate small whirlwinds that hurl people and objects upwards. He is the speedster archetype, not unlike The Flash or Quicksilver.
• Blackbird - Blackbird was originally only available to people who pre-ordered the first game, but it was soon discovered that all three pre-order characters were available by the addition of a line in the configuration file. A burglar who was frequently in and out of jail, Cassandra Calloway realized that crime really didn't pay. While trying to decide what to do with her life, she was hit by a burst of Energy X and decided to instead fight crime as Blackbird. She has several bird-like powers and abilities, including flight, a "talon-scratch" melee attack and a ranged sonic attack. Not unlike the DC Comics character Black Canary.
• Iron Ox - Iron Ox is another pre-order character, a washed up English boxer who was imbued with Energy X and given super powers. In many respects, Iron Ox is a typical strongman character but he is not especially vulnerable to mental attack as most "brutes" are. However, he is extremely vulnerable to electricity. Iron Ox speaks in a stereotypical posh English accent.
• Supercollider - Another pre-order character, Supercollider's origin is unknown. Like all of the pre-order characters, he doesn't have an origin clip and his description states him as being either an alien or a genetic experiment. The sequel indicates via in-mission dialogue that Supercollider has had numerous run-ins with the law. He has a roughneck attitude and looks like a bulky orange-skinned humanoid wearing a red armor. He has very powerful melee attacks and an active defense force field.
• Tombstone - Nathan Graves was framed for the murder of his own wife by his neighbor. Shocked and devastated, he never spoke in his own defense during his trial and was sentenced to die in the electric chair. At the moment of Graves' execution, Energy X hit the power line and traveled into his body. Not quite living and not quite dead, he gained electrical and spirit-based powers. As Tombstone, he still wears the execution hood placed over his head in the electric chair and has adopted a sinister gunslinger-like appearance, complete with six-guns and belt buckle adorned with skulls. Tombstone has a hollow, echoing voice and is grim and humorless. He has cold-based melee attacks and a ranged attack where his dual pistols shoot electricity from his execution. However, his most distinctive ability is possession: temporarily taking complete control of a victim while his own body fades into an intangible state. He is reminiscent of The Punisher and Ghost Rider in his determination to wreck vengeance on criminals.
• The Bard - Harry Holmes loved the works of William Shakespeare so much, it consumed his life. When his obsession caused his true love to leave him, Harry threw his lute in frustration, accidentally striking a canister of Energy X. He was granted powers echoing his passion for Shakespeare: singing hypnotic odes and throwing fiery "Yorick" skulls. His costume is similar to that of the DC hero Green Arrow.
• Green Genie - Jani Al-Hajani was cruelly held prisoner by her own father, a powerful sheik, and forced into an arranged marriage with a man she'd never met. Her elderly servant and friend Mustaffa attempted to help her escape, but her father's goons began torturing the old man for information on Jani's whereabouts. The young woman shielded Mustaffa with her own body when she was struck by Energy X. The bolt transformed her into a green-skinned, flying-carpet riding genie of legend, who is sometimes more concerned with having fun than fighting evil. Though she is nothing like him personality wise, she is similar to the Green Goblin in that she is a green 'goblin' like creature riding around on a magic carpet 'glider'. Her reality warping powers may also bear a comparison to The Scarlet Witch, though again, her personality does not match.
• Quetzalcoatl - Johny Azotl's grandfather took him to the Patriot City Museum every year to look back at the past. As the tale of the staff of Quetzalcoatl, an ancient Aztec god, was told, Johny became impatient and left his grandfather alone because he was not interested in the past. He headed for the roof to let some steam out, but a burglar passed by him without being noticed. Suddenly, a gunshot was fired inside the museum, and Johny overheard it and went to check it out. Johny then finds his grandfather fatally wounded. The burglar pushed aside Johny with the staff of Quetzalcoatl in his possession and without a second thought, Johny pursued the burglar to apprehend him, and caught up with the burglar. As Johny and the burglar struggled for the staff, a beam of Energy X hit the staff and the burglar, surprised by the beam, released the staff. As the staff glowed, so did Johny, and Johny felt the power of Energy X and an ancient power. Then, Johny glowed with a golden aura and transformed into the Quetzalcoatl. Quetzalcoatl then summoned a giant snake and apprehended the burglar. Quetzalcoatl may be present, but Johny still exists within him in spirit form. As Quetzalcoatl approached Johny's grandfather, he felt sad, which he is not familiar. For the first time ever, the god cried, and a tear drop fell upon the elder, somehow reviving him. From then on, Quetzalcoatl vows to fight crime as if his presence in Patriot City is fate's decision. He seems to be reminiscent of Marvel's Thor. He's not much of an attacker, but he can heal and temporarily revive fallen allies.
• Black Jack - Jack St. John Spade was a British inventor working in Her Majesty's Institute for Wartime Research during World War II. He wanted to fight on the front lines as a soldier, but Professor O'Toole, his mentor, insisted that England couldn't afford to lose his abilities in combat. Working late one night, Spade discovered that O'Toole was being tricked by Blitzkrieg into creating a weapon capable of destroying the entire RAF. When Spade tried to intervene, Blitzkrieg paralyzed his legs to keep him out of the way. Desperate to keep the final secrets of the weapon from the enemy, Spade coated a playing card with his newest creation, a combination of acid and poison, and flung it into O'Toole's throat. Shunning the desk job that had kept him from combat, Spade equipped himself with guns and gadgets of his own invention and fought the Nazi menace as Black Jack. Like the other World War II-era heroes, his abilities are not Energy X-based. In addition to his pistol and punching attacks, he throws acid-dipped cards and blinding grenades and uses "decoys" to fool enemies. Black Jack speaks with a marked British accent and colorful phrases ("Let's get these Jerry blighters!"). At the end of the second game, he return to the 1940s, which he sees as a more peaceful time. He is vaguely similar to pulp heroes like the Avenger.
• Tricolour- Sabrine Tricolette was a French fencing champion. After she won a gold medal in the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin, Blitzkrieg brainwashed her. Sabrine became a Nazi henchman, arresting resistance fighters in Vichy France. While Sabrine was supervising the execution of a group of rebels she had apprehended, one of them began to sing the French national anthem. When she tried to silence him, she saw the tricolored French flag on his scarf. This reminder of her beloved country shattered the hold that Blitzkrieg held over her. She became Tricolour, dedicated to freeing her homeland from the Nazis who had invaded it. She and Bullet seem to be very attracted to each other. Like Black Jack, Tricolour has no Energy X-related powers. Her abilities are based on her fencing skills, including fairly powerful melee attacks and a blinding light from her rapier.
• Sky King- Ace Gunner was an actor known for playing Sky King, a Nazi-bashing movie hero. Meek and shy, he saw that his costar Charmaine was interested in the "real heroes" (soldiers) rather than his pretend hero. Eager to prove his courage and win Charmaine's love, Ace began trying to modify his movie-prop jetpack to enable him to actually fly. He had no luck, but got his chance at heroics when a Nazi spy stumbled onto the set and held Charmaine at gunpoint. Although he couldn't fly, Ace managed to save the actress by hurling himself at the Nazi with the help of his jetpack. Hailed as a hero, Ace decided to leave Hollywood and become the Sky King for real. A huge fan of Sky King while growing up, Bullet helps his hero alter his jetpack to fly. (Interestingly, Bullet knows how to do this from an old issue of a comic book featuring Sky King. See predestination paradox and ontological paradox.) His abilities all come from his armored costume, which unfortunately also makes him very slow on foot. His attacks include chain guns and a "blast-off" area damage ability. His manner of speaking is similar to that of Jimmy Stewart, Hollywood actor and Air Force pilot. His creation was probably influenced by the Rocketeer.