IO Interactive may not ring any bells for you, but these are the guys behind the superb and fresh Hitman games. Not only did they finally bring something new a tired and repetitive genre, they made it fun and created something that hasn’t really been seen again – How many games can you say are like Hitman?

Once more they have taken the third person genre, and instead of stealth have reworked the action genre into an almost cinematic treat.

The camera work is initially confusing – well it was for me, flick my mouse left and right while being shot at was certainly disorienting and the words “run you moron” sprung to mind, which I duly obliged to do. Running to the next room as the helicopter gunship created decorative bullet holes in the room I was previously standing, was a fun, intense moment. So far, so good.

So, as I figure out the controls (manual? WTF is a manual?) I hear someone being beaten outside in the corridor – I go through my inventory….a wrench….oh yeah let me give some background information on “who” you are.

You are a plumber – yes, you are the coolest of all heroes – you unblock toilets and sinks, and repair pipes. The ladies love you for it.

So our character and his hairy pal are on their way to fix someone’s plumbing when they discover she is not there. She is someone who has spoken out against the Communist invasion of Russia…..to put it simply, think of the Scenario of Command and Conquer – US vs Russia, Russia invades US blah blah – but put into a third person perspective actioner set in a familiar time period and done with some zing.

Running to the next room as the helicopter gunship created decorative bullet holes in the room I was previously standing, was a fun, intense moment

The graphics in this game are solid – with nice textures, well built city blocks and good character animation. The only thing that lets the game down is the flimsiness of the camera which makes targeting a major problem, and when dealing with several of the enemy can become a frustrating problem.

Set pieces – such as the initial journey into the city, as you escape and watch as the invasion scatters innocent civilians all over the place, debris collapses, chaos ensues – there is a sheer joy and delight at watching a cinematic “cut scene” within which you partake.

AI is pretty good, no problems there as the AI in the Hitman games was pretty great. Scripting is also very well implemented, and it has a certain irony to it – if you changed the situation to Iraq and the invaders as the US and Britain – it brings a spine chilling eeriness to the proceedings.

So back to the initial start – and you hear someone beating and someone getting beat – you enter the corridor with trepidation – after all you only have the mighty power of a pipe wrench the size of a burger to take on a the Russian forces. As you see someone getting beat (Iraqi or American Muwahahhaha) you knock the Russian over the head. In return for the rescue, the remaining hostages scatter as your now free victim gets you to follow him.

To be honest this game does what Hitman did, add some new freshness to an already existent yet tired genre. Some of the stuff is routine but done with immense style and care, that it becomes irrelevant that you have seen this before.

Freedom Fighters has many facets to it which has charmed me to play it further, the construction of maps (use sewers opened with your wrench to go back and forth to locations), the good gfx, the clever and involving gameplay – you always feel that without you they cannot succeed (which is true!).

IO Interactive can be incredibly proud of a very well designed and executed title, its shame the camera and targeting lack the same level of execution – but this game is something different and brings the fun back in which has been severely lacking.

Verdict: A solid, entertaining third person shooter. “Viva La Resistance!”