IGN interview about future of Freedom Force.

[House Quake]

I don't find anything wrong with having a mix of the old cast plus a new cast. Not every change is bad especially if they want to boost the fanbase a bit more.

One of DC's better titles, Justice Society of America, does just this.

IMO, the love for the game's core characters have been only a very small part of why people have enjoyed the game.  I would wonder just how many people played the game using the core characters after they finished the initial campaign?  I know I never touched them again.  Most, I believe couldn't wait to figure out how to get their favorite comic book characters and originals into the game.  There are a few fans who really fell in love with Minute Man. Sea Urchin and the rest as a preference to mainstreams and originals... but I'm pretty certain they are the minority by a large margin.

[laughing paradox]

While I can only hope they decide to create a new installment of the game, I would be satisfied to get meshes of those unused characters!

Mama Bear, Watchdog, Gold Fang, Big Top & Side Show, Red Dwarf.. some pretty cool stuff there.

[bearded]

if i can get some suggestions for animations from you guys, i'll do mama bear.  that method worked well with my deadman animations.  it would be nice to get the professional version, of course.

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

I'm pretty sure the Ultimate FF was pretty much a modern reboot of the setting anyways, much like Ultimate Marvel, but presumably not quite as nasty at times.

Besides, just about every here, including Benton, loves the DC Animated Universe, and that was set in modern times.  A modern setting and appeal does not mean you have to give up what made the silver age good.

[Courtnall6]

To satisfy both camps...in the campaign...make the original Freedom Force time travel to the future and battle along side the modern day Freedom Force to stop a common foe. Similar to FFvsT3R obviously...but that way we get the best of both worlds. Modern day heroes, villains, maps, pedestrians, cars, etc.

I would have no problem if they stick to the DCAU as a modern day guidline cat.

[Podmark]

I'd be ok with either type of game. But I don't really get some of this aversion to a modern setting. Like others said the DCAU is a modern setting. Modern doesn't mean you're getting blood, sex etc.

I actually be ok if most of the 'human' characters were retired in a modern setting, maybe have a couple acting as mentors, and guys like Microwave and Mentor could still be active, Liberty Lad and Sea Urchin would be grown up. We'd find out what happened to everyone and do a new story. Would be fun.

[BentonGrey]

Okay, hold on a moment here.  I see that I need to clarify my position, as most of you seem not to have read the same article I did.   So, YES, they could easily just plop all the characters in a modern setting and just be like "it's comics, they never age!" but from what they've said, and from the very clear dates on the previous games, that seems like something of a departure.  In that article they were talking about two different possibilities, a FF3 set in the future, (but NOT in modern times) and Ultimate FF, which, as the name implies, they said would have drawn heavily on Marvels' Ultimates series.  What I've been saying I want is what they indicated FF3 would have been, a 70's adventure in which Liberty Lad and Sea Urchin have grown up a bit, but the team is still around and active. 

The reason I have said I don't want them to do a modern setting game is that I hate the Ultimates with a passion.  To me, it seems like a rather adequate shorthand for the trends that I abhor in modern books.  Since that was to be their source, just as the work of Lee and Kirby was in the first two games, then I don't want to see it.  Yes, I love the Timmverse toons, and I don't have anything against a modern setting as far as the simple aesthetics go.  In fact, I don't have anything against the setting as far as the themes explored in Batman:TAS or JLU.  I even love the more complex narrative options that are available in modern comics, but if we are talking about "modern" in terms of the Ultimates?  No thank you.  If we're talking about modern in terms of DCAU, well heck, I'm all for it.  That show knew how to make stories mature, in the true sense, which has much more to do with complexity and emotional depth than with the sex and violence that are what makes up most of the "maturity" in comics these days. 

As far as not having faith in Irrational?  Well, I think that they are an incredibly talented group of guys, but they have shown in Bioshock that they have a capacity for a level of darkness that, given their professed admiration for The Ultimates, worries me in relation to my favorite game franchise.

C6, I could totally get behind that.

[wickerman]

It was a bit depressing to read their comments about multiplayer.  I think they really missed the boat with not having a good MP side to the game and they don't seem to know it.

That said, it is good to know they would at least CONSIDER another FF game - even if it remains a very outside chance.

[murs47]

Aw man, an ultimate FF team would be awesome! MM could be in a love triangle with two of the other members. Diablo could be addicted to heroine as he copes with his powers dissipating. Alchemiss could be moonlighting as a female escort/high priced prostitute 'cause being a super hero doesn't pay the bills. Mentor could be a talk-show host using his psychic powers to help overly dramatic, and attention starving couples solve all their problems. The possibilities are endless!

[Blkcasanova247]

To satisfy both camps...in the campaign...make the original Freedom Force time travel to the future and battle along side the modern day Freedom Force to stop a common foe. Similar to FFvsT3R obviously...but that way we get the best of both worlds. Modern day heroes, villains, maps, pedestrians, cars, etc.

I would have no problem if they stick to the DCAU as a modern day guidline cat.

That's the idea behind the mod that I want to do.

[Gremlin]

Aw man, an ultimate FF team would be awesome! MM could be in a love triangle with two of the other members. Diablo could be addicted to heroine as he copes with his powers dissipating. Alchemiss could be moonlighting as a female escort/high priced prostitute 'cause being a super hero doesn't pay the bills. Mentor could be a talk-show host using his psychic powers to help overly dramatic, and attention starving couples solve all their problems. The possibilities are endless!

...hahaha.

[yell0w_lantern]

Which heroine would El Diablo be addicted to: Alchemiss, Eve, Law, Green Genie, Sea Urchin or Blackbird?

[Tortuga]

It was a bit depressing to read their comments about multiplayer.  I think they really missed the boat with not having a good MP side to the game and they don't seem to know it.

That said, it is good to know they would at least CONSIDER another FF game - even if it remains a very outside chance.

Agree completely.  Two huge selling points in modern games are customizability (which FF has if you're willing to put in the time and effort) and multiplayer.  IG totally missed the boat on multiplayer.  A co-op mode and easier support for customs could've helped keep FFvstTR alive.

[Courtnall6]

To satisfy both camps...in the campaign...make the original Freedom Force time travel to the future and battle along side the modern day Freedom Force to stop a common foe. Similar to FFvsT3R obviously...but that way we get the best of both worlds. Modern day heroes, villains, maps, pedestrians, cars, etc.

I would have no problem if they stick to the DCAU as a modern day guidline cat.

That's the idea behind the mod that I want to do.

"Great minds..." and so forth..

Which heroine would El Diablo be addicted to: Alchemiss, Eve, Law, Green Genie, Sea Urchin or Blackbird?

El Diablo would be heavily addicted to all of them I'm sure....all except the under age heroine that is.

[Podmark]

El Diablo would be heavily addicted to all of them I'm sure....all except the under age heroine that is.

Which according to Tombstone he marries 

[BentonGrey]

El Diablo would be heavily addicted to all of them I'm sure....all except the under age heroine that is.

Which according to Tombstone he marries 

I'm convinced that's Tombstone's idea of a joke.

[Reepicheep]

Some awesome costumes there. Really liking the new Eve, Nuclear Winter and Ant. LOVE Son of Liberty's costume!!

But I'm not too happy with Minuteman.

The interview... Seemed a bit more looking back rather than looking forward. Lots of good things mentioned there and good justification of FF's shortcomings (Multiplayer). But I didn't feel there was much talk about the future of FF. A few mentions of 'we could have done this' or 'we would like to have done that', but I'm a little upset to see theres nothing definite.

Good read, though. Nice to read the makers' words again.

[Courtnall6]

Eve looks better in green to me. I'm not getting the whole nature is purple thing.

[tommyboy]

Eve looks better in green to me. I'm not getting the whole nature is purple thing.

Spoiler

nope.
Eve looks horrible. Cheap xmen knockoff style which suggests nothing about her other than that she is one of a billion "hawt chicks with teh gunz*". (and yes, I can see its a quiver on her leg not a gun. Still looks dumb and awful.)
Meh, meh, and meh again.
Manbot at least makes some sense.
Eve now looks like Rogue/Psilocke/Viper/Anyone drawn by a Jim lee wannabe etc etc etc. True, she used to look like Poison Ivy, but that at least is a distinctive look. This is horribly, painfully generic. And dumb? I mean, you have a bikini/loincloth combo, but you wear a hood? And that over the shoulder cape must work great with the bow. That's not getting in the way at all.
No. No. No.

[Courtnall6]

Oh I agree the look is all wrong for Eve. I'm just saying she needs to be green.

[Epimethee]

It was a bit depressing to read their comments about multiplayer.  I think they really missed the boat with not having a good MP side to the game and they don't seem to know it.

That said, it is good to know they would at least CONSIDER another FF game - even if it remains a very outside chance.

Agree completely.  Two huge selling points in modern games are customizability (which FF has if you're willing to put in the time and effort) and multiplayer.  IG totally missed the boat on multiplayer.  A co-op mode and easier support for customs could've helped keep FFvstTR alive.

In theory, I'm obviously in favour of coop MP for FF, as it's a natural for this kind of game.

In practice, however, I'm afraid it's almost a given that multiplayer is opposite with customization.First, of course, implementing multiplayer is far from free, it requires a lot of work which you won't be able to spend on other aspects. Second, it requires major game code and gameplay compromises.

For example, the skirmish mode codebase of the existing FF games is severely limited because it's based on the (half-baked) MP mode ? FFX would be much better if the skirmish mode was a clean implementation. Also, gameplay could have been fully optimized for single player (thrown object KB in FFvsTTR might be a casualty of MP). And, who know if with the time and money not spent on MP, IG would not have instead given us better mod tools?

The studios behind games like Morrowind, Oblivion and the Sims, with enough development money to push both customization and multiplayer, have still chosen the former over the latter exclusively? and have sold reasonably well, apparently.

[Figure Fan]

Wow! These pics are great!

[stumpy]

I have to agree that, while I think green makes more sense for Eve than purple, the first time I saw that concept art, I thought it was Man-Bot and Alchemiss, not Man-Bot and Eve. Eve isn't a mysterious, hiding-in-the-shadows type character; I don't see her in a hood. And a long cape and a bow seems totally impractical.

[tommyboy]

Oh I agree the look is all wrong for Eve. I'm just saying she needs to be green.

I'd like several shades of green at the very least, and some colourful foliage wouldn't hurt.
But, yep, green is where she should be at.

[BentonGrey]

I have to agree that, while I think green makes more sense for Eve than purple, the first time I saw that concept art, I thought it was Man-Bot and Alchemiss, not Man-Bot and Eve. Eve isn't a mysterious, hiding-in-the-shadows type character; I don't see her in a hood. And a long cape and a bow seems totally impractical.

Funny, I thought she was Alchemiss too.

[wickerman]

I have to side with the 'that outfit sucks' crowd.  It always bothered me that Wonder Woman and Psylocke etc fight in their underwear.  Jim Lee's Huntress redesign a few years ago with the open midriff and hot pants with these huge boots always made me cringe too.  Because, you know, street types like to leave as much skin exposed as possible while the rest of their skimpy outfit is made of the most sophisticated and expensive Kevlar armor Bruce Wayne can finance.

Alchemiss in a skirt might fall into that category, but I chalk that up to the era FF is trying to reflect more than anything else.   

[daglob]

In a "What's New" strip from Phil Foglio awhile back, they explored fantasy fashions, Itstarted with Dixie in a chain mail bikini, and then she changed into a "sensible" outfi for going out adventuring (her face was uncovered). It ended with Phil confronting a wandering monster while wearing only a chain mail jock strap...

[lugaru]

I keep forgetting to check this out when I get home, since I cant see the article or pics at work.

I will comment that I would love to see a grim and deconstructed freedom force world, with the freedom force heroes in it. You know, it would be like the JSA battling The Authority, trying to prove that you can be light hearted and heroic and still win at the end of the day.

I think that is a great subject that does not get explored that much, except when superman fought The Elite.

[Jakew]

I actually love the mythology behind the game storyline, so I'm geeking out over seeing those unreleased characters like Golden Fang (Iron Fist?), and WATCHDOG (Nick Fury?), as well the characters upgraded costumes, like The Ant.

I've gotto say that a lot of the charm of the games was from the Silver Age setting ... I'm not sure it would have the same appeal with a more modern "Ultimate" context.

[BWPS]

One of the first characters I made was a short glowing red guy named Red Dwarf! Smegheads!
This is a really good article, I think commenting is a good idea. It's nice to hear from the designers, really cool guys.