NEWS - Tuesday, May 21, 2002
EA Bring Freedom To The XBox
EA Takes to the Streets of New York City With Freedom: the Battle for Liberty Island for the PlayStation 2, Xbox and PC-CD REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--May 20, 2002--EA announces development has begun on Freedom: The Battle for Liberty Island (working title), an third-person action-adventure game set in the grim reality of an alternate history. As the hero, the player takes the role of a mild mannered, blue-collar worker who finds himself hurled into the position of a fearless freedom fighter as he battles an invading Soviet Red Army on the besieged streets of New York City. The game is currently in development for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Xbox(TM) video game system from Microsoft, from Io Interactive and is slated for a worldwide release fall 2002. A first-person version of the game is also in development for the PC and is scheduled for a winter release. In a new reality where the Soviet Union won the Cold War, a fierce conflict is unfolding in America as the Red Army invades a vulnerable United States. The player takes on the role of an average citizen caught in the middle of the conflict as forces take control New York City and begin imprisoning innocent Americans, including the player's brother. With American military forces pushed out of New York City, an Underground Resistance movement in Manhattan is all that remains to retake control of the fallen city. Recruited by the Resistance, the player will rise through the ranks by successfully completing missions with minimal casualties, ultimately becoming the charismatic leader of the group. Success will largely depend on the player's ability to recruit and lead fellow New Yorkers to join in the battle, and eventually rescue his sibling and liberate the city. Freedom: The Battle for Liberty Island provides two layers of gameplay -- a strategic turn-based mode centering around base operations in the underground sewer and an action mode that unfolds in the streets where fierce battles are won or lost and resources are captured. In this mode players will experience intense urban guerilla warfare scenarios ranging from small sabotage missions to large battles where players have to conquer enemy installations. Freedom: The Battle for Liberty Island includes multi-player support of up to eight players on the PC and four players in split-screen mode on the console versions. More information can be found on the EA press site at www.info.ea.com.Source: http://www.ea.com/
