Final Liberation was the only Epic scale pc game published and featured the planet Volistad as Imperial Forces under the command of Commissar Holt repel an Ork invasion. For the single player campaign mode, you commanded the Imperials over two differant maps, one was a world map that is similar to Risk where you could move and build your forces. The second was the battlemap where your forces deployed and faced off against the orks in turn-based combat. The diversity of units was huge, featuring the standard Imperial Forces such as PDF, Tallarans, Mordians etc., tank companies full of Leman Russes and artillery and expanding to the use of warmachines like Baneblades and Titans!
The Planetary Governer has completely failed to put down the initial ork invasion and Commissar Holt is called in to take command of the situation. While the player is the overall commander in the game, Holt has a force in game and is represented in game when you take command of that particular force. The scene below is one of my favorites simply because Holt is not in the mood for the Governers nonsense.
As you fight your way across Volistad you link up with various forces that went to ground following the invasion. Regaining the Space Port is one of your earlier missions and the Space Port serves as a general arrival area for the Space Marines though unfortunately you only gain access to Scouts through the game.
As you progress various units join up with you and add to your existing armies or form armies on their own so you can have several fronts operational at one time. My personal favorite though is when you liberate an Adeptus Mechanicus Titan Base. Now as the background fiction for 40k has advanced since this game came out one can assume that the producers of the game just didn't get what a Tech Priest should look like as the human in the robes has no visible modifications or mechanical bits. However, in the novel Titanicus, we are introduced to characters who are part of the Mechanicus but must serve as go betweens for the Mechanicum and the Imperials. Due to this, they do have mechanical upgrades internally however they are kept as human looking as possible on the outside so as not to unsettle the Imperials they work with. I know I'm digging but linking these two items up at least excuses how human this guy looks.
Finally your armies push through the Ork lines and make an assualt on the space hulk that they Warboss had crashed into the planet during the invasion. I don't recall the final battle being very challenging however by then I had perfected my first turn Death Strike missile barrage (9 void missiles spread across the map in turn 1 is a great way to destroy around half the enemy forces) and had legions of artillery ready to hit the enemy from across the board.
Now I personally don't remember letting any Orks go free but I'm sure they were trying to set the whole ending up for a sequel. Not that one ever happened unfortunately.
So, aside from Dawn of War, Final Liberation is my all time favorite Warhammer 40k video game! Next I'll be taking a look at my least favorite, Fire Warrior. Stinkin' Tau!
I still have this game too! Was fun, and had Squad land trains in it no less!
ReplyDeleteOh, I agree this was a great game. Chaos Gate is right behind this on in my list, followed by DoW and as you say... fire warrior down at the bottom.
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