hi
I want to make a 2D top-down view game but I dont know how to do a top-down view characters and vehicles thats looks like 3D but they are in 2D and animations for them, also I want to ask if is possible to make 2D top-down view vehicles damageable like 3D models
You should get a program called Game Maker_5, ( http://www.cs.uu.nl/people/markov/gmaker/ ).
Also when i make the 2D that looks 3D i use a modeler and animate, like walk, than i capture a screen shot of some frames that go through the walk cycle than i make a gif file, easy as pie and chicken. By the way i use MilkShape 3D http://www.swissquake.ch/chumbalum-soft .
But im guessing you were gona make a game like Commandos, not fully top view, but to the side, should get that game and look at the damn good shit they done in it, or Commandos 2,3.
Yes. The best example I know of for this is GTA 1 and 2. They had 3D backgrounds (cities) and then all the vehicles and people were 2D sprites.
Before 3D became really big for gaming, a lot of developers would make high poly characters in their package of choice, render out frames, crop the characters and then use those for their 2D art. Septerra Core is probably the best example for that. Any EA games around the original Pentium timeline will show that as well (ie. Crusader: No Remorse). Even fairly recent games have done it this way. Fallout Tactics is another example.
If you do not have any 3D experience, then I suggest that learn as much about traditional animation as possible and then try to paint your frames by hand in a 2D package of choice. If you are just after making vehicles, then buying model kits and looking at their decal diagrams will also work really well.