"F.E.A.R in a nutshell"

For my first review on Gamefaqs.com I chose F.E.A.R for a great starter. F.E.A.R is an outstanding example of what game developers can do if they really put all their heart, soul, and mind into a FPS. Lets examine the details.

Storyline: 9/10

A decent straightforward plot carries F.E.A.R along it's amazingly movie like path. From the beginning FMV you are treated to Hollywood style camera angles and a good dose of scare tactics. F.E.A.R follows the footsteps of a new recruit that has joined a black ops branch of the U.S. Army. First Encounter Assault Recon was formed to find a threat that defies definition, analyze, and eliminate if need be. As a rookie you are dropped into the fray when a company, contracted by the U.S. government, loses it's most powerful pet project: a psychic commander who can control an entire battalion of clone soldiers. The rest of the game is masterfully folded out a la Half Life by only letting the player see what his character can see. As the story progresses we see that the general motive is not that simple. I have to say that this story line rivals most other FPS in the way it is presented. Frequently you are treated to visions (albeit freaky ones) that allow you to truly understand what is going on. F.E.A.R delivers these in an awesome way but as you progress you start to notice a pattern. I found myself saying "oh, this is gonna be a story level and not an action level". But other than that minor snag this game has no flaws in the storyline.

Gameplay: 10/10

I have to say I was blown away by the action in the game. While it is a fairly straightforward FPS it mixes things around accordingly to make sure the action doesn't dull. In the seperation of FPS's there are the run and guns like Serious Sam and Doom, and then there are more tactical such as Halo and in this case F.E.A.R. Blatently, if you stand out in the open you will die, really fast. It doesn't take that many bullets or melee attacks for your character to buy the farm. But Monolith balances it out with certain things. One is level layout, you will be hard pressed to enter a firefight without having a great many things to hide behind. Crates, pillars, vehicles, etc. are at your disposal(and the enemy's) just be sure you do not hide behind any yellow barrels as they are the priceless exploding kind you'll find on every FPS. Action is also extremely fast paced, soldiers A.I. usually will conform to your every tactic. The enemy will coordinate to flush you out or fall back if you've taken out too many point men. When all of your options are out there is another fallback plan. Your character is outfitted with a skill much like bullet time. The enemies slow down leaving you with ample opportunity to attack or run for better cover. It also warps the graphics a bit to accent which soldiers are alive and kicking and which ones are just a stack of tires with a helmet. The weapons balance out nicely allowing you to carry up to 3 of any combination. They each have a different high and low points such as the SMG is a bullet hose but has low accuracy. Grenades, mines, and sticky remoted detonated bombs add some flare and strategy but mostly enemies will either dodge them or casually explode into a fine blood mist.

The other non combat side of gameplay involves progressing the storyline and utterly scaring the crap outta you. It does this usually with creepy ambiance or ghosts that appear and disentigrate in front of you. The thing I like about the gameplay is that secret areas are abundant, but not without penalty. Often you will be treated to a scare session for finding some really cool gear. Gameplay is absolutely perfect in this game.

Graphics 10/10

Nice isn't a word for these graphics, nothing less than awesome will do. From the opening cinema to the actually gameplay you will be stunned. The facial animations, the water effects, and even the glass effects add a great flair to the game. The pinacle though is the lighting. As in Doom3, lighting plays a big role in F.E.A.R. as you traverse the levels. It allows you to hide and be scared more easily. The muzzle flashes and other sources of light blend perfectly with the scene as do the grit and dust. I often sometimes enjoyed when I missed an enemy and hit the wall, leaving a nice crater to show the velocity of my attack. The only bad part I witnessed was the dust from grenades and other fire sometimes ocludes enemies and entire sections of the rooms not allowing even your flashlight to penetrate it. Other than that, hats off to the graphics of this game.

Sound 10/10

Sounds in this game are truly great, everything from gunfire to voice acting is done very well. I thought it was also nice how they complimented the "Mature" rating with the occasional F-bomb drop. Dialog aside, everything in F.E.A.R. has a nice ring to it. The scare scenes have a background tinge that hightens your senses for the upcoming freak show. The combat is well done with a combination of gunfire, explosions, and radio clatter from the clones. You can hear every aspect of their strategy, falling back, rushing, or just plain searching for you is sounded out by Half-Life esqe voices. Sound is truly a high mark in this game.

Multiplayer 9/10

When I tackled multiplayer I had the ESRB warning in mind :Gameplay may change during online play. Of course I had a bad couple of servers where guys would phase in and out due to lag. When I got to a good server though (which is a breeze with the F.E.A.R. browser) I was treated to a great time. The traditional games are there, deathmatch, team deathmatch, etc. but also there is a new type of game called Slomo matches in where you can generate a certain meter to slow the match down and give yourself or your teamates the boost they need to win. Basically, you start off and choose a starting weapon, then just go nuts destroying everyone. I only give it a 9 because of a lack of depth and cohesion, most multiplayer games require no teamwork and are just a chaotic scramble to see who can fire more (or adjust for lag)

Overall impressions:

F.E.A.R is a wonderful FPS that has a very intriguing storyline and ground breaking graphics. If you are a FPS fan or just in the mood to follow a great intriguing storyline, F.E.A.R. is a game that should be in your Collection.

Gov Issue Hero

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/24/05