Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix

"Bottom line: GO BUY THIS GAME!"

I doubt Enix could of made a better game. I mean, this game has it all: a great story, sweet graphics, heart pounding action and two lovely ladies in skin tight outfits. This game is awesome, even without the T&A! One thing I love is how it is not dumbed down to a 3rd grade level, i mean, they are not afraid to say “****” in it, and I am glad. I bought Star Ocean: The Second Story and was sooooooo disappointed! I mean, what kind of hero would appear on an unknown planet,, in the woods, far from any signs of civilization and say “O darn it!”! That is what I hate. Anyway, here is my review!

Story: 10/10
**NOTE, THIS GAME CONTAINS ADULT THEMES SUCH AS STRONG LANGUAGE, LESBIANISM, MURDER, PROSTITUTION, AND MANY OTHER THINGS!**
This story is very good. A prequel to Fear Effect, a disease called EINDS is infecting half the world in some form. Hana, Deke and Glas are the bad-ass missionaries that are sent to retrieve a DNA strand called the Retro Helix, and are joined by Hana’s lesbian lover, Rain. The Retro Helix contains a cure for EINDS. I wont ruin any more for you, but I have to say, the story is one of the best I’ve seen in a videoame!

GAMEPLAY: 8/10
The only reason i gave this is a 8 is because of the awkward controls. If you are a fan of the Survival-Horror Genere, than they wont be a problem. But if you aren’t, it will take a bit of getting used to. You press “up” to move forward and “back” to slowly move backwards. “right” turns you clockwise while “left” turns you counter clockwise. This is very cliche´´for the survival-horror genre, but is a major pain-in-the-ass otherwise. No matter how annoying the controls can be, you will be glued to your seat to continue the story.

GRAPHICS: 10/10
The graphics are Anime´ styled and in my opinion, hella-cool! FE2’s backgrounds are rendered in FMV so they look awesome. There is absolutely no wait between FMVs and gameplay, and there is no distinction either! There is alot of realistic gore, which really makes the game’s atmosphere creepy.

SOUND: 10/10
Fear Effect: Retro helix’s voice acting is by far the best I have ever heard. It even beats out Metal Gear Solid’s in my book! The voices are all done professionally, and it really shows. The music has that creepy, edge-of-your-seat feel, and really increases the experience.
REPLAY VALUE: 4/10
This game has almost NO replay value. You might pick it up in a year or two to relive the experience, or play it twice to try out the codes, but otherwise, no replay value.

BUY OR RENT: BUY
I think this is a game that should be excluded from any gamer’s library, especially if you are into survival-horror.

Overall: 10/10
I really love this game, and while is has its problems, I still give it a 10. It was an iffy though, but it deserves it. Bottom line: GO BUY THIS GAME!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/30/01, Updated 04/30/01