Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix

"This is one of the best last games of the PS1 and at a bargain basement price of 20 bucks."

Sporting an ESRB rating of M for mature, Fear Effect 2 proudly pimps everything from anime-styled, blood filled, death scenes, to sexually oriented encounters of the well-endowed kind. The game is decidedly intended for adults.

As Hana Tsu-Vachel, you are charged with liberating a DNA sequence that is somehow either the cause or the solution to a genetic disaster that will eventually wipe out the human race. You will sneak past fully armed bi-pedal robots Solid Snake style, hack internal networks, and uncover the existence of a genetically engineered war-machine. And that’s just the first level.

Fear Effect 2 uses FMV backgrounds, which almost overly compliments the pixel-acious in-game character rendering. Many times interaction is emulated with the backgrounds to accomplish things like out running a crumbling platform or avoiding attacking overhead airplanes. The effect of melding FMV with real time rendering not a new concept (Final Fantasy 7 also used this technique), but it should be noted that FE2 pulls it off exceptionally well.

Graphics are aliased, pixilated, and blocky compared to NextGEN games for newer systems, although, they are visually impressive when compared to other PS1 games. The FMV sequences are aesthetically pleasing, with character graphics that look almost cell-shaded. Fans of Fear Effect 1 will be happy to know that the poorly executed blue screen animation method has been replaced with hand-tweaked human emulation, resulting in a much more fluid overall appearance.

The voice work is appropriate, well executed, and for the most part, impressive. The lip sync job is almost entirely spot-on, due in large part to the fact that the facial expressions consist of little more then a handful of simple animations. Subtitles are available, but not selected by default.

Fear Effect 2 will put you in the role of four different characters; you will control everything from the ambiguously gay duo to a 20ft mech armed with dual chain guns.

Controls are slow and clunky, in traditional RE format. Although there are a couple additional streamlined functions that add to the overall controllability of the game. Even so, expect the same control issues you would have with Resident Evil or Onimusha. Mentally disabled control scheme aside, FE2 is still a helluva lot of fun.

The game basically consists of going from point A to point B, collecting item C to activate door D, with a healthy assortment of logic puzzles thrown in for good measure. It plays like a good Resident Evil or Parasite Eve. The story unfolds in consistent progression and rarely gets old enough to warrant a bathroom break. Most objectives in the game are logical and make sense, at times, however, what you are asked to do feel contrived and generic.

Fear Effect ditches the traditional life-bar unit of measure in favor of the 'Fear Meter'. The more damage you receive, the higher your fear becomes. The Fear Meter changes from 'Calm Green' to 'Intense Red' depending on the character's current energy situation. Fear Effect 2 does not use standard health power-ups either, instead solving puzzles, doing well in gunfights, or discovering key items boasts your energy level. How exactly, this method makes sense is not explained. Eidos apparently thinks that you would die of fright if you were shot. If it was not for the small technicality that it makes no sense, the 'Fear Meter' would be an innovative, well executed concept. This discrepancy will inevitably be easily overlooked however, due in part to the fact that the game offers a double dose of feminine 'assets' that would make Lara Croft jealous

The exploration aspect of the game can get tedious on the latter levels, luckily new puzzles are introduced consistently throughout the game to help keep the mind fresh. Puzzles range from inputting the correct sequence of numbers on a keypad to a mini turn-based-strategy game that is actually pretty impressive. Another method Eidos uses to keep the game entertaining is switching between multiple controllable characters on the fly, what one character does in a particular level will sometimes affect the options of the other character. Multiple character integration is executed flawlessly from level to level.

The item and weapon inventory is combined into one cycle-able menu, the square and circle buttons cycle from item to item. You have to choose your item or weapon on the fly, while the onscreen action is occurring. This is my biggest complaint about the game, since you will, at times, have to cycle through 13 or 14 different items before arriving at the one you were looking for. This time-consuming inventory method will inevitably lead to either dying or take unnecessary damage.

The storyline can be, at times, more over-the-top then an episode of Special Unit 2. FE2 is, despite the name, the prequel to the original Fear Effect. The storyline will have you visiting a plethora of different locales, from an alternative reality Hong Kong to the legendary mountain-island of the immortals. You are faced with many decisions during the course of the game that can potentially affect the ultimate outcome of the game. While this does add somewhat to the longevity of the game, it does not do much in the way of its linear progression.

Fear Effect 2 offers up around 20-30 hours of game time, depending how long it takes you to figure out the puzzles. This is one of the best last games of the PS1 and at a bargain basement price of 20 bucks, you would be doing yourself a great disservice to pass this one up.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/02, Updated 02/16/02