Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix

"A bit late for a review, but further proof why this game is great"

I\'ve been meaning to review this game for some time now, so anywhere here it is!

Gameplay: 7

The control are based on the same control system used in the RE series, which I\'m not very fond of. It\'s rather annoying but you shouldn\'t let bad controls ruin a game for you, especially one as good as this. The weapon/item inventory system is a flaw in this game, it\'s very annoying because while you scroll through it the game still runs, so if you\'re in a firefight and you need to change guns because your current one has run out of ammo, it becomes a big hassle doing it especially trying to get away from several shooting guards with an annoying control system. A handy function used, is the rolling function. It can be used for rolling......and dodging and becomes useful in boss fights and most firefights. Overall, it features reasonably good gameplay but it could\'ve been made much better IMO.

Sound/Music: 10

This aspect of the game is fantastic, the BG music always suits the mood and the situation. The voice acting is magnificent, it is done so well that you can feel as if these characters are real people. The fact that they use coarse language aswell shows that these people aren\'t your average nice guys but what they\'re meant to be - mercenaries, contracted killers.

Graphics: 10

For a PSX game these graphics are superb. They have amazing BG designs and they are always crisp and clear. I\'d love to see a FE game on the ps2 just to see how much they can improve the graphics. The graphics have made quite a leap from FE as you can see everything more clearly, especially the characters. I like their look much better in FE2 than in FE1. The anime style graphics also help set this game apart from the others.

Story: 10

The story of this game is remarkable, it\'s captivating and brilliant. Being that FE2 is a prequel to FE1 this game shows how the original cast of FE (Hana, Glas and Deke) got together. This is the reason why FE2 is such a great game (besides Hana and Rain of course..). No point in me going into detail about it or else I\'d be here for another 2 hours typing.

Replay Value: 5

This is a game you\'ll most likely only play through once, however it\'s not out of the question to play through it more than once. I myself am playing through it again.

Buy or a rent?

Well if you loved FE than this is a definite buy. If you\'re a fan of the survival horror genre this is a must-buy too. If you want an adult-based game - Violence, strong sexual innuedos, gore, blood and hot women then you\'d want this game in your collection. If you like games than this is a game you should definitely consider.

Basically this game is a buy! It\'s been out for a while now so it\'s rather cheap to buy, so don\'t hesitate to.

Difficulty:

Hard/Very Hard.

I had to use a walkthrough for this, mainly for the puzzles. They are ridiculously hard and can be a major pain. Don\'t think you won\'t die cause you will, I guarantee it.

Overall:

This game is great, the series is great. It should be getting much more attention than it deserves. Brilliant story, great voice acting, superb graphics and a reasonable gameplay system. Don\'t let the bad controls deter you from buying this game!

Also, don\'t worry about choosing to play either FE or FE2 first, since it won\'t really matter.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/06/03