F.E.A.R.

Reviewed by Matt Steele
November 27, 2005

Developer: Monolith Publisher: Sierra Website: Click Here Platform(s): PC Number of Players: 1 to 16 (multiplayer) ESRB Rating: M (Mature) Review Rating: 7.5 out of 10

There seems to be a natural evolution these days towards cinematic game making, and F.E.A.R. is no exception. It starts with a very dark, movie-like cutscene that sets up the premise for the game, which is: You are a rookie operative in a top secret government strike force that handles paranormal encounters. The strike force is called First Encounter Assault Recon (F.E.A.R.), and your job is to take down a particularly sick bastard who is killing and eating people, and has somehow taken control of a clone army. The story is presented throughout the game in the form of sporadic, psychotic visions that are interesting and creepy, but overall too vague. They never really inform the gamer of what is going on. The story is also occasionally revealed through e-mails that the player stumbles across on a few random computers in the game, but this dynamic also feels half-conceived. The game succeeds more in atmosphere than it does in story, which leads me to my next point: The game is scary. Not in the way Doom 3 was scary, with demons jumping out of the darkness, but in the way The Exorcist was scary, with disturbing visions of violence and sinister little girls. Except in the game these visions happen while fighting through dark warehouses filled with freakishly intelligent soldiers. Needless to say, the game is aptly named.

While the atmosphere of dread is surprisingly well-done, the environments themselves actually grow stale. The entire game seems to take place in an endless stream of dark hallways, boiler rooms, and abandoned industrial warehouses, all of which aren't even very interesting to begin with. That's not to say that the graphics aren't impressive. The proprietary engine in F.E.A.R. is easily one of the most advanced to date. All of the bells and whistles of modern engines are in place, with specific attention paid to character models, animations, and particle effects. The enemies in F.E.A.R. are incredibly detailed, and move with an impressive array of animations. They lack variation, but rightfully so considering they are a clone army. The physics model is also well-done, but is not an integral part of gameplay like it was in Half-Life 2. However, the graphics aren't what keep the game interesting. Gunplay is where F.E.A.R. shines.

F.E.A.R.'s action is heavily inspired by John Woo style shootouts. Weapons are loud and powerful, and firing them is probably the closest feeling you can get in a game to firing a real weapon. Chunks are taken out of walls, dust kicks up, sparks fly, blood splatters, and enemies scream. All told, the amount of particles filling the screen during a shootout easily reaches the multiple thousands. Picture the lobby shootout scene in the first Matrix movie, and you will have an idea of what the action is like in F.E.A.R. What makes it more exhilarating is the amazing AI. Enemies are constantly discussing amongst themselves the best way to take you down, whether it is flanking you, charging head on, or dumping a table on its side to use as cover while they pick you off from a distance. During this strategizing, enemies will dive through windows, jump over barricades, duck behind cover, and generally scare the crap out you with how truly human they act.

 

The gunplay in F.E.A.R. is a sight to behold. There is no comparison when it comes to first person shooting action, but there's not much more to the game. The story is executed poorly, the environments are monotonous, and the gameplay is far too linear. However, the action in F.E.A.R. is something I recommend every gamer experience at least once.

I give F.E.A.R. a Low evolution factor. Once you get over the spectacular shootouts with incredibly intelligent enemies, there isn't much more to F.E.A.R. Multiplayer is fun for a short while, but lacks substance and originality.