F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon)
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This review is for F.E.A.R. Xbox 360 (Platinum Hits), F.E.A.R. PC and F.E.A.R. Playstation 3
While original, innovative videogames such as Ico, Okami, and Shadow of the Colossus are definitely welcome additions to anyone’s library, sometimes all a gamer needs is a gun and lots of bad guys to shoot at. Monolith’s F.E.A.R. lets you do just that. Although there are plenty of first-person-shooters available in the market, few of them have really managed to capture the intense, violent experience of firing a gun at an enemy’s torso. But F.E.A.R. has what every trigger-happy gamer crave for: brutal and bloody firefights displayed in their full glory with limbs flying everywhere and glass shattering as you spray your enemies with bullets. In other words, it’s what first-person-shooters should be all about: the gunfights. It’s also one of the spookiest games ever made.
You play as the Point Man, the newest member of the First Encounter Assault Recon team, a military unit trained to deal with paranormal situations. Apparently, a military commander known as Paxton Fettel has gone rogue and turned against his maker, Armacham Technology. Together with his telepathically commanded soldiers, Fettel goes on a rampage in an unnamed American city, apparently searching for something. You and your team are sent on the ground to find out what it is he’s looking for and neutralize him.
To take on Fettel and his soldiers, you have an impressive arsenal of weapons at your disposal, including the conventional shotgun, pistol, submachine gun, assault rifle, and rocket launcher, as well as a few special weapons, my favorite one being a particle gun that takes the flesh off of bad guys. Very cool! You can only carry three guns at a time, so choose them carefully. You’ll need these guns in the heat of battle, as your enemies are probably the smartest I have seen in a videogame: they take cover, try to flank you, provide suppressing fire for their comrades, lob grenades at you to force you out of cover, run from grenades you toss at them, jump over obstacles, etc. It really feels like that you’re fighting human opponents.
To turn the odds on your side, you can also use your super reflexes, a special ability that basically lets you see everything in slow motion. Not only does it give you an advantage over you enemies, it also makes the gunfights look even cooler: watching an enemy twisting and buckling in slow motion as you blast him with your shotgun is a sight to behold. Combat in F.E.A.R. is nothing short of brilliant: debris fly all over the place, blood goes flying as bodies get torn apart (did I mention that this game is not for kids?), and bullets tears chunks out of concrete and wood.
When you’re not fighting Fettel’s soldiers, you search the deserted buildings for clues and learn more about his whereabouts. Much of the plot is conveyed by radio newscasts and voicemails left by workers or their families, but what really draws you in the story is the game’s genuinely creepy atmosphere: moving objects, mysterious voices, unusual noises, and dimly lit corridors are sure to keep you on your toes at all time. Throughout the game, you will occasionally encounter a mysterious little girl in a red dress named Alma. She always pops up when you expect it the least, providing some jump-of-the-seat moments, and gives you the impressions that you’re being watched at all time. Truly brilliant stuff.
Graphics aren’t everything, but in F.E.A.R., they certainly add to the atmosphere. The environments, objects, and character models are all right, but nothing to talk about. It is in the special effects department that the visuals truly shine, with great particle effects, and excellent lighting and shadowing models. The audio in F.E.A.R. is equally remarkable, with music and sound effects to set the creepy mood. Throughout the game, you’ll hear little noises that will keep you on the edge of your seat, ready to shoot at anything that looks suspicious. Sound effects like bullet impacts, glass shattering, explosions, soldiers chattering with each other, and cartridges hitting the floor make combat even more immersive. Definitely a game to play in the dark, with the volume set at max.
Now, the game has a few shortcomings. While combat is fun and the atmosphere creepy, the game is seriously lacking in variety: with only a few exceptions, you’re taking on the same enemies over and over, and the environments start to feel repetitive after a time. You’ll get a feeling of déjà-vu when you see the same office cubicles for the umpteen time as you progress through your mission. A bonus mission has been included in the Xbox 360 version, but it’s very short and doesn’t add much to the story.
Multiplayer includes the traditional Deathmatch, Catch-the-Flag, and Team Deathmatch. To spice up things a little bit, the slo-mo feature has been included in multiplayer modes. Only one player can pick up and carry a slo-mo power-up at any time, and it has to be charged up before it can be used, making enemies move like molasses. Multiplayer is fast-paced and brutal, and will probably keep you busy for a while once you’re done with the single-player game.
In conclusion, I must say that despite its shortcomings, F.E.A.R. is an intense and scary game and worth every penny on its price tag. It brings the act of firing a gun to a whole new level, and manages to keep the player on his toes with freaky elements. The presentation and smart enemy AI are highly reminiscent of Half-Life, and make F.E.A.R. a worthy successor to that classic game.
>>Buy F.E.A.R. here<<
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Review by Michael. Other Reading: Shadow of the Colossus
