So, I'm sitting here today, and my dad calls me. Turns out, he bought me a game for my 18th birthday. So I go pick it up and bring it home...
The game, if any of you have heard of it, is called F.E.A.R. This stands for First Encounter Assualt Recon. Basic story is that you are a rookie in a special forces team that combats the 'paranormal'. That being said, one of the first things you encounter is a ghost.
F.E.A.R is best described as a mix between 'The Ring', DOOM 3, Resident Evil, and the Matrix. Each member of the F.E.A.R team has a 'special' ability...your's just happens to be enhanced reflexes, which leads to bullet time. This may sound old and cliche, but it was pulled off very nicely. The effects are amazing as well.
One thing I love about this game...it's actually creepy. We've seen so many titles recently that attempt to scare you (DOOM 3, anyone?), yet most fail in many ways. This game features a girl that resembles the one from 'The Ring' quite a bit...and that leads to some VERY creepy parts. The game utilizes random scares to keep you jumping...such as a distorted face randomly appearing on the screen for a split second and a loud scream (think about that K-Fee commercial, Mitch). There's much more to it than that, and the environment keeps you on edge.
Although it is a first person shooter, F.E.A.R brings more to the table than a shooter. There are several ways to combat your enemies. You have your weapons, grenades, proximity mines, remote mines, bullet time and your fists. The game incorporates a fresh melee system, allowing your character to perform attacks such as a round-the-house kick, a kick slide, a leg sweep, and normal hand to hand combat from a first person perspective. All of these moves are pulled off seemlessly, and make the combat feel very exhilarating.
F.E.A.R also includes a fantasic enemy AI. Enemies will take cover, flank around you, toss grenades, and communicate between one another in order to best combat you. I have to say...after playing through part of it on normal difficulty, I found myself having to find different solutions to situations each time. You CANNOT rambo in this game...you'll be on the floor in seconds. The game also incorporates an interesting ragdoll physics system. Physics (which are heavily used in Half-Life 2) are what make objects fall over and enemies fall down. A ragdoll is a character model, the term 'ragdoll' implying that the body goes limp when killed. This ragdoll effect allows the body to fall freely, conforming to objects that it impacts. In most games, ragdolls are single models that can be thrown around, but thats it. F.E.A.R uses a special type that can be blown apart, yet retain their ragdoll properties (it was really interesting when I shot a gun in mid-jump, just to see him split in two and smack into a wall). Sure, that may sound a little grotesque...but its just cool to watch. The voice acting is good overall as well, and the pacing seems to be pretty good so far.
Now for the downsides. This game looks AMAZING, with graphics on par with Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 (better than those respective titles in some areas). This means that you have to own a whopper of a PC in order to play it (Ive got most of the settings on medium and I STILL have massive ammounts of lag, and Ive got a very nice system). There is also just a bit too much cursing going on...I expect people to curse in a battle field, but it seems that every other word is "FU*K!!" Plus, there's just a little TOO much fighting going on...this game is supposed to frighten you, but it kind wore thin after the first few levels. I found myself constantly fighting the soldiers and seeing less and less paranormal encounters.
All in all, F.E.A.R is a VERY good addition to this year's FPS category. Anyone who is an FPS fan and has a decent computer should definately give this one a try.
Snake's Rating - 8/10
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"If you believe in yo'self, eat your school, stay in milk, drink your teeth, don't do sleep, and get eight hours of drugs, you can get work!"
Wow.....I remember that K-Fee commercial, too.....
Anyways, I've heard of it, but I don't usually go for FPS-horror titles.
So, is it for anything other than the PC? As you know, my computer is for work only and has very little games on it. It's not exactly a gaming computer anyways. If it's for any consoles, could you say which one? I'd like to try it. I haven't had a good scare since the "OH SHI*!!!!" incident in RE4. Jena knows what I'm talking about cause I was on the phone with her when it happened.
sounds like a sweet title my man, but yeah any chance for an xbox release, like mitch my desktop while a good system is like two years old and i'm already in dire need to upgrade many of its systems like graphics and crap like that but dude sounds like one he** of a game
kannibalkaney
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You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, she is beautiful because you love her. ~Author Unknown
Sorry fellas, at the moment this one is PC only...it would have to be on X360 or PS3 to do the graphics any justice.
And this one definately has the scary moments...
In RE and RE4 I never got really creeped out or scared. I jumped a bit at times, but thats mostly it. In F.E.A.R, however, I almost jumped up and yelled "OH SH*T!"
It's freaking awesome, either way :)
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"If you believe in yo'self, eat your school, stay in milk, drink your teeth, don't do sleep, and get eight hours of drugs, you can get work!"
Well, I liked Doom 3, but I thought that it had its scary moments. I think that this game would be fun. I kind of like getting my self scared while playing some games, the adrenaline flowing through your system as you anticipate whats going to be around the next corner. I guess its one way for a girl to get her thrills
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I'm waiting for you in the lifestream my dearest Cloud.
the word i like to use is jollies, but hey whatever floats your boat well then it looks like i won't be getting this game for a while then because i don't plan on buying a 360 until they go down from 400 bucks
kannibalkaney
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You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, she is beautiful because you love her. ~Author Unknown
So I played some more...the creepiness starts to pick back up, big time.
This game has done an amazing job with it's battles. The enemy AI has its bugs, but its FANTASIC for the most part. And theres no 'cheap' scares like on Doom 3 (think monster closets).
That little girl on there can make you jump. The combat has kept me going, whereas on most games it would have gotten really stale by now (theres not much to puzzle solving, so the combat HAS to be good or you loose interest fast).
Plus, that shotgun is just so...awesome...
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"If you believe in yo'self, eat your school, stay in milk, drink your teeth, don't do sleep, and get eight hours of drugs, you can get work!"
Okay, so I beat the game. Awesome all the way through. Heres a basic story synopsis.
SPOILERS
In 2002, the United States Military formed a special ops group, code-named F.E.A.R (First Encounter Assault Recon). This group's purpose was to combat the paranormal in situations of national crisis.
The Department of Defense has petitioned a corporate conglomorate, named Armacham Technology Corporation to produce an army of clone soldiers who will be led by a physcic commander (this would make an ideal army, as clones are expendable, and a physcic commander could use telekineses to control the troops from a distance, keeping him safe). So begins project Origin. The purpose of Origin is to bread a telepath, capable of being condition to use for control. An 8 year old girl, named Alma, is found to have telepathic abilites, and is inducted into the program. However, she cannot be controlled, so Armacham decides to breed a new telepath from her DNA. However, they discover that simply putting her DNA into a fetus will not copy her telekenetic abilities...so they genetically engineer it inside of her. Alma gives birth to two children (pretty freaking sick, I know. I mean, shes a freaking kid!) and is put back into cryo storage. The first child has extremely fast reflexes and great physical strength, whereas the second has uncanny telepathic abilites. The second child, named Paxton Fettel, is inducted into the program as the new clone commander. At the age of 10, he has a 'synchronization event'. This means that his mind is connected to Alma, and she has a direct influence on him. He takes command of the soldiers and starts wreaking havoc. Armacham is able to contain the situation and seal Alma away deep inside the Origin facility. The facility is locked up completely, not to be reopened.
Turns out Alma has to have minds to prey on close by, or her powers grow week. Now that she's in stasis in a locked up facility with noone around for miles, she has no influence and Fettel is under the command of Armacham.
Several years later...
Genevieve Aristide, a head official of Armacham, decides to reopen the Origin facility, hoping to completely clean it out and start from scratch. She sends two teams into the facility, and looses contact with both. They decide to close it back up...but not before things go terribly wrong.
The two teams that went in gave Alma a fresh start, reactivating her telepathic abilities. She once again tunes into Fettel, linking her mind with his. This drives him insane, and a second 'snychronization event' occurs. Fettel breaks out of the facility and activates the clone army...only theres nothing to stop him this time. Fettel sets out to extract revenge, planning to kill everyone involved with Origin...everyone who made Alma suffer.
Meanwhile, the First Encounter Assault Recon squad is informed of the situation, and are sent in to investigate. You take on the role of point man, a rookie who just transferred into the outfit a week prior. You begin tracking down Fettel...
Throughout the next segment of the game, you fight your way through a waste water facility, where a chemical spill from the Origin facility has began to settle. Fettel wants to find Alma, so this is a logical place to start. You fight your way through replica troops, seeing apparitions of both Fettel and Alma throughout the facility. The Replica troops then retreat from the plant, and head straight for the Armacham corporate headquarters.
Your operative is sent into Armacham with a group of US Delta Force Operatives. You fight your way through the office complex, once again seeing apparitions of both Fettel and Alma. You link up with a woman named Alice Wade...her father was the man who was in charge of Origin. She high tails it out of there, trying to find her father. Fettel has been working his way up the chain of those involved in Origin, and shes next on the list. Your guy is air lifted from the facility and begins pursuit, along with another FEAR operative and a Delta Force captain. However, your helicopter is shot down and you have to make your way through and old apartment district.
Long story short, you make your way into the Origin facility, only to find out that Harlan Wade (the man who was in charge of Origin) is planning on releasing Alma from her stasis (why he wants to Im not sure, maybe a way of attoning to her for what he did). You encounter Fettel, kill him, and the clone army is no more. Alma is released...
Throughout the game, you have random flashbacks of a delivery room in a hospital, filled with apparitions and blood. Through this chain of events, you learn that Alma gave birth to two sons...the second of which is Paxton Fettel...and the first is you. You have no telepathic abilites, so Alma cannot take over your mind. Since you are hindering her and Paxton, she tries to kill you with ghostly apparitions. You set off a self-destruct sequence and high tail it out, fighting those ghosts as you go. Once you get to the surface, you get caught in the explosion and knocked out. The remaining FEAR operative and the Delta Captain find you and get you out of there. During this time, you have your final flash back, learning that Alma's last name is Wade...so presumably, you/Alice/Harlan/Alma/Paxton are all related. The game ends with you on the chopper, with the Origin facility destroyed, and Alma gone for good....or is she?
(The final scene shows the chopper shake a bit. The woman FEAR agent says "What was that?" A second later, you see Alma's head and arm shoot up through the open door on the chopper...then the credits roll).
END SPOILERS
I hope that gives you guys a good idea of what's going on in the game. For a FPS, it has an INCREDIBLY good story (I was very surprised). This takes DOOM 3 (a game I like, mind you) and gives it several swirlies.
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"If you believe in yo'self, eat your school, stay in milk, drink your teeth, don't do sleep, and get eight hours of drugs, you can get work!"
but dude sounds like one he** of a game 
You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, she is beautiful because you love her. ~Author Unknown
I'm waiting for you in the lifestream my dearest Cloud.
