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F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a competent and atmospheric shooter marred only by framerate issues and its reliance on horror and video game cliché.
What’s It All About?
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, the sequel of 2005’s cult hit F.E.A.R., is a tactical FPS that relies on its tension and atmosphere almost as much as its core gunplay. The game has particularly gruesome horror themes running through its entirety. These are initiated by the series’ mascot Alma, a psycopathic antagonist whose mystery is unravelled throughout the game.
What We Liked:
Solid gunplay. Like its predecessor F.E.A.R. 2 relies on the strengths of its AI, weaponry and slow-motion mechanic in order to make the gunplay varied and interesting. The weaponry feels good with solid audio and visual feedback and decent hit response animations as the enemy are shot. We were most impressed with the fluidity of the battles driven by the moderately competent enemy AI who will create and find cover for themselves whilst remaining particularly aggressive. The range of weapons is not the largest (you’ll find yourself sticking to the standard issue machine gun throughout a majority of the game) but there are still some interesting variations; the napalm cannon and laser gun being two of the more novel pieces in the game.Good pacing. What sets F.E.A.R. 2 apart from other games in the FPS genre is its excellent atmosphere and pacing. Driven by its impressive lighting and consistent sense that something is lurking in the next room the game manages to constantly keep you on the tip of your toes. Monolith also manage to get the timing for each shock moment just about right which is essential when creating a good horror game.
Visual effects. Anyone who played the demo of F.E.A.R. 2 will have been subject to a vast number of screen flickers, graphical flits and interludes. Those concerned about the frequency of these events may be pleased to know they are less frequent in the final version of the game allowing their impact to be more effective. The game also has a grain filter applied to it which is suitable for the tone of the game but rarely allows the graphics engine to show off.
Impressive set pieces. The F.E.A.R. 2 campaign is littered with excellent set pieces that divide the action and help to keep you playing in order to see what’s going to happen next. These set pieces are usually visually stunning but are sadly underscored by the games shaky framerate.
The mechs. A somewhat out of place inclusion to the main campaign puts you inside “Powered Armour”, allowing you to scorch through the designated area with the satisfying damage provided by heavy machine guns and rockets. What this element takes away from the horror setting is made up for in sheer brute force and memorable moments.
What We Didn’t Like:
A reliance on horror and video game cliché. While the criticism of F.E.A.R.’s character design has already been put under scrutiny by players of the original game, it still has to be said that we’re sure we’ve seen much of F.E.A.R. 2’s content before. The plot takes you through the standard fare elementary school, hospital and underground laboratory settings without ever trying something fresh for the genre. Whether homage was on the mind of the designers or not, it’s hard to escape the feeling that you’ve seen it all before. Sadly, slow motion mechanic aside, the gameplay does little to diversify from its counterparts either.
Level design is extremely linear. While F.E.A.R. 2 craftily deceives the appearance that there are a number of branching paths, the game is essentially a one way course to the finish. Rooms and corridors are split off into dead ends and while exploration is rewarded with weaponry and story-padding “Intel” items, the level design is undeniably one-way.
Framerate issues. Unfortunately, as good as F.E.A.R. 2 looks, the framerate is consistently compromised. This can occur on a number of occasions, either when a particularly impressive set piece is occurring or during a heated gun fight. While it’s not game breaking it does undermine the onscreen action considerably, lessening the effect of some of the games more spectacular set pieces.
The script. Some of the characters and scriptwriting can be a little embarrassing at times, particularly the “comic” lines of series newcomer Snake Fist. The voice acting on the whole is believable but the script halts any real character or plot development which is a shame.
“Is that the end then?” While we don’t want to give too much away we have to admit we found the ending to F.E.A.R. 2 to be a little anti-climatic. Obviously setting itself up for a sequel we felt the ending gave no real sense of achievement to the game, almost as if we’d come full circle and made no progress.
Note: The final version of F.E.A.R. 2 includes a multiplayer component we haven’t been able to test at the time of writing. We’ll be giving our thoughts on that when we’ve spent more time with it.
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