F.E.A.R. Review

Finally, there are four separate levels of difficulty in F.E.A.R., with each increase having more advanced AI and less ammunition/weapons to be found laying around. Soldiers duck for cover, shoot around corners and even know when they are trying to be flanked. Their accuracy and group AI also improves dramatically at the high difficulty levels. At the easier game levels I often found myself with the maximum amount of first aid kits for long stretches, this wasn't the case on the hardest level. At times I was desperate to find both first aid kits and body armor to help me last longer. Luckily the quick save/load and check point saves allow for more than a few mistakes without having to replay an entire interval.

Audio, Graphics, & Visuals

From the opening cut scene to the completion of the final interval, the combined audio and visuals are a jaw dropping experience.

The spine tingling audio effects give them game it's eerie feeling, sounds of gun fire hitting enemies and objects is very realistic. The creepy background score also adds a chilling element of horror and puts you on the edge of your seat.

At first look the environments are gorgeous and have a seemingly endless attention to detail. After the first few intervals however, you will begin to notice the there's not a lot of variety between them. Sure, objects are in different locations, corridors maze through a complex in different directions but you still get the feeling that you've been in same room/environment more than once. Even so the visual effects of fire fights makes up for this lack of variety.

Combat has a truly cinematic feel, raining fire from above, down upon unsuspecting clone soldiers creates a hectic scramble. Between the flying sparks and blood spatters your enemies can duck for cover, flank and attempt to regroup for a counter attack. The rag doll physics engine provides a realistic effect on what can happen after unloading a clip from your assault rifle.

All the graphics and effects do come at a price. The game eats up a lot of system resources, so unless you have a top of the line PC/graphics card you may experience a few hick ups in performance.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer portion of F.E.A.R. supports games of up to 16 players in two separate team modes. Capture the Flag and Team Deathmatch. Each game incorporates all of the weapons found in the single player campaign as well as the Slo-Mo ability. In multiplay, this ability works at the team level, when activated everyone in the game is affected. The team activating acquires the enhanced slow motion reflexes enabling them maneuver around incoming fire, seek cover, or move in for easier shots at normal speed while the opposing team seems to move in slow motion. The opposing team is not stuck in syrup and can move around normally but will find that their aim and reaction time seems to be off by a fraction of a second.

Bottom Line

The graphics, gameplay, and audio for F.E.A.R. are all top notch and create a truly scary experience which make it easily stand above other FPS this year. The graphics can chew up a lot of memory, even on mid-level systems, and I would have liked more varied environments, but this doesn't take away from the games appeal. It redefines and enhances some game play features found in other FPS as well as adding a nice new twist with the Slo-Mo ability. Overall, F.E.A.R. provides an excellent gaming experience. So turn down the lights, turn up the volume and get ready to face your fear