F.E.A.R. you can't forget.
The first F.E.A.R. was one of those underappreciated gems
that games critics loved, but hardly anyone actually bought.
Shamefully, I have to admit I'm one of the many. And so,
knowing F.E.A.R. 2 was on the way, I went and tracked down a
cheap preowned copy of the original. Having enjoyed it for the
best part of a week, I expected the transition into Project
Origin to be smooth and painless.
It wasn't.
Elementary
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin breaks one of the cardinal rules
of First-Person shooter design; give gamers a choice of control
methods. It's a problem the first F.E.A.R. didn't have. There's
just one setup in F.E.A.R. 2, placing crouch on R3 and zoom on
the Left Trigger. Call of Duty players may not be fussed, but
Halo nuts who scope with R3 will curse developer Monolith for
such an elementary omission.
A supremely well put-together First-Person Shooter,
arguably every bit as good as current genre
leaders.
Equally dumbfounding are some of the more trivial
alterations guaranteed to annoy original F.E.A.R. fans.
Flashlight used to be down on the D-pad; now, inexplicably,
it's up. And why are grenades in F.E.A.R. 2 now on RB, shifting
Weapon Select over to LB? It just leads to lots of exploding
suicides while attempting to change firearms. Not a
game-breaker by any means, but annoying nonetheless. With
customisable controls, it would have been a complete
non-issue.
Breathe. That's the venting out of the way. You see, the
reason these quirks prove so annoying is that F.E.A.R. 2:
Project Origin is, in every other way, a supremely well
put-together First-Person Shooter, arguably every bit as good
as current genre leaders.
Killzone 2 is the most natural point of comparison. Like
Guerilla's game, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin feels chunky to
control, with weighty head-bobbing movement, a short-distance
sprint on L3, lots of realistic-feeling firearms and
scope-focused gunplay which sees bullets shred through enemies
in generous splats of gooey claret. However, unlike Killzone,
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin uses old-fashioned health and armour
pickups rather than recharging health, and takes place in
largely clinical office and lab corridors, not expansive
outdoor areas.
Slow-mo
And then there's F.E.A.R. 2's slow-mo. Pressing Y activates
it, sending you into what is essentially bullet time, where
everything... sloooows dooooown... letting you take out enemies
faster than they can shoot you. Factor in some pretty
intelligent A.I. with a good mix of gun-toting squaddies and
more hideous beasts, and the result is a shooter boasting some
of the coolest combat variations ever.
The screen will flicker and... change, with
demonic figures or apparitions of Alma making you wonder what
exactly is and isn't real. Unnerving stuff.
It's also worth noting how well F.E.A.R. 2 justifies its
title. As well as being a stonkingly good shooter, Project
Origin is an accomplished and brilliantly eerie storytelling
experience. Kicking off half an hour before the explosive
finale of the first game, it continues the conspiracy
surrounding the telepathic weapons projects of the Armacham
Technology Corporation, and their ultimate
experiment-gone-wrong, the creepy little girl called Alma.
Playing as First Encounter Assault Recon agent Michael
Beckett, it's not long before you're pulled into the fray, as
Armacham's board seek to cleanse their nearby Auburn facilities
of evidence – including you. Interspersed amongst F.E.A.R. 2's
ensuing firefights are files to find, detailing further
back-story to Armacham's research, and ever so often the screen
will flicker and... change, turning hazy red or blurry
white, with demonic figures or apparitions of Alma herself
making you wonder what exactly is and isn't real. Unnerving
stuff.
Spooky
A lot of the fear-factor has to do with the presentation.
Though F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin isn't technically on par with
the Killzones of the world (and the backgrounds can get a bit
samey) it vastly outshines many a game with some sublime use of
shadow and torchlight, solid character models, impressive
animation and a curious juxtaposition of fraught gunfire
against frankly spooky whispers and moans which brings a unique
edge to the campaign. Sadly the multiplayer isn't as well
executed, but it's worth a look, and offers added value to an
already impressive FPS package.
Still, it's the cinematic flair, occasional scares,
stomach-churning set pieces and non-stop slow-mo action that
make F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin such a success. Forgive the
schoolboy error on the controls and there's really not many
titles that do what this does so well. Overlook it like I did
the first game and you really will be missing out.
GAME's Verdict
- A stonking corridor shooter with cool slow-mo
combat.
- An aptly eerie experience full of creepy atmosphere and
moments to make you jump.
- F.E.A.R. 2 really is quite lovely looking.
- Only one control option.
- Backgrounds can get a bit samey.
- Multiplayer probably won't match CoD, Halo et al for
popularity.
Review by: Mark 'Slow-Mo' Scott
Version Tested: Xbox 360
Review Published: 20.02.09