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.

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.

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