| OUR RATING:
6.8
GOOD
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TANGIBLES:
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Why you should buy it: Newcomers to the genre might enjoy F.E.A.R. 2’s solid shooting mechanics, while diehard fans of the genre should certainly add this to their collection.
Why you should rent it: Disappointing visuals and a short single-player campaign might make renting this more prudent. |
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UNIQUE RATING:
6.8
  SUGGESTION:
Rent It |
Written by: Edward Love | Tags: F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, Playstation 3
For the eight hour campaign, you play as Michael Beckett, a typical gung-ho soldier whose ability to slow down time means he’s more than just your average mercenary. His intermittent hallucinations are more like an acid trip gone wrong than a man who is fighting wave after wave of enemies. In this way, F.E.A.R. 2 isn’t a typical run-and-gun fest, but it hardly breaks away from the FPS mold. Many of Monolith’s well-intentioned ideas are lost in a tepid adventure that suffers from the tropes of the genre.
Of course, if you’re interested in F.E.A.R. 2 based on its action and action alone, there isn’t a whole lot to be disappointed with. While the arsenal on offer is nothing groundbreaking, guns pack a solid punch and enemies reel in physics-appropriate fashion. The AI is also commendable and like its forebear, bad guys will attempt to flank you, utilizing cover and generally making a nuisance of themselves. They aren’t overly difficult to dispel – and it’s safe to say that this is an easier game than the one we had four years ago – but the satisfaction of blowing away a crouching soldier keeps you going, although the game’s brevity is partly responsible. And while the on-foot sojourns are typical F.E.A.R. – with slow-mo tricks and dancing bullet tracers – the odd mech section changes up the action considerably.
Jumping into one of these armored beasts is more in line with Monolith’s SHOGO, as you rampage through the streets, blasting away enemies without pause for thought. It’s nothing clever and it’s been done before, but we appreciate the effort on the developer’s part. Moreover, these sections are not compulsory and you can play out the scenario on-foot if you like, which is a subtle yet clever move on Monolith’s part. Naturally, feeling like an all-dominating killing machine doesn’t induce many scares, but these mech sections are brief and the game’s overarching focus is on systematically unnerving you through some stock-and-trade horror tactics.
Alma, of course, is largely at the fore of your unsettlement, although we’ve seen the dark-haired girl convention done better in The Ring. Nonetheless, the hallucinations are often brutal and well-orchestrated with the accompanying musical score spot on. Sadly, the level design is no better in F.E.A.R. 2 and although you occasionally venture outside, the game still suffers from linearity as convenient rubble and other well-rehearsed ploys hinder your progress. Ultimately, this is as much a corridor crawler as the first game with thinly veiled parlor tricks as the disguise. And while the variety helps matters, the fact that you can’t deviate from the set track stands to hammer away at your immersion – and enjoyment.
This is a problem considering Monolith has tried their best to immerse you. Whether it’s the cutscenes viewed through Beckett’s eyes or the HUD – an angular goggle-like display on all four corners of your screen – you’re never supposed to leave Beckett’s point of view. Sadly the heads-up display is irksome and while many will simply get used to it, there’s the nagging feeling that the HUD from F.E.A.R. would have sufficed. There’s something to be said for sticking to what works, and F.E.A.R. 2’s annoying interface certainly makes a case for this. Despite the transparent nature of it, it still feels overly cluttered and diminishes the intimacy of firefights.
Most surprising of all, however, is just how lackluster F.E.A.R. 2 is visually. It’s not a travesty, but considering the benchmark its older brother set, you’d expect Monolith to be pushing the bracket with their newest entry. But even with its heightened sense of color, F.E.A.R. 2 looks grainy in places and the lighting looks off. Moreover, it isn’t very crisp from a textural perspective and although the solid character models and impeccable audio improve matters, you can never shrug the feeling that F.E.A.R. 2 is lagging behind. This is from a console standpoint, and the PC version is far crisper, benefiting from higher resolutions and a generally sharper look. All the same, it’s disappointing the console versions don’t look better, although both the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions are comparable.
The trademark slo-mo effect is oddly absent from multiplayer. As a result, F.E.A.R. 2 gets more points off. Even the passable Armored Front mode – which involves the mechs mentioned earlier – doesn’t redeem matters. The singleplayer campaign is the more comprehensive of the two, but at a brief eight hours, it isn’t very fulfilling either.
Ultimately Monolith has tried too hard – if possible – to make F.E.A.R. 2 everything its forebear wasn’t. They’ve lost sight of the important bits: The fun, excitement and sheer wowing nature of it all. This isn’t a bloodcurdling thrill-ride; it isn’t particularly memorable. F.E.A.R. might have been greyer, but it shines far more brightly than this. F.E.A.R. 2 is a middling shooter at best, and while the bare-bones mechanics are all tightly oiled, you’re left with a stale taste in your mouth. It may be the first big release of 2009, but it’s also the first big disappointment.
| During the development cycle, F.E.A.R. 2 was originally entitled Project Origin, but after a much-publicized court case, Monolith won back their brand and the Project Origin moniker was shunted down to sub-title status. |
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| Published by: | Warner Bros. Interactive |
| Developed by: | Monolith Software |
| Genre: | First Person Shooter |
| # of Players: | 1 |
| ESRB Rating: | Mature |
| Release Date: | US: February 10th, 2009 |
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Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | Hype Rating: 0
Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | Hype Rating: N/A
Gamer 2.0 Rating: N/A | User Rating: N/A
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