Metachronos overall score = 8.5 / 10
Positive
- Incredibly kinetic action and visually intense firefights
- Creepy psychological horror
- Instant-action mode lets you compare your best scores online
- Frenetic multiplayer mode
Negative
- Complex control scheme is a bit clumsy on the gamepad
- "bonus" mission isn't much of a bonus
If you played the PC version, you'll find the Xbox 360 version almost exactly the same in terms of content. If you didn't play the PC game, the challenge in describing F.E.A.R. is trying to avoid any spoilers because this is definitely a game that you want to experience unspoiled. You play as the newest member of the First Encounter Assault Recon, the military's top-secret task force that is assigned to deal with paranormal situations. And the mission in F.E.A.R. certainly counts as above and beyond the regular call of duty. As explained in the opening sequence, a military commander, named Paxton Fettel, goes insane and takes over a secret army of cloned soldiers that are telepathically linked to him. Fettel and the battalion of elite soldiers then go on a rampage in a nondescript American city.
You've also got some special abilities at your disposal. For example, you can kill foes with a swift dropkick or scissors kick, which is such an awesome move that even when you pull it off in desperation (like when you've emptied a clip and don't have time to reload), it still feels incredibly cool. Yet, your most important ability is your ultrafast reflexes, which can be activated in short bursts to create a sort of
Matrix-like bullet time. Now, bullet time has been done to death over the past few years, but the execution of bullet time in F.E.A.R. is still well done. When you kick in the reflexes, everything else slows down, and you can see the vortexes in the air created by bullets. You can activate this ability only in short bursts before it runs out. Because it recharges at a decent rate, however, you can generally have it at your disposal in most fights. This slow-motion ability is almost essential for surviving some of the tougher battles; you can use it to whittle down the odds. With that said, we almost wish that it were a bit rarer in the game because F.E.A.R. really comes alive when the firefights are shown in full speed, not slow motion.
F.E.A.R. is heavily influenced by Japanese horror movies, most notably
The Ring. In fact, the game uses many of the same kinds of visual tricks to scare you that you've probably already seen before in a movie, like the split-second appearance of a ghostly apparition when you least expect it. And while the imagery in F.E.A.R. may not be entirely original, it's exceedingly effective. The designers are smart enough to realize that less is more when it comes to building tension. There are stretches in F.E.A.R. when you don't battle anything. And it's unsettling to search abandoned office buildings only to find pools of blood or the voicemail left by family members who are trying to contact their loved ones. Then there are areas where you expect some kind of gargantuan throw-down, brace yourself for battle, but nothing happens. Because there's always some kind of noise or rattling of objects to greet you, or the fleeting image of someone in the corner of your eye, you certainly feel as if you're being watched the whole time. Admittedly, some of these tricks become a bit too familiar over time, but there are still enough of them to keep you on your toes. And there are a number of jump-out-of-your-seat moments in the game as well.
F.E.A.R. is quite easily one of the most intense and atmospheric games on the Xbox 360, and it's an excellent blend of horror and action. F.E.A.R. features some of the best gunplay available in a first-person shooter. This alone makes it an incredibly intense game that must be experienced. The fact that it's also one of the creepiest games ever made is just icing on the cake.
Subject: F.E.A.R. 
Sun Apr 27, 2008 12:13 am
almost all fps's are better on pc