F.E.A.R.

Metachronos overall score = 9.4 / 10

Positive
- One of the best FPS ever made on the windows
- Creepy atmosphere comined with gun battles
- Visually amazing--you will smell the smoke
- Sounds incredible
- Wild and fast-paced multiplayer

Negative
- This game will give your pc a hard time
- Some environments and enemies recycled a bit too much

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. What we can tell you is that you play as the newest member of the First Encounter Assault Recon, the military's top-secret task force 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 cinematic (which is also game's only third-person cutscene), a military commander named Paxton Fettel goes insane and takes command of a secret army of cloned soldiers that are telepathically linked to him. Fettel and the battalion of elite soldiers then go on the rampage in a nondescript American city. They appear to be searching for something, though their objective is a mystery. It's up to you and the rest of the F.E.A.R. team, along with units of Delta Force, to find out what it is they're looking for and stop them.



F.E.A.R. works because it elevates first-person shooter combat to cinematic levels. And while we've certainly seen games with movie-quality combat before, you've never seen anything quite like this. Playing F.E.A.R. is like battling through a John Woo movie like Face/Off, because when firefights happen in this game, they're downright glorious to behold. Bullets tear chunks out of concrete and wood; blinding clouds of dust and debris fill the air; bodies are torn apart or slump on the ground; and the deathly silence of the aftermath contrasts so sharply with the sheer chaos that erupted only moments before. Gunfights in F.E.A.R. just feel right.

This omnipresent tension combined with the outstanding combat make F.E.A.R. a superb game, though one that can leave you a bit emotionally exhausted after a while. And as much as we enjoyed the game's atmosphere, we must admit that we were a bit disappointed by the plot. Rest assured that F.E.A.R. features a complete story, as well as an ending. The trouble is that it feels like several plotlines lack some kind of satisfactory payoff for all your trouble, so the game's a bit of a letdown in this aspect. The end level is also disappointing in that it's surprisingly easy, especially compared to what you've experienced to get to that point. Thankfully, F.E.A.R. does end on a spectacular note, though we won't spoil it for you.



F.E.A.R. is quite easily one of the most intense and atmospheric games that you'll play, and it's a spectacular blend of horror and action. You can't help but get the feeling that this is a game that's the spiritual successor to the original Half-Life, because it's so obviously inspired by that classic game. Indeed, some of the locations and enemies are highly reminiscent of those in Half-Life. This is a game that will thrill you one moment and scare you the next. F.E.A.R. features some of the greatest gunplay available in a first-person shooter, and it elevates the art of firing a gun to whole new levels. 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.

Cover = http://www.tothegame.com/boxshot.asp?picnum=uk&id=3376

one of the best fps ever.

yeah i said that, but thanks for reminding me