Ready for terror?
Well, I got my hands on the latest F.E.A.R. game – F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Is this game as terrifying as it is made out to be? Time to dwell once again in the world of first person shooters.
F.E.A.R. dropped us into a dark and mysterious setting, ghosts roaming all around the show and kick ass duplicated men with high intelligence when in fire fights. F.E.A.R.’s main storyline was based around a girl, this was no ordinary little girl; this girl was freaky as hell! You will find that F.E.A.R. 2 continues the story of the little girl, Alma.
F.E.A.R. 2 starts off 30 minutes before the original F.E.A.R. At the end of F.E.A.R. there is a massive explosion caused by paranormal activity – you get to witness the same happening in F.E.A.R. 2 but from a different view, a safer view should I say. You play as Michael Becket, another member of the military squad that is sent to investigate the weird happenings of the paranormal scope. Unlike the main character of F.E.A.R. one, you have no idea what’s waiting around every corner for you.
The first thing I noticed about this game was the stunning visuals. Monolith have really stepped up the graphics engine in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Lighting and shadowing in the game look fantastic and realistic. Monolith have used a really effective film grain filter that seems to work well within the game, it makes the game seem more cinematic. All characters modules and animations are made with perfection, you can tell that Monolith have made good use of the live acting motion capture technique that games use today as every movement is lifelike and fluent.
When playing the game you will have to use a whole array of weapons. From the start of the game you will be using a sub machine gun, which is awesome! The guns on this game really pack a punch; they all seem high-tech and well balanced. I loved the laser rifle that you receive further in the game. It shoots a blue beam which completely sizzles your enemies right down to the bone�. literally.
Like I say, the weapons are definitely one of the highlights of the game. You can also now aim down the sight of your guns, which feels much better than the old fashioned “spray off the hip” game play used in F.E.A.R.
Gun battles in F.E.A.R. 2: Project origin are a lot of fun to play through, your enemies are fast and intelligent. I was able to even flip tables and 
use them for cover, but soon had to run in peril as I heard “He’s behind the table, GRENADE!” Monolith have continued the impressive work with the computer’s A.I. in the game, especially in the higher difficulties. Your enemies never hesitate to come and find you if you are hiding out, and will throw grenades regularly. Although having said that, the game is a piece of cake on the easier difficulties.
Throughout the game you get to use big mech machines for some of the missions, and these come fully equipped with mini guns and rocket launchers. These machines really pack a punch; they send enemies flying in pieces. One of the most fun parts of the game in my opinion. Whilst using the mech machines I realised that the environment is pretty destroyable, which is always a good thing in any game. Walls degrade when ploughed with bullets and crumble when exposed to explosions.
Monolith have done a excellent job of making the atmosphere as terrifying as possible, just like they did in F.E.A.R. When you reach the school area, it’s dark, it’s deserted and unexplainable noises are coming at you – you know you’re in for a freak fest! The school is when things start getting really
Ready for terror?
interesting; the ghouls come out to play. Ghosts will be flying at you from all directions. These ghosts are absolutely phenomenal to look at, top notch technology used to render the effect of the ghosts.
There is a very freaky event in the school where there are bodies attached to the walls everywhere, lights are flashing like mad and ghosts are running at you from all directions. It’s a truly terrifying sequence which made me do nothing but run in terror!
Even further into the game you will come to a prison area full of fiendish wall climbing humanoids. I was amazed by the way they move, it’s so weird but wonderful. These agile creatures spring around the walls and fit through awkward sized gaps by bending their bodies in unbelievable positions. It’s just madness!
Cut scenes in this game are played through first person entirely but they are really memorable and amazing to watch. I can assure you that some of the cut scenes in this game will make you jump out of your seat, especially when you see the little girl, Alma. In some of the cut scenes she grabs you from out of nowhere and you have to tap buttons to break free from her grasp.
I got really confused with the game at times though. If you have ever seen the film The Ring you will see an older horrid girl in the game that looks exactly like the girl that comes out of the T.V in the film. I just don’t know who she is. Is she the same little girl but older, or a completely new character? Nothing really explains it for you, so some of the cut scenes are a little confusing. I guess it adds to the frightfulness of the game is some cases.
The voice acting in F.E.A.R. 2 is well done and some of you may notice the voice of Halo 3’s Cortana is featured in the game. All gunfire sounds are spot on and the freaky sounds that are heard throughout the game are also well made.
Multiplayer is featured in F.E.A.R. 2: Project origin. Though it feels the same as the first F.E.A.R. Standard modes are included in F.E.A.R. 2 such as team death match, free-for-all and capture the flag, and Monolith have also included a new mode called “Armoured Front” which contains huge mech machines that are fitted with turrets and rockets. The objective is to secure points on the map and use the mech to fend of anyone who dares to go near your team members. I found the multiplayer interesting as I thought it was different, but this was only for the first hour or so. Then I realised how much lag the matches contained. It was also difficult to find a game with a full server of players. This was a huge disappointment to me as I really thought this game may have the potential to compete with successful online games like Halo 3 and the Call of Duty franchise. Clearly I was wrong.
All in all F.E.A.R. 2: Project origin is a fantastic game. It’s full of terrifying sequences, phenomenal graphics and it’s a fairly long game to beat. It lasts around 9-10 hours, that’s pretty long for a good first person shooter. Multiplayer is a letdown but the story mode is more than enough to keep you entertained for hours.
If you are a fan of horror I would definitely recommend this game to you. If you are new and willing to have a go at a horror game then�..
Ready for terror?
The Bad: Multiplayer is a huge let down, Confusing story line at times, Scary as hell!!!
Silver Y Award