| When you get down to it, the gun is the heart | | | | powerful, like weapons should. You have the |
| and soul of a first-person shooter. Even the | | | | standard fare of guns to play around with, |
| genre's name alludes to this fact. Yet while | | | | including a pistol, submachine gun, assault |
| shooters have been around for more than a | | | | rifle, shotgun, and rocket launcher. There's |
| decade, very few of them have actually | | | | also a scoped, burst-firing rifle that's a |
| captured the visceral experience of firing a | | | | dead ringer for the Master Chief's battle |
| gun. It's an intense and violent act, not to | | | | rifle in Halo 2; an incredibly nasty particle |
| mention loud. Enter F.E.A.R., the highly | | | | weapon that sears the flesh off of opponents; |
| anticipated action game from Vivendi | | | | and a few other special toys. All of these |
| Universal Games and developer Monolith. | | | | weapons, even the pistols, pack an incredibly |
| F.E.A.R. is a shooter that captures the | | | | satisfying punch and are capable of putting |
| sensation of being in wild and desperate | | | | down opponents quickly (you can even |
| firefights like no other game before it, and | | | | dual-wield the pistols, for that extra John |
| it's an incredible, kinetic, almost | | | | Woo-style gunfight action). This goes against |
| exhausting experience from start to finish. | | | | the genre's convention, since most shooters |
| More than that, though, is the fact that it's | | | | usually scale weapons on a curve, with the |
| also one of the most atmospheric and creepy | | | | smaller and lighter ones being next to |
| games ever made, as well as one of the most | | | | useless later on in the game. That's not the |
| intense shooters that you'll play this year. | | | | case in F.E.A.R., and virtually every gun you |
| | | | use can tear up the place. |
| F.E.A.R. is easily one of the creepiest and | | | | |
| most atmospheric shooters ever made. You'll | | | | Combat simply looks and feels spectacular, |
| also battle some amazingly smart opponents. | | | | because the environment looks like it's |
| | | | flying apart due to all the bullets. |
| The challenge in describing F.E.A.R. is | | | | |
| trying to avoid any spoilers, because this is | | | | You can't run around like a pack rat carrying |
| definitely a game that you want to experience | | | | every weapon, though, because F.E.A.R. limits |
| unspoiled. What we can tell you is that you | | | | you to only three weapons at a time. This is |
| play as the newest member of the First | | | | a familiar gameplay mechanic, but it's a good |
| Encounter Assault Recon, the military's | | | | one, as you have to weigh the pros and cons |
| top-secret task force assigned to deal with | | | | of each weapon. Obviously, you'd like to have |
| paranormal situations. And the mission in | | | | a close-range weapon, a decent long-range |
| F.E.A.R. certainly counts as above and beyond | | | | weapon, and a heavy weapon for those special |
| the regular call of duty. As explained in the | | | | encounters, but it's tempting when the game |
| opening cinematic (which is also game's only | | | | offers you a rocket launcher or a repeating |
| third-person cutscene), a military commander | | | | cannon that you weren't expecting. At that |
| named Paxton Fettel goes insane and takes | | | | point, something has to be sacrificed. In |
| command of a secret army of cloned soldiers | | | | addition to guns, you also have grenades in |
| that are telepathically linked to him. Fettel | | | | your arsenal. And unlike most shooters, in |
| and the battalion of elite soldiers then go | | | | which you have to equip grenades separately |
| on the rampage in a nondescript American | | | | prior to using them, the grenades in F.E.A.R. |
| city. They appear to be searching for | | | | can be readily thrown at the press of a |
| something, though their objective is a | | | | button. This eliminates the need to fumble |
| mystery. It's up to you and the rest of the | | | | around with your inventory, and it opens up |
| F.E.A.R. team, along with units of Delta | | | | your tactical playbook, as you can toss a |
| Force, to find out what it is they're looking | | | | grenade without a moment's hesitation and |
| for and stop them. | | | | force the enemy to react. |
| | | | |
| F.E.A.R. works because it elevates | | | | F.E.A.R. is quite easily one of the most |
| first-person shooter combat to cinematic | | | | intense and atmospheric games that you'll |
| levels. And while we've certainly seen games | | | | play, and it's a spectacular blend of horror |
| with movie-quality combat before, you've | | | | and action. You can't help but get the |
| never seen anything quite like this. Playing | | | | feeling that this is a game that's the |
| F.E.A.R. is like battling through a John Woo | | | | spiritual successor to the original |
| movie like Face/Off, because when firefights | | | | Half-Life, because it's so obviously inspired |
| happen in this game, they're downright | | | | by that classic game. Indeed, some of the |
| glorious to behold. Bullets tear chunks out | | | | locations and enemies are highly reminiscent |
| of concrete and wood; blinding clouds of dust | | | | of those in Half-Life. This is a game that |
| and debris fill the air; bodies are torn | | | | will thrill you one moment and scare you the |
| apart or slump on the ground; and the deathly | | | | next. F.E.A.R. features some of the greatest |
| silence of the aftermath contrasts so sharply | | | | gunplay available in a first-person shooter, |
| with the sheer chaos that erupted only | | | | and it elevates the art of firing a gun to |
| moments before. Gunfights in F.E.A.R. just | | | | whole new levels. This alone makes it an |
| feel right. | | | | incredibly intense game that must be |
| | | | experienced. The fact that it's also one of |
| Part of the reason for that is because the | | | | the creepiest games ever made is just icing |
| weapons that you have in the game feel | | | | on the cake. |