Looking at screenshots of F.E.A.R. might lead you to believe that this game�s graphics are incredible, and you would be correct. The character models, while not the game�s strongest point, feature a good amount of detail and tend to turn into gibs when fired upon with a powerful weapon. The environmental textures are insane�things like tile, wood or peeling paint is indistinguishable from the real thing. Firefights are completely jaw-dropping. Sparks shoot out in all directions, blood splatters everywhere, body parts go flying, copiers blow up and cause a paper explosion, bullet trails look identical to what you would see in CG from The Matrix�hey, is that my graphics card I smell melting?
The audio portion of F.E.A.R. is just as impressive as the graphics. Voice-overs are excellent in providing enough hints at the story to keep you guessing, and are presented with convincing realism. Bullets not only sound great when being ejected from your gun; you�ll also appreciate the sounds they make when they hit walls, concrete, metal, or even flesh. Music is used sparingly, with a nice selection of ambience used in the dark, scary portions of the game, which helps keep the scare factor high. Of course, when there is a jump scene, the music bolts with frightening intensity, signaling your bowels to release.
There is plenty of value to be found in F.E.A.R. I, for one, have enjoyed playing through the single player several times, where I enjoyed the dynamic firefights and picking up the details that I missed during the first playthrough. The game�s multiplayer aspect is visceral and energetic; clearly it is not for everyone. Multiplayer skirmishes are brutal due to the lack of visibility caused by the debris and smoke, not to mention the frantic gunplay itself. Targets are often tough to target, unless of course you�ve obtained the slo-mo power-up.
Recently, Monolith has added a few much-needed multiplayer modes to spice things up. In addition, several maps have been released to keep the few die-hards satisfied. And in case you want to experience F.E.A.R.�s multiplayer for yourself, it is now available as a free download as of 8/17/2006. While this doesn�t include the game�s best feature: the single player campaign, you can�t beat �free.�
Any complaints against F.E.A.R. are minor, but I feel I need to address them because this review sounds rather gushy insofar. Some of the game�s environments�particularly the office portion of the game�wears a bit thin after awhile. Thankfully, just before you�re completely sick of the area, it does change, although it would be nice to have an even greater variety of areas to explore. Also, the game is fairly short. Your first run through will probably take under ten hours. Another issue that I�m sure most people will have is performance�the game�s requirements are steep, to say the least. But if there�s a game worth upgrading your PC for, it�s this one.
I have very high praise for this title. It was highly anticipated and it came from a legendary game developer that is not known to disappoint. Thankfully, F.E.A.R. is all that I hoped it was, perhaps more. Not only is the multiplayer aspect better than I hoped, but the single player game is one of the best I have played in years, featuring non-stop action filled to the brim with eye candy. It also contains an incredibly deep and entertaining story�something I certainly did not expect. If you�re into first person shooters and you�re looking for a quick fix, you know what must be done.
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