Sound: 10
Gameplay: 9
Value: 9
Reviewer�s Tilt: 10
Overall: 9.4
Reviewed by Chris
The bad: Multiplayer won�t have you leaving Battlefield 2 any time soon; graphics require a powerful rig to reap the benefits
The verdict: F.E.A.R. is an expertly made game, and one of the most ingenious first person shooters ever made.
The first person shooter genre is probably the most over-saturated genre in gaming. PC gaming has seen its share of excellent FPS games for years, but lately it has cooled down a bit. Chances are, if you�ve played one FPS in the past couple of years, you�ve played them all, right?
Tell that to Monolith. They�re probably one of the greatest developers ever, churning out classic games like the No One Lives Forever series, and Aliens vs. Predator 2. Monolith knows how to make excellent game engines, but unlike developers like id, they also know how to make a great game to go along with it. You can add F.E.A.R. to their list of successes, because it�s a one of a kind experience that is almost guaranteed to impress even the most jaded FPS gamer.
One of F.E.A.R.�s greatest strengths is its story, which features very believable characters courtesy of the game�s great voice acting. One of the best aspects of F.E.A.R. is that game features minimal cutscenes, so much like Doom 3, you�ll be listening to a lot of voice memos to piece together the story. This way, the plot is there if you care about it, but if you�re just playing through this to blast away enemies in slo-mo, you can have your fun too and completely ignore this story.
This game is just outstanding. F.E.A.R. makes use of bullet-time gameplay, which is balanced so that you can�t use it for too long, as your meter slowly empties the longer you go on. But power-ups can be found throughout the game, which increase both your bullet-time meter and your health. By the end of the game, you�ll almost be unstoppable, which really helps you out during the game�s more difficult levels. You can also carry up to 10 medpacks and only a few weapons at a time, which gives the game that Halo feel, in that choosing your weapons carefully can give you the tactical advantage.
F.E.A.R.�s combat is visceral, fast and extremely rewarding. Bullet-time slows everything down so that you can actually dodge bullets while spraying your enemies with bullets or kicking them straight in the teeth. The game�s robust graphics engine generates showers of realistic looking sparks, debris, and other particles that help intensify the action on screen. Those with high-end computers will fully appreciate the eye candy caused by their own destruction.
Of course, this combat wouldn�t be nearly as rewarding if it wasn�t for some great AI, and this is where Monolith truly got it right. These soldiers know how to flank, take cover, toss grenades, call in reinforcements and use the environment to make them hard to get. There are some scripted sequences where they will throw something like a desk in front of them as a barricade. Best of all, they are very talkative and are constantly aware of what is going on. For example, even if you can�t always find them, you can tell how many there are just by listening to their radio calls. �I need reinforcements,� means get in there and kill while the enemy is alone. I personally enjoyed hearing them swear, especially when they are panicked and outgunned. There�s nothing more satisfying then hearing an enemy swear as a grenade drops by his feet. �OH FU�� BOOM!
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