Solid gunfights and a good weapon arsenal can't help this somewhat disappointing sequel surpass the original.
F.E.A.R 2 starts off just before the explosion at the end of the original. You play as Sergeant Michael Beckett accompanying a special operations group of soldiers known as Dark Signal. You have been sent in Armachan territory to extract a high priority VIP known as Genevieve Aristide. While combating Armachan Black Ops, a huge explosion rips through the city of Newport, knocking Beckett out cold. You then wake up in a medical facility following a painful surgery supervised by Aristide herself. You then come in contact with Alma herself and have to regroup with your squad to receive a status update.
The game boasts some very entertaining gunfight mechanics. The slow-mo ability from the previous returns, which reduces the pace of time to allow you to take out targets without the game's insane pace hindering your chances of scoring some hefty kills. If you decide to play the game without using slow-mo, you will experience some of the most meaty gunfights you will have ever seen. The cool range of weapons is also a plus. One of my favorites being the Type-12 Pulse gun which can literally incinerate anyone it comes in contact with.
F.E.A.R 2 has also hyped the use of mechs. While they aren't very frequent within the 12 hour campaign, they are a lot of fun to use. They can help you blast through entire platoons of Replica and Armachan soldiers. They boast a pair of missile launchers and a deadly gatling gun. While the choice of weapons for it seems weak, it is a very satisfying combat machine to use.
Visually, the game looks good and provides some really nice looking environments that help set a good tone for the game. The sound effects are pretty convincing as well, with good voice acting and creepy sounds that emit from the environment.
Unfortunately, what really weakens these cool range of features is the plot and the game's horror sequences. What made the last F.E.A.R very authentic was Alma and the phantoms that haunted the Point Man. The antagonist, Paxton Fettel also kept things interesting. Unfortunately, Monolith were unable to provide a range of enemies to keep things very entertaining. The horror sequences were also very poor as well. Alma's new personality through the game and her apparent interest in Beckett did freak me out, but not in a very frightening way. There were only two instances in the game that frightened me and that was Alma's first appearance in the story and the ending. Everything is cheap and too predictable.
The multiplayer is fairly weak. The use of mechs in the multiplayer is a pretty sweet addition, but the weak variety of game modes won't keep you interested for long.
F.E.A.R 2 is a very good action game. However, F.E.A.R 2 is not a good horror game. Its content is in favor of the game's insane pace and gunfights and not in the terrifying environments and characters that made the last game so engagable. If you liked the insane action scenarios of the last game, F.E.A.R 2 is worth your money. Fans of Alma's creepy influence are probably better off purchasing the first game's two expansions or just simply stay away from the series.
7.5
:)
Brilliantly executed gunfights
Mechs are a lot of fun to use
Pretty visuals
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Poor horror sequences
Weaker storyline
Boring multiplayer