Monolith's bringing the F.E.A.R. back home with their new sequel.
F.E.A.R. 2 puts you in the shoes of Michael Becket just before the explosive ending to F.E.A.R. and keeps the same broody atmosphere, reflex time and creepy little girl that made the first game stand out so much. Storytelling has improved greatly giving you a far better grasp on what is going on and why you're there. This is all helped by competent voice acting and sixty pieces of collectable journal intelligence which tell the story as you progress, but it's hardly a rollercoaster of intrigue and has little in the way of surprises. Open endings are in style right now and the ending here isn't any exception, there's plenty of room for further sequels after this game's climax.
Core gameplay is largely unchanged, but since every FPS needs an angle F.E.A.R. 2 presents to you intractable cover table flipping (a-la Stranglehold) and mech combat (a-la – uhh, MechWarrior?). Firstly the cover system, like several other aspects of the game, heralds from a slightly older school of gaming in that you don't 'snap to' cover like you would in Gears of War and blind fire around corners. This isn't necessarily a failing since it doesn't create a game full of waist high walls for you to hind behind after every corner. The cover system does occasionally confuse the poor replica soldiers, several times I witnessed a soldier stand out greatly from the cover, making him an easy target or I'd see several soldier running back and forwards over a large open area taking cover at either side. The AI isn't bad on the whole, but it does have some quirks and generally isn't as revolutionary as F.E.A.R. was three years ago. Good use of cover makes combat a whole lot easier, but being equipped with a fully operational mech armed with machine guns, rockets and heat vision is a better way of tipping the odds into your favor. Those who played the F.E.A.R. 2 demo will likely say that a mech section that uses up a third of the demo has no more place in F.E.A.R. than it would in G.R.A.W. but fortunately in the context of the full game these sections are used rather well. After battling a few mechs while on foot, entering one yourself doesn't feel so out of place and while it does remove you from the creepy and vulnerable sensations you'd be experiencing otherwise, these sections are used very sparingly and don't equate to even a tenth of the game.
It's obvious by now that F.E.A.R. 2 has two goals: solid combat and creepy atmosphere. For the largest part it succeeds at both very well. The guns have a great feeling of impact when they connect, although the gore on impact can be a little overused. Some replicant soldiers must have a destruct button hidden somewhere on their body as landing a grenade a few feet away from your target will often cause the soldier to explode into a gorgeous sea of crimson rather than being thrown from the blast. I can't really vouch for the realism of this gore one way or the other having not personally thrown any cooked frag grenades into crowded areas. Other weapons such as the laser will allow you to satisfyingly dice your targets in two even through some cover, which is sure to have you squealing with glee. The weapon selection isn't huge and totals around eight in all with a generous four gun inventory system, especially handy when ammo is running short. F.E.A.R.'s combat might be a shock to the system for some when you find that you're not blessed with the supernatural ability to regenerate health by standing still, unlike so many recent games. This will require a sharp change in your playing strategy after the numerous health pickups from the beginning of the game start to become far less frequent.
If you're not in combat then you've likely reached a horror section of the game, after clearing out a few rooms of foes your HUD will flicker and fuzz signaling another interlude as you begin to expect creepy girl Alma to appear behind you in a reflection at any moment. Not being much of a horror movie fan myself I did find that the constant shifting between combat and the horror sections becoming tiresome and a little too played out by the end. You do have to appreciate these sections though, some of the sick, twisted and unusual things you see do keep things interesting, it's just a pity that you're constantly mentally classifying each section combat to horror to combat to horror. Then again, I might be overanalyzing this whole thing. One of the biggest gates to a quick progression through the game is often in the form of a small padlock in the corner of a large room, perhaps I'm spoilt by waypoint markers but there's nothing fun about wondering through the same rooms over again just to find the exit tucked away in the far corner.
While you may be surprised by some of these gruesome and twisted goings on in F.E.A.R. 2 you're unlikely to be knocked off your feet by the graphics. Nothing here jumps out as looking bad per se but this is the same Lithtech engine seen in Condemned and the previous F.E.A.R. games, so despite the enhanced textures it still doesn't always graphically feel like a new release. That said, Monolith sure does know to use effects to enhance atmosphere. Rather than a clear vision you'll often have to deal with interference fuzzing up your heads up display or having the display in the mech go haywire after taking one too many missiles, these effects go a long way towards creating the atmosphere and are well used, much like the audio. There's the usual whizz bangs of rockets flying and guns firing, spoken dialog is well read and scripted, one little gem of dialog is when your warned that Anya wants to devour you like "free pizza at an anime convention", while a good laugh the humor fortunately begins and ends there. The music is especially effective even though barely heard. Dynamic orchestral scores aren't anything new but having everything quiet but tense keeps yourself in tune with the current situation.
Those of you who are hoping to be able to play through the story with a friend for comforting support will have to just rely on moral support as F.E.A.R. 2 doesn't feature any co-op modes, hardly surprising due to the nature of the story. There's also no split-screen online, although you do get your usual online modes of deathmatch and team deathmatch along with a basic experience based leveling system and four other multiplayer modes:
Armored Front
Team on team combat over a large area with five command points. Plays a lot like the UT2004's onslaught with mechs and gun emplacements. A whole lot of fun.
Blitz
Essentially capture the flag (or Phlag) but instead of one flag in each base your whole team either has the role of attack or defend
Control
Plays a little like Armored Front but with only 3 control points and no mechs, makes for a much faster game.
Failsafe
The toughest mode of them all, team based bomb planting and bomb defusal, with no re-spawns. Definitely one for the more experienced players. Multiplayer is fast, furious and fun despite a feeling that it's all been done before and is worth looking into if you want to get your full moneys worth out, but doesn't solely merit a purchase for most people.
F.E.A.R.2 perfectly meets the expectations set by the previous game and it doesn't go out of its way to attract new players. The single player mode will only give you roughly seven hours of gameplay so hopefully you'll get the extra millage out of the multiplayer. Overall F.E.A.R. 2 is a solid PC style FPS with some traits from some of the more recent console multiplayer console shooters.