Despite being a year-old port, FEAR on the 360 is an engrossing and excellent shooter filled with tons of excitement.
The game places you in the boots of a lone, dead-silent, nameless operative from the First Encounter Assault Recon or FEAR, which is the actual reason behind the game’s title. Right off the bat you’re objective is demonstrated with such effect, that the game instantaneously sinks its teeth right into your mind with a dose of terror. You’re objective throughout the course of the game is to hunt down and neutralize an individual known as Paxton Fettel. Why Fettel is so significant is because he has gained control of an armada of replica soldiers, not to mention having quite an appetite for human flesh. In other words, the game starts with a very cat and mouse-like feeling. But in due time the tables will feel turned as Fettel will periodically appear and disappear as you attempt to eliminate him.
To make matters worse, Fettel sends a ferocious and seemingly endless army of soldiers to exterminate you. Not only that, but a strange little girl by the name of Alma starts showing up and arbitrarily killing people. Thus begins the race for not only seeking Fettel but also discovering the secrets behind Alma’s origin as you dig deeper and deeper into the game’s twisted story. While the game’s plot may sound rather uninteresting at first, as you uncover more and more clues, you’ll realize that FEAR’s story is unlike anything you’ve ever conceived. A big part of what makes not only FEAR’s story but also the game itself intriguing is how its inspirations are present and implemented. You’ll notice similarities between FEAR and hit movies like The Sixth Sense with its unsettling atmosphere and The Ring with just the presence of Alma. If there’s anything that one could criticize in FEAR’s story it’s that most of it unfolds over dull telephone messages and information received from laptop downloads.
How FEAR manages to create such an eerie and entrancing horror experience isn’t by mere jump-scares, but by producing an extraordinarily creepy atmosphere. Not only that, but the game executes its disturbing and nerve-racking moments so well, that you’ll literally feel like you’re trapped in your worst nightmare. Just the feeling of suddenly descending into a room filled with blood and horrific screaming or into a pit of fire with satanic ghosts attacking you is ineffably terrifying to say the least. Moments like this that drag you right into the game’s sinister world of trepidation are the least of what you’ll need to brave throughout the game.
Despite the huge impact that the game’s horror-oriented moments leave, it’s the intense combat that makes FEAR a truly engaging and ensnaring experience. Now, admittedly the game doesn’t stray too far from the conventional shooter gameplay-wise, but there are a few subtle alterations that ultimately make a substantial difference. For instance, with the health packs-which contain fifty points of health each-you can carry up to ten of them and use them when you so desire. There’s also the game’s use of “bullet-time” which allows you to slow down time so you can get a leg up on the enemy. While the slow motion technique’s intended for maneuvering easier, you’ll actually find yourself using it more to get a better aim on the enemy. Reason for this is because the game is extremely fast-paced and it’s rather hard to hit an enemy without the assistance of slow motion
Yet it’s just the speed and intensity of the action that occurs at once in the game that really makes FEAR feel unlike any other. The game is what one could dub as a rollercoaster of thrills as there are several seat-gripping moments in the single-player alone. But there are also those tense horror moments in-between all the action that could be seen as a relief from all the action. However, once you experience the sheer terror of these unsettling moments, you’ll be left feeling like you have no way out. With a combination of viscerally intense action and nail-biting, suspense-filled horror moments, FEAR will leave you breathless and struggling to turn away from your TV screen.
Like practically any other shooter, FEAR’s key mode is its campaign mode, which clocks in at a good ten to twelve hours upon completion. Outside of the games’ tense, extremely satisfying campaign, there’s an Instant Action mode and of course the Xbox Live online multiplayer. The Instant Action, which is an added enticement for the Xbox 360 version basically allows you to get right into some of the game’s most intense battles with a few twists. For one, you’re restricted to only fifteen minutes for each level and your enemies are significantly tougher than those in the campaign mode, and they’re tough enough in the primary single-player.
With Xbox Live, there’s support for up to sixteen players in a single match. While the player limit isn’t that far from what a conventional shooter allows online, you’ll often find that eight to ten players is ample enough to keep the firefights frantic. Aside from the player count, the way FEAR plays and feels online is also what makes the game remain exciting. The game’s Quake-like feel online is all that FEAR needs to make online matches not only insane but at times completely unpredictable. There are some hitches with the online, which are primarily due to performance and game construction. One of the most noticeable is that there are no post-game lobbies, so don’t expect to remain in the same lobby as your friends outside of actually playing the game. Another is that the game is prone to some odd lag issues, especially whenever a player disconnects from the match. The online mode runs fairly smooth most of the time, and although a patch isn’t exactly necessary, it would still deeply benefit the experience online.
One of the many other attributes that helped FEAR stand out last year on the PC was the remarkable technology that fueled the game. While this 360 port is essentially a year-old game, it still has some impressive points and holds up surprisingly well despite its age. As far as comparisons for the visuals, the Xbox 360 version looks almost exactly like the PC version running on a high-end PC. You’re treated to all the great-looking details on both the locations and character models in the game, not to mention the spectacular blood splatter effects. However, the game doesn’t run much smoother on the 360 than it did on the PC, but most of the technical issues have been smoothed out in the porting process. Another flaw that the 360 version shares with the PC version is the repetitive environments, which will more than likely result in some unnecessary back-tracking. As a whole though, FEAR on the 360 looks and runs very good, and although some further enhancements could’ve helped, the game still maintains a relatively impressive appearance.
Another incredibly high strong point in FEAR is the sound and audio. In regard to sound effects, FEAR is in a class of its own. Each weapon in the game has its own distinct firing noise, and the crisp, window-shredding sound of some of these weapons is what really makes them stand out. Other effects such as breaking glass and explosions are equally impressive and only add to the already mind-blowing audio. The musical score is what could be described as both artistically beautiful and efficiently spine-chilling. There are some moments in which the score will leave you with an almost awkward, soothing feel and others where it’ll hit you so well, that you’ll be petrified over what you’ll encounter next. It’s the skillful combination of an unbelievably impressive soundtrack and a foreboding atmosphere that elevates FEAR to an incredible level in sound and audio. The voice-acting is also quite strong and the dialogue, while mostly technical, is still very authentic and it’s the voices behind certain characters that really make them quite convincing.
FEAR already took shooters to new heights last year on the PC, and it’s every bit as ground-breaking on the Xbox 360 as it was on the PC. While the 360 version does share most, if not all of the flaws from the PC version, it still manages to keep all of the strengths intact as well. With a nerve-racking single-player well worth playing over and over for the action alone, a decent online mode that provides some replay value and a neat Instant Action mode added as in enticement, there’s plenty to find and like in FEAR. If you’ve already played FEAR on the PC and even own the game, there’s little reason for you to delve into the Xbox 360 version. However, if you’re one of the many gamers who missed out on FEAR and looked upon the PC owners who got experience it with much jealousy, then you’re going to find a truly stunning game in FEAR.