Yes. It's another FPS. However, this game will truly screw with your head.
I'm a person who can watch some pretty disturbing scenes but to actually interact in them is a whole different thing altogether. What amazes me is how the game quickly changes tone from cautious to horrific and back. I'm even more impressed that this happens in a few seconds. Part of FEAR's success comes from its ingenious music, ambient noise and subtle cues to make the player feel different levels of tension. Whether it is dealing with horrific images or legions of tactical squads, FEAR emphasizes on putting you on pure adrenaline. What's also impressive is FEAR's AI Baddies. They seem to have many surprising animations. Some animations include jumping through windows, crawling under shelves, pushing sofas for cover, or sticking only their arm out to shoot. It's a visceral experience. When an enemy gets shot in the face, they communicate that there's a "Sniper" in the loose. Interesting. If you're looking for ingenious puzzles, beautiful looking maps and high ceilings you won't find them here. You'll find that even operating trays are unmovable decoration. But does that take away from the experience? Definitely not! The developers of FEAR seem to have emphasized detail on the blood, shell casings, globs of particle effects, and tons of breakable glass, computer monitors, etc. But truth be told, the game is pretty creepy. The game sets you up in ways you would never imagine. This is especially true at the end of the game. I lacked some sleep for a day or two.
FEAR is one of those games that doesn't have many detailed environments. Instead, it puts its money on the horrific experience of the unknown. It sometimes punishes you and your curiousity. It's really hard to convey this experience through this review without giving too much away but rest assured FEAR stays true to its name. Sometimes I think it was deliberate that the developers made the puzzles purely easy just so that it won't take too much tension away from the player and that, my friends, is a great thing.
The Bad:
Like great games, there are a few tidbit things I would like to point out in the game that deviate from the experience. The dialogue is a bit over the top so the AI likes to curse...alot. Even the people you hear on the voicemails all over the office love to curse too. It sometimes sounds forced rather than natural. In FEAR, you experience scripted scenes that are disturbing and lifelike but sometimes the dialogue does not match the scene. This is usually the case when interacting with enemy AI. In some cases, I bust up laughing when I hear it. This maybe deliberate since the game is mostly action oriented.
Also as you get farther into the game, your objective doesn't change much. You're always looking for a man named Harland Wade or other closely related members. Also, the richness of the story is dependent on how much snooping you do around in the offices. With everyone's voicemail free for anyone to access you can try to put the puzzle pieces together and hopefully gather reasons for your objective (i.e. Find Harland Wade).
Another thing is inconsistent interactivity on objects. Some bookshelves can fall during a firefight. In a few cases, you have an office mail cart...with wheels...sitting in the middle of hall...and for some reason it seems to be nailed to the floor...even when I launch a rocket on it. Not a big deal.
overall:
FEAR is a tremendous game. It doesn't try to be a Half Life 2 (ingenious puzzles) or a stealth/action game (Splinter Cell). FEAR's presentation of the story is fresh, even when compared to other horror based games of today (Resident Evil, Silent Hill, etc) but how it is told to the player is even better. Its execution is so well done that other gamers, especially FPS fans, should not pass up.
radcastro.com