F.E.A.R. 2 spooks factory

In July, Activision Blizzard cut loose a number of Vivendi Games franchises in the wake of the two companies' merger, leaving a number of properties in a state of flux. However, one of the fortunate benefactors of that purge was Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment's wholly owned Monolith Studios, which was able to capitalize on the situation by acquiring the rights to its popular F.E.A.R. paranormal shooter franchise.

WBIE quickly rebranded Monolith's follow-up effort F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Now, that game is locked in for its release for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on February 10. WBIE announced today that the game has gone gold, having been shipped to manufacturers for mass production.

A direct sequel to the events in the 2005 original, F.E.A.R. 2 picks back up with the First Encounter Assault Recon unit as it investigates the supremely creepy doings of a child known as Alma. The game features a number of new ways to battle the paranormal legions, such as mechanized powersuits, and brings back the franchise's distinctive time-slowing mechanic.

A demo for the game is currently available via Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network, as well as through the developer's Web site for PC gamers. For more information, check out GameSpot's previous coverage of F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.