While I personally don't think the game is very scary, it is fun as hell. A great FPS, whether you like horror or not.
Graphics: The graphics are a mixed bag. On one hand, the character models for story people look kind of sloppy and antiquated. There are also a lot of animations that look pretty bad. However, when the game is focusing on the core action, it looks awesome. The environments are very dark, creating a foreboding atmosphere. And the enemies look very good and animate smoothly. The slow motion effect also adds a lot. There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, more satisfying in this game than seeing a guy explode into bloody chunks as you blast him apart at point blank range with a shotgun… in slow motion. The effect adds a lot to the game; bullets whiz by, environments get ripped apart (at least visually speaking) and enemies have some pretty slick death animations. However, as mentioned before, there are a lot of choppy animations, as well as some ugly looking character models. Also worth noting, there are enemies in certain parts of the game that are very difficult to see, but will still damage you. However, I think that the gore and destruction in the game more than makes up for the relatively lackluster graphics. 7.5/ 10
Sound: Let me get this out of the way; the voice acting in this game is difficult to hear. It sounds very muffled, and often times happens during combat, which means you may miss a lot of stuff related to the story. There is also no subtitle option, which is a big letdown. However, every other part of the sound is fantastic. The guns all sound superb and satisfying, the music is intense, the enemies shout at you and each other in believable ways and the game is just very well done in terms of audio. There are also a lot of creepy sound effects for certain areas of the game. So, despite the somewhat poor voice acting volume, the game sounds great. 9/ 10
Story: You are a part of the military dedicated to containing supernatural disasters known as FEAR. (First Encounter Assault Recon.) You are sent to a building to find that everyone is dead, and a man named Paxton Fettel is loose. He is psychic, and, as such, you begin to see strange visions and hallucinations. As the story goes on, you uncover clues behind the mystery with voice messages and uncovered data. The bulk of the story has not a lot going on aside from trying to locate Paxton Fettel in Armacham building, but, later in the game, you uncover some chilling details about what is really going on. Overall, the story is well done. 8/ 10
Gameplay: The game is a shooter in the vein of Half Life. You constantly press forward through environments, levels are seamlessly connected to one another and you can theoretically keep the same guns throughout the entire game. However, there is a mechanic that sets this shooter apart from the rest: the slow motion.
At any time, as long as your Adrenaline bar is filled, you can shift into slow motion, because, apparently, your character has super reflexes. This allows you to carefully place your shots in the middle of an intense firefight. (And boy do they get intense.) Not only does it make the game look very cool, but it allows you to gain an edge over your opponents.
And you'll need every advantage you can get. The AI in this game is, simply put, incredible. They are challenging to fight without really feeling cheap. They move and react realistically; they will make you give chase, they will duck behind cover and will react if you kill one of their mates. One of the best parts is that, in undisturbed areas, you can sneak up on enemies, and they won't magically notice you once you get close. The AI is one of the reasons the game is so fun.
Another reason is the weapon load out you have access to. There are standard weapons like an SMG, assault rifle, shotgun and more. However, even the vanilla weapons feel very satisfying; the shots have a great sense of impact and feel very powerful. There are some other cool weapons as well, like a laser rifle that literally disintegrates the target, or a sniper with three round burst capabilities. Regardless of what weapon you are using, they always feel just right and have a great sense of weight. (I think this game may have the best shotgun ever.)
Throughout the game, you will go through a huge building filled with nooks and crannies. The way forward isn't always clear; it can be annoying if you can't figure out where to go, which is a fairly common problem. Also, some of the enemies aren't that fun to fight; namely, the big mechs that frequent levels later in the game. Also, the game sometimes does a poor job of telling you that you're taking damage. All there is is a red flash on the side of the screen, and hardly a grunt to say "Hey, you're getting shot up!"
Despite any of these flaws, FEAR is an insanely fun FPS. 9/ 10
FEAR is a very fun game to this day. The action is very fast paced, challenging (without really feeling cheap most of the time) and extremely bloody. If you want a higher quality FPS to play, FEAR is an excellent choice. So long and thanks for reading!