Fear 2 Game Review horror videogames are troublesome to get done*. What makes something shocking? Gore on the walls? Eerie sound effects? Dimly lit hall ways with strobing lights?F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, a new first-person shooter for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC (reviewed), yields all those criteria of the character. But Origin's scares come mostly from the game's shocking character, not cheesy shocks.
In our Fear 2 Game Review we found it's a prototypical sort of fright, and prevails in positively being scary by leveraging a player's emotional reactions to the ambiance — you'll be quaking at shadows, not at creatures routinely popping out of them. But the game telegraphs these sequences so much that they lose a lot of their fear force.
Origin kicks off moments before the preceding game terminates, and provides little in the way of account: If you didn't play the beginning F.E.A.R., you'll be a bit wayward. Let's play catch-up: Armacham Technology is constructing an battalion of telepathically controlled clones, but Alma, the 8-year-old telepathic who was forced into a coma, trapped in a tomb, impregnated and then cast away all those years ago is plausibly still alive — and upset.
As Sgt. Michael Becker, it's up to you and your group of world-class military officers to arrest Armacham's person in charge, a operation that devolves into disorder when a tremendous explosion destroys most of a metropolis.
Origin's menacing levels gave me a nagging feeling of phobia. Strolling down one of the plentiful dimly lit passages, an excruciating lull crept in. My visor began to flash, as it would do in regular intervals throughout the venture. I heard the repeated cries of a young woman. More psychic spirits? Perhaps a few boxes soaring about? Five minutes of foggy vision and unmemorable quiet later, I turned a corner, and an entirely unknown sound cracked through my speakers, causing my heart to vaulted into my throat — it's the radio chirping, a colleague pondering what I'm up to.
That Origin's excellent scares come during entirely danger-free instants is a validation to how well planner Monolith has constructed this horror experience. But it's a too bad that scenes of complete terror are just that — scenes, which begin and end with clear lines of demarcation, giving players enough time to brace themselves.
Although you're technically part of a force of six, your muted hero is speedily severed from the crowd and usually battles solo. Your status is relayed by health and armor bars; power-ups strewn about the generic offices, subway stations and annihilated neighborhoods that you're walking through keep you in highest shape.
You'll only be able to cart four munitions at a time, though every munitions has its purpose. You might be predisposed to directly chuck the pistol, but lighter weapons will allow you to sprint faster, which will benefit you in getting the jump on so you can pound them with your assault of deadly melee attacks — or run away, if things get dicey.
Your character will sooner or later* gain heightened reflexes, granting you the ability to slow down time. The ability is confined, but recharges fairly quickly, and more collectible power-ups will allow you to boost its duration. While compelling, this has the detriment of eliminating much of the dread of combat: The reasonably keen enemies are left with very little time to react once you're dancing circles around them.
As if your adversarys didn't have enough to worry about already, there's the electronic power suit — a self-regulating, nigh-impregnable juggernaut, spewing death from coupled mini-guns and rocket launchers. Fascinating? Sure. But playing Huge Robot Whac-A-Mole in a game that's evidently about being spooked simply doesn't fit.
Once you've made your way through the single-player operation (I finished in just over nine hours), the online multiplayer mode is waiting in the wings. There's no collaborating play and no local multiplayer, but competing in multiplayer games lets you earn experience, which will develop your rank, granting you accomplishments and insignias you can sport for bragging rights.
Before starting a contest, you'll have to choose or arrangement a loadout — the accessories you want to carry into the match with you. First off, you'll pick one of three armor types — scout, grunt or tank. Scout armor will accord you the most loadout points, but the least protection, while the grunt and tank armor types provide more defense but fewer equipment slots. There's always the option of looting weapons from fallen foes, if you can't afford the gear you really want.
F.E.A.R. 2 game review: Project Origin is a state-of-the-art* classic — but not necessarily in a favorable way. Yes, slightly outdated design elements like health and armor packs give it a ordinary feel. And quite a few truly shocking moments are guaranteed to make you feel a little childish for being so freaked out. But the game tries to be too many things at once, and the clear-cut, uneven transitions from horror to next-gen action sequences rupture the otherwise carefully executed ambiance.
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Posted by kensanders6952
at 11:58 AM EST
