Review: F.E.A.R 2

Perhaps the fundamental flaw of the FEAR franchise is that it doesn’t seem to know what it wants to be. A mix of futuristic shooter and horror game, FEAR walks a very thin line between both of them, and in doing so fails to supply either two competently. FEAR 2 sadly is no better, as the scares from Alma’s appearances come and go, but the real meat of the game is the slow motion bullet time fighting against the enemy forces within the game, which aren’t particularly scary at all.

This makes FEAR 2 difficult to rate, as Monolith’s sequel to the original hit isn’t necessarily a bad game, and in fact is as enjoyable as its predecessor. You start off as an entirely new character but still part of the much ironically named First Encounter Assault Reconnaissance – aka FEAR. In this characters boots you’re thrown into the fray just before the nuclear explosion and Alma’s rage is unleashed onto the city. The bad guys are still the same as the original, and by and large the story is very much the same too – who is Alma? Why is she so bloody evil? And why are there weird things happening all throughout the game? The way the story is told however sadly hasn’t changed dramatically; audio logs have been removed and replaced with story logs picked up throughout the game. These are almost the only form of storyline information you’ll find on the subject of Alma and the corporation behind her. Other than this you have the random chatter of your squad members and that’s it. Meeting up with anyone who doesn’t become a mangled or bullet ridden corpse shortly afterwards is brief.

Meeting up with Alma however isn’t brief, and the slightly psychotic girl has now turned into something that looks like Marilyn Manson naked, a frightening thought in itself. Throughout the game she pretty much stalks your every movement, and seems to particularly enjoy doing so in dark places where your torch barely lights up a corner of the room. When she’s not stalking you, she’s right up in your face threatening you. These frightening moments are predictable but can still send shivers down the player’s spine. On one occasion I found myself almost falling off my chair as Alma proceeded to grab my throat…or my character’s throat. First person perspective works well in this game!

In fact FEAR 2 is quite a well built game given that it was designed for both consoles and PC’s. The interface is streamlined onto your screen by the use of in game spectacles worn by your character. This has received a mix of complaints and approval – the main criticism being that the visor lines squash in the field of view, and another complaint being the unnecessary need for every single usable object in the game to be highlighted. On the PC – which was the version tested – I can understand this complaint, as the visor effectively closes your vision too directly in front of you. Stray objects lighting up as you near them I’m quite happy with though, since areas of the game can be quite dark at times causing you to miss a vital piece of information, or something as critical as a medical kit.

Sadly though missing a medical kit isn’t such a grand worry, as FEAR 2 throughout the game feels reasonably easy to play. Med kits are always around the corner, and if there is not then there will be plenty of cover to stop you from getting hit. This draws away from the whole fear factor of FEAR – you won’t be limping down a hallway, looking for a small med kit, while Alma causes lights to break and things to start moving in the air. Instead you’re pretty much prepared for anything.

This preparation is then taken to the max when you’re given an armoured mech to play with. Yes, FEAR has obviously taken a page out of the Japanese style of fun and has decided to include entire sections of you fighting off enemy mechs and generally causing destruction. It’s quite a fun little section, albeit a somewhat odd one as well. Almost like the developers said “Stick in mech fights! They’re fun!”

The problem is that as much as FEAR 2 is as enjoyable as its predecessor, that’s just it. It’s enjoyable, but not a great change from the original. If you’re new to FEAR you could skip the original one altogether and not have missed much. Tip – you don’t want to mess with the girl. There is no real improvement between the original and sequel, any change of pace, or any new thrills and horrors. Well, there is one horror – the end. You’re left stunned and in horror by the ending, knowing perhaps that obviously the franchise might still have room to continue.

Like the Halloween or Friday 13^th remakes, FEAR 2 is a sequel that isn’t. A game that effectively explains little, is enjoyable, but is not anything new. It’s time Monolith considered making something else.

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