F.E.A.R.

First-person shooter games have come a long way since the days of the original Doom--a very long way indeed. Although today's FPS titles certainly do look a lot different than those early games, they have also changed in other, perhaps more important, ways as well. For starters, these games now give you a reason to play them in the first place. Games like Sudden Shock, Far Cry, No One Lives Forever, and, of course, Half-Life have raised the bar significantly in the storytelling department, and gamers now expect an FPS game to be more than a simple arcade-style shooter. Happily, Monolith is contributing to this trend in their own way with F.E.A.R., and that turns out to be a very good thing.

F.E.A.R. is certainly no ordinary first-person shooter, for the developers have pushed the envelope in several important ways and crafted a game that will keep even the most jaded gamer happy for a while. First-person shooters usually revolve around the firefights and running gun battles found within their corridors, and F.E.A.R.'s combat is an evolutionary step ahead for the whole genre.

In F.E.A.R. you play as the point man for a super-secret special operations unit that specializes in paranormal situations. Although you're newly assigned to the unit, it won't be long until you're plunged hip deep into the action. The commander of a secret force of clone soldiers, Paxton Fettel, has apparently gone mad, and his clone forces are causing all sorts of trouble. Fettel and his force are unpredictable, thus you need to be prepared for any and everything.

Your encounters with Fettel's clone army are what makes F.E.A.R. special. F.E.A.R.'s combat is fast, lethal, and a wonder to behold. Like no game before it, F.E.A.R. has elevated the whole first-person experience to movie-like proportions. This is more than just spectacular visuals and cool special effects; the combat feels real, as bullets rip into walls, shatter glass, and generally wreck havoc on the everything in sight. A firefight that lasts any period of time can quickly turn a given area into a wasteland of wreckage and burning debris.

In and of itself, this still wouldn't be enough to push the game beyond what has been in other shooters, but F.E.A.R. doesn't stop there. The plot soon takes a page from the X-Files, then does a hard right turn into the realm of sci-fi/horror entertainment. Things begin to get downright creepy as you begin to have a series or horrifying and startling visions of blood soaked bodies, unusual events, and soon Fettel himself. We won't reveal too much here, but the visions often include the ghostly apparition of a small girl. She laughs and then flitters away out of your line of sight--and then all Hell breaks loose.

F.E.A.R. has a meaty plot to it, and much of it will not be revealed until later into the game. At times, it isn't easy to know if the visions you are having are of the past, the future, or something completely crazy. There's enough creepy things going on to keep you guessing for quite some time, and there are some interesting plot twists. You won't have long to ponder all of this, though, as you'll have your hands full just trying to survive and move on to your objective.

Throughout the game you'll acquire new weapons, including a variety of submachine guns, pistols, and rifles. These weapons are superbly modeled, and all of them can be quite deadly in most any situation. But this isn't Doom III, and your character will be sharply limited on the quantity of weapons that can be lugged around. You'll be forced to make a trade off here, and choose which weapons to take along with you. You will also have grenades at your disposal (when you can find them), and these do not take up a weapon slot.

The enemies in F.E.A.R. will put up a better fight than in most other first-person shooters. For starters, they demonstrate an impressive degree of teamwork when they attack. They also know how to make use of cover and will not blindly assault you as in other games. If you manage to get yourself into a good defensive position thinking you can pick them off one by one, you may be surprised when they maneuver around and attack you from behind. Needless to say, this kind of intelligence makes the game's enemy encounters a lot more satisfying and thrilling. About the only complaint here is that, often unintentionally, the clone soldiers will sometimes tip you off that they are in the area with the sound of their communication sets. This means you will often be able to seize the initiative and choose when to attack.

Since you are fighting clones, there are a few points in the game which can feel a bit on the repetitive side. Although the AI is very good, after a while you get the feeling you have done all of this before. Fortunately, F.E.A.R. includes some additional adversaries as the game progresses which up the ante and keep the gameplay crisp and interesting. Another tool you will have at your disposal is a form of bullet time, where you can slow things down and fight your way out of especially dangerous situations. This is hardly a new innovation for first-person shooters, but its implementation here is top notch and you'll find yourself using it frequently.

F.E.A.R.'s tense and creepy gameplay is complemented perfectly by the game engine that powers it. This is perhaps the most advanced graphics engine seen in any FPS game to date, and everything from the character animations to the textures looks superb. Although they come at a steep performance price, the lighting effects are better than those found in any other first-person game, and really help add a dose of gritty realism to F.E.A.R.'s environments.

To be fair, though, as good as the environments look, there is no doubt they are a little on the mundane side. Most of the levels consist of warehouses, offices, and other similar building types. One can't help but feel that F.E.A.R. really could have benefited from more diverse and interesting level design. Half-Life 2 demonstrated that otherwise mundane locations such as a subway, a bridge, or an rail station can indeed be exciting places if done properly. And even F.E.A.R.'s awesome particle effects, incredibly realistic shadows, and fantastic lighting can't change the fact that the story essentially takes place in somewhat boring locations. F.E.A.R.'s story may be interesting, but its level design generally isn't.

F.E.A.R.'s visuals are so good that at times the game looks almost photorealistic on higher video settings. You should be warned, however, that this is not a game for the feint of heart. There is a lot of blood and gore splattered around the levels, and the levels will get even messier after a firefight has taken place.

The game's visuals come at a heavy price, though. We were unable to run F.E.A.R. on the highest settings on our Alienware review system. Nevertheless, the game looks fantastic even at 1024x768 with most of the settings on medium. If you have a killer gaming rig, you're in for a visual treat with F.E.A.R..

Sound effects are generally excellent and do a fine job of complimenting the game's fantastic visuals. At times the levels are nearly silent, with only a few ambient sounds to be heard. When combat kicks off, the weapons produce satisfying thumps and explosions. You'll also hear your enemies cry out in pain or call for support as things heat up. At times, the sounds can actually be downright startling, and cause you to grow a bit paranoid. Voice acting is also top quality. Overall, the sounds go a long way toward helping to immerse the player into the creepy mood of the game.