F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

The Good
- As with Condemned 2, this is one of the most unique looking and sounding Monolith titles. Visual design is superb. Music is one of the Grigg's best works. Sound design in general is mostly great. - More varied gameplay, than if FEAR1, gunplay is solid. Occasionaly, horror elements are good. - Levels look much prettier than if FEAR1, less square rooms, more diversity. - Very good build-up to the ending and the ending itself.

The Bad
- Story is just a copied plot from the first game but with different characters and the ending. Dialogues are cringeworthy. - Level design is much more linear, which leads to more stupid AI and frustrating moments sometimes. Overall, the gunplay is less engaging than in FEAR1. - Like Condemned 2, this sequel is less about scary atmosphere and more about insanity (which isn't necessarily bad). - Reborn DLC is 30 minutes long at best. Still solid though.

The Bottom Line
Highly recommendable, despite every flaw.

The Good
I loved the original FEAR and it has gone to have a high spot in my heart, and while not their best game, it was yet another great title from one of my favourite developers, Monolith studios. What made FEAR great was simple, take 3 action styles (Kung fu, Choreographed gun play, tactics), 3 horror styles (American "Jumps", Psychological mind twists, and Japanese ghost stories), write a compelling plot and put it all in a blender. If it had one problem, it was the lack of any true protagonist and an ending that didn't leave the door open... it threw the Door out the window. So I awaited the inevitable sequel, and after 4 years and some worrisome license issues, it finally came.

Sadly, the game doesn't come in with a bang, it just lazes on the couch and says "Meh." But looking at Moby games review format, I need to start with what is good. What is good is the core action. While there are issues that make it inferior, we will discuss that later. The core action is still fun, and whenever I blow an entire foes torso off and watch his spinal column and last bits of flesh topple over gives me a cathartic thrill and blows off steam. When the action heats up, its great and will keep your heart pounding and will satiate any gorror fans lust for blood. "Reflexes" (Bullet time) returns and is still fun to use simply to see some cool slow motion explosions or death scenes. Seeing a man with napalm strapped to his back blow up and take out his lackey's in slow motion is a cool effect both from the standpoint of a horror fan and an action fan. You can still use melee and do roundhouse kicks and kung-fu moves and knock the teeth out of your foe, and is as satisfying as ever.

While the graphics aren't ground breaking or the best you will see this generation, there are some absolutely spectacular special effects and great character models. Every explosion lights up the world and will bring you several "WOW! COOL!" moments, every light casts an eerie and scary shadow creating a good atmosphere, and every death has a grisly and disturbingly detailed blood effect that shines and glistens with body damage modeling that is somewhat creepy and really defines the word "Gory." While most of the characters are fairly standard for modern shooters and wear your typical armour and such, the models are well detailed. However, the characters that stand out are the Remnants. The remnants appear later on in the game, and look awesome. The remnants tap a strange fear I have; twisted, mutated, and f**ked up shapes that seem inhuman, but have at least one or two elements that still look human and the Remnants are exactly that. They are cool and easily the scariest thing in the game, and their modeling is excellent and extremely surreal, which only enhances their eeriness. The death animations are also great.

The sound effects are awesome, and the mech sequence is fun. There are a few nice highlights in levels, one of the few moments where an atmopshere attempts to build is when you finally get out of a ridiculously long and somewhat boring underground tunnel sequence and then see what happened after the nuke from the first game went off is somewhat creepy, as there is an eerie musical score, some ghosts, and eeriest of all; flash fossilized humans. Hey, have you ever been to Pompeii? Oh, well, that's besides the point. This moment is somber and disturbing, and the aforementioned humans are fossilized in creepy positions, their final second on Earth in painful agony frozen in a single spot. It's a spooky moment, but it doesn't last long because the action comes and a few things dispel the atmosphere here, but this is one truly standout moment in the "Creepy" department.

The Bad
While the combat can be fun, the AI has been toned down and the enemies are too easy even on the harder difficulties. I can't help but feel they were dumbed down so the consoles didn't need a customized or delayed port.

The game is, at times, painfully boring. While the first FEAR followed a similar structure of mixing horror sequences and action sequences, it balanced them out much better because the horror elements were actually scary. Because it was scary and atmospheric, the moments where the action wasn't flowing were still compelling and had tons of creepy, scary, and cool moments. FEAR 2 is not scary. At all. The only scary things in this game are the aforementioned remnants and an area showing what has to be done to force people into becoming a psychic commander. Even Alma isn't scary. The fully grown Alma is gross looking, naked (But no genitals, but considering that this is somewhat creepy about her, I suppose its not bad.) wrinkled and still very much like a ghost from "The Grudge," but she is no longer scary. She's a monster closet with a quicktime event strapped onto her. In the first FEAR, she would jump out, but these sequences were unpredictable and used sparingly and Alma's presence was more to get under your skin than to pop up and go "BOO!" but she does this in every level and you can see it coming from a thousand miles away, even before she pops out for the first time I could predict when she'd pop and try to scare you. Another thing is that in the first game, each Alma encounter was different. In this, its always the same: The game slows down to a yawn inducing crawl and then Alma pops out either randomly or in conjunction with an obstacle, and then you have to mash the button wildly until she gets off you. This isn't scary, it removes you from the atmosphere and you don't feel vulnerable tapping buttons which completely dispels any possible atmosphere, and considering this game has no atmosphere save for some fights with the remnants and a couple small set pieces, that means that these moments are annoying, boring, and stupid.

The controls are delayed and sloppy save for throwing things, shooting, and reloading. These are all set in stone, but everything else, even activating bullet time, is poor. The worst are the karate moves, which have a poor delay and rarely do what you want them to.

On the negative side of the graphics, textures are flat, muddy, and uninspired and like the first game, there is one too many warehouses and office buildings. Thankfully there are more outdoor areas, but once you bonk into an invisible wall you'll realize they are just more office/warehouses with a skybox and buildings.

The story is a retread/retelling of the first games plot, but much more confusing, much dumber, and all around disappointing. No questions are answered, only many more asked and there is nothing here that wasn't said in the first games plot. The ending once again throws open a door with little care or regard to answering any questions, and since the plot only really answered one of the many questions the first game asked, this means there are only more loose ends. There are so many loose ends with plot threads that you can weave a blanket to cover 45 of the United States out of them.

The combat can get repetitive thanks to the lack of tension or interest in the games plot or "atmosphere," and it takes a lot of talent (Or lack of) to make gibbing bad dudes and mutants in gory ways with awesome weapons boring.

The multiplayer sucks, which is sad because the first game had great multiplayer. In the first game, there were your standard death match, TDM, and CTF-ish modes but what made it great were the tight controls, great, fast paced action and excellent map design, as well as modes that placed a power up that allows a user to slow down time and kick ass. This meant players were fiercely fighting to get the high score as well as the power up, and it along with a couple other interesting modes really made the multiplayer unique and fun. Anyone who hasn't tried it should, its now a free download known as FEAR Combat. The multiplayer map design here is disappointing and bland, and none of the unique modes from the first game return which is a majour buzzkill and the combat seems... slower now, and since the first games MP component is now free, there's no reason to play MP in FEAR 2 which is sad, because this should've given Monolith incentive to improve upon the first games multiplayer and make it even better.

The Bottom Line
FEAR 2 is a majour disappointment, it fails in all the places that the first game succeeded, save for combat and gore, but the combat feels shallower and the enemies won't put up as much of a fight as their predecessors did. There is no scary or atmosphere, the plot sucks, and the multiplayer is lame. While fun at times, FEAR 2 is extremely disappointing. I love you Monolith, but this will go down as your worst game since Contract J.A.C.K. I have faith that the inevitable FEAR 3 can improve, at least I can only hope.

The Good
The sequel, to one of my favorite FPS in a long time. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, has a lot to live up to. And after a sorted history, what with Monolith, losing the rights to the name F.E.A.R. And then having to rename the game, but still make it clear that it was a sequel, and then finally, months before it’s release, getting the rights back.

And while the ending of the first F.E.A.R. implied that there could be a sequel, it is not always wise to go rushing into the sequel game. Even though, more often than not FPS sequels are at least decent, a claim many others genre’s cannot make.

In F.E.A.R. 2, you are Special Forces, Michael Becket. And just hours before, the destruction of Auburn, you are sent in to retrieve Genevieve Aristide, and take her into protective custody. When, you arrive at her posh, apartment building, you find she is already in trouble, as Armacham, goons have orders to kill her. Before, you can bring her in, Auburn is destroyed, by Alma. You awaken in a hospital, and you are told by a mysterious assistant, that Alma, is after you. Now you must survive and find a way to destroy Alma, and end the Auburn nightmare once and for all.

Project Origin, has many cool moments, and set pieces. The hospital mission, and the creepy school, are among the coolest. And F.E.A.R. 2, like is predecessor, succeeds in having scares, as well, as great action set pieces.(Like the hallowed Half-Life.-MM-) In one great set piece, you get into a power armor, and reek havoc, on your foes.

The Gameplay also boasts some changes, and new additions. This time you can carry 4 weapons at once, giving you greater variety. You can also carry 4 types of grenades. There are a great deal of weapons to choose from as well. Some are new, and some old weapons do not return. Even some of the guns from the expansions make an appearance.

The phone messages, that filled in some of the back story, are gone. Replaced with emails, and other Intel, that is now sent to your PDA. Also new are the quick time events. In these you must quickly tap the indicated button. One of these involves a major enemy and is quite badass.

And you can still slow down time. And F.E.A.R. 2 continues the tradition of being one of the most violent FPS’ on the market. As you can still get “critical hits” on enemies. And blow them to pieces, take their heads off, or perhaps blow them in half. With the laser guns you can eviscerate to your hearts content.

The graphics are great. And use the newest Jupiter Engine, last scene in Condemned 2. It looks substantially better, than the first game. And of course the Havok physics engine is back. Who knew that physics could be so much fun?

And there are some many cool little touches. Like seeing a real-time reflection, in the scope of your sniper rifle. And the realistic looking water, and the way, that it splashes of you HUD, as well as blood, great stuff.

I would be remiss, if I did not talk about the lighting. It is some of the most realistic I have ever seen, it is hard to put into words. But what good would realistic lighting be if it was not used well. And Project Origin, also has one of the best uses of lighting. Some times it is as much of an ally as your teammates, or as much of a foe, as the replica soldiers. One new enemy, is a creature of light, a ghost of sorts, that darts by, and has to be destroyed quickly. The first time I saw it I was like WTF?

The sound effects and music, and voice acting are all solid as well. The voice overs are well done, and the dialogue is well written. As to be expected from a Monolith game. The music is great, and cues at the proper times. And is not over used.

But as in the first game it is the sound effects that steal the show. From, the creepy monsters sounds, to those heard, from Alma, it really helps maintain the scary element.

The Bad
In a lot of ways this game fails to surpass its predecessor. Even though it could have if they had wanted it to. But then again, it is much better than it’s predecessors’ expansions.

I wish, that Monolith, had not scrapped some of my favorite weapons, like the duel sub-machine guns.

There also could have been, more of a connection to the first game. And be warned this game does not use the continuity of the two expansions.

The Bottom Line
When all is said and done, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, is a great game. And a worthy sequel. Fans of the series and of FPS games in general, should not miss it. And there is a new F.E.A.R. 2 expansion coming out soon, so what are you waiting for?