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F.E.A.R 2: PROJECT ORIGIN Posted by Joe Anderson on Feb 13, 2009 17:57 (Feb 13, 2009 17:57) |
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Launching a FPS on the PS3 in the same month as Killzone 2 finally arrives is a risky business, however Warner Bros will be hoping to steal some of Guerrilla Games thunder with the mix of shooting and horror that is F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin, but do they succeed?
F.E.A.R 2 continues from where the previous game left off, although here you play as Michael Becket. Alma also makes a return and is hell bent on taking out her rage on those who wronged her.
The first part of the game sees you tasked with the mission of taking an executive into custody, however it isn’t long before strange things start happening and weird visions start to appear all around you. In fact by the time you get to the end of the level you will probably be scratching your head wondering what just happened. As you progress through the levels things only start to get a bit stranger, most of the second level for example is spent wandering through a hospital which seems to have bullet ridden bodies spread everywhere, and when you combine this with the constant flashes you keep having it’s hard to know what exactly is going on.
 Much like in the original game, F.E.A.R 2 really shines when it comes to the enemies intelligence, whether working as a team to bring you down, using the environment to their advantage or keeping on the move, you will find it hard to take them down because these guys aren’t nobody’s shooting duck. Thankfully you do have something up your sleeve to help you take down these crafty enemies, the ability to slow time. This ability allows you to slow time for a while, meaning you can get a few shots in, move position or throw a few grenades and watch as they explode in slow motion (this is an impressive effect). The slow motion ability is quite handy to have at points, although if you fancy a challenge you could probably just about get through the game without it.
Now a FPS, with horror mixed in or not, would be no fun without weapons and F.E.A.R 2 packs them in. Throughout your travels you will add plenty of weapons to your inventory, which will be needed to help take down the pesky opponents who stand in your way. All of the weapons you find are well balanced, so obviously some will run out of ammo quicker than others, requiring you to think tactically rather than blazing in all gun hoe and getting yourself killed. Unfortunately the cover system won’t help you much when it comes to thinking tactically as it’s pretty poor, so staying behind a wall or out of the way completely is probably the best way to avoid the bullets.
Of course F.E.A.R 2 is not just about shooting but also horror, and thankfully this works really well. As you wander along constant flashes appear, along with other strange things such as lights suddenly flickering or unexplained noises. These things are designed to freak you out and generally they do, especially if you turn out the lights and turn up the sound.
 Graphically the game takes a step away from the dull tone of F.E.A.R, providing more atmospheric surroundings for you to be scared in. While the environments are pleasing to the eye, I wouldn’t say that they are really spectacular, although it has to be said that some of the lighting effects are very impressive.
While the single player mode is the main reason players will buy this game, F.E.A.R 2 also includes a fairly decent multiplayer mode, included here are the usual suspects such as Deathmatch and Capture, however the main standout for me has got to be the Armoured Front mode, which includes two suits of power armour and a whole lot of all out carnage. Unfortunately the multiplayer mode is still fairly basic, so come the end of the month you will probably find it hard to meet anyone but the F.E.A.R faithful online, especially since most other PS3 fans will be busy playing Killzone 2.
F.E.A.R 2 is great at what it does, it’s a fun shooter, it provides plenty of scares, some great effects and some of the most intelligent enemies you will come across in any game. If F.E.A.R 2 has one drawback though, it is that whatever it does may not be enough to stave off the more than healthy competition.
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