F.E.A.R. Review

More secretive than a government research project, Monolith's F.E.A.R. has finally been declassified for PCs, if your machine meets the requirements that is; more on that later. Following a brief overview describing the origins of the First Encounter Assault and Reconnaissance force (a deliciously thought through acronym), an introductory cut-scene explains the situation that players initially find themselves; a man called Paxton Fettel has escaped from a research laboratory in a bloodbath, taking with him and controlling an army of cloned super-soldiers that have the general appearance of a futuristic authoritarian militia. In response F.E.A.R. send an unnamed, untested rookie (with a training record off the charts) to infiltrate a water-processing plant where Fettel has been traced thanks to a homing device implanted in his head; and who is Alma, the girl in the red dress with a penchant for burning victims to bloody skeletal remains? So the F.E.A.R. begins...

As with last year's massively impressive Half-Life 2 from Valve, it's the quite frankly astonishing visuals that are consistently breathtaking. Not only are character models highly detailed, but every facet of the graphics exude the sort of care and attention that we'd expect a next-generation title to feature. Environmental damage to walls and objects are amongst the most impressive seen with particle engines creating a strong sense of impact and destruction. If you've the meaty machine needed to view the game in all its glory then the detailed textures of the various environmental surfaces lift from the monitor, with the amazing use of light and shadow only acts as one of the key techniques used by Monolith to build one of the most tense atmospheres in a videogame for years. F.E.A.R. also enjoys some of the most liberal use of crimson ever in a videogame; it's a well deserved 18 certificate.

Great visuals aside, two aspects of F.E.A.R.'s game design that truly excels are Artificial Intelligence and Atmosphere. Though we've only touched upon the game's atmosphere this intangible facet manages to convey a sense of strong foreboding rarely seen outside of Hollywood except in certain survival horror titles such as Silent Hill. Monolith has done this by using the audio-visual techniques of movies such as silent periods of gameplay, clever use shadows (with the mysterious Alma as well as regular objects and enemies), and narrative lulls between intense hardcore action and more sinister supernatural sequences that will soon make the more sensitive of gamers refrain from playing F.E.A.R. on their own with the lights off; we won't spoil individual examples of these, suffice to say that there are plenty of instances when things go bump in the night.

Vying for most impressive feature of F.E.A.R. along with the atmosphere is the enemy AI, which is astonishingly brilliant. Not only are the clones capable of taking advantage of the many paths built into the levels and execute flanking manoeuvres depending on the decisions made by the player, which in itself is immensely impressive, but they will also create cover for themselves or place obstacles between the player; they enjoy a dual motivation in the game that of killing the F.E.A.R. operative and perhaps most importantly in creating a deep sense of immersion, self-preservation. Such AI driven decision making is one element that we expect to feature in more and more videogames in the next-generation of PC and console titles.

Claustrophobic corridors and maze-like level design has allowed the developers to ensure that F.E.A.R. is more than just a gory mess of rooms; instead like the rest of the game, environments from the water plant to the headquarters of defence firm Armachan feel that they've been designed for an everyday purpose and not just as locations for a videogame. Without wanting to give away too many of the game's secrets one rare instance of suspect level design that did raise an eyebrow or two at TVG Towers occurs at the water-processing plant. After disrupting an electrical box that sends bolts of high voltage across the width of the corridor, players have to wander a labyrinth of catwalks and shallow water ways, which caused no end of frustration for us as we searched for the correct route around the deadly electricity. For F.E.A.R. players who find themselves in a similar predicament, a ladder is totally obscured behind a pair of vertical pipes...The only reason that the developers placed the ladder in such a random position must rest with a desire to keep players guessing. A challenge it may be but the example just came across as a cheap shot.

It's a testament to the developers that it's taken this long for us to get to the guts of the game: weapons and combat. As with other FPS titles, F.E.A.R. features a range of munitions mixing the standard pistol/shotgun/sniper rifle with the rather more exotic including the crucifying pain inducing the 'Penetrator', a gun that rapidly fires 10 inch nails. Not only is the gun awesomely effective against the super-soldiers but it's also a great means to demonstrate the strong physics engine built into the game when a nail literally pins an opponent to a wall.

All of the weapons convey real sense of impact and strength, one aspect that can undermine an FPS title, with dual pistols helping most modest ballistics pack a punch. Players can 'carry' up to three weapons at any one time (though a fourth can technically be used with the dual pistols) along with up to ten health packs, frag grenades, proximity grenades, and remote bombs. Again, a great way to experience the delights of the advanced physics system built into F.E.A.R., grenades have a devastating effect on the environment with objects (and enemies) blown out of the blast radius. A torch is also a permanent item in the player's inventory though it's worth nothing that enemy AI will detect a flashlight and become alert to it - often bringing reinforcements.

Munitions such as the nail gun aside, there are other gameplay features in F.E.A.R. that will swing an advantage towards players. Firstly the operative is recognised as having quick reflexes, which are represented in the gameplay with temporary slow-motion enabling players to win a second or two, enough time to hopefully eradicate the local threat. Using the slow-mo also brings out further visual details such as bullet trails a la The Matrix, and also allows gamers to take in some of the exquisite effects such as the shockwaves from exploding grenades, sparks, explosions, and some of the best fire effects seen in a videogame. Along with permanent health boosters, the length of time the feature lasts can also be extended by reflex boosters, both of which can be found dotted in various areas of the locations. Ballistic based attacks aren't the only means of taking down an enemy with gamers able to launch a barrage of melee attacks from punches through to the more impressive bicycle kicks that have the ability to kill a recipient instantly. Whilst they work very well by themselves, the melee attacks work even better when used in conjunction with slow-lo, enabling players to take down several enemies with a mix of bullets and kicks synced in harmony.

Although melodic sequences are rare in F.E.A.R. there is certainly a soundtrack in the game, albeit one composed of ambience notes and enhanced environmental sound effects. Coupled with the periods of silence such a soundtrack really builds the tension in the game. Largely impressive and effective throughout the game, one rare melody that didn't seem to fit into the rest of the soundtrack occurred when the player's F.E.A.R. operative discovers an IT expert in the Armachan offices. This 'Denis Nedry' character called Napes shares more than a few attributes with the rogue Jurassic Park programmer. Rather bizarrely the music of the sequence changes to become almost playful in nature, even more so when Napes patronisingly questions whether the player has found the security override yet.

Also on audible top form in F.E.A.R. is the extensive yet unobtrusive voice acting, which sells a high level of believability in the situation the player is in. There's never a time where a line feels overacted, and Monolith's confidence in their actors (not to mention the Hollywood production values) can be confirmed by the opening title sequel to F.E.A.R. which features a movie style list of the actors.

Besides the single-player mode, which is enough of a challenge that VU Games representatives recommended that videogame journalists play on the easiest difficulty, F.E.A.R. also has a multiplayer mode that may prove popular amongst the core base of LAN gamers thanks to the unique features of the game. Several gametypes are available to play, including the standard Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and Capture the Flag; Elimination/Team Elimination are also open for the player to use but F.E.A.R. also includes a few other modes that take advantage of the slow-mo feature from the SP game: Team SlowMo Deathmatch and SlowMo CTF. The rules are the same as their standard counterparts with one main difference, in these versions a single reflex booster is in the map. Once picked up and fully charged, players are able to use the slow-mo elements to full effect to devastate their opponents. Potentially F.E.A.R. will be a breath of fresh air into the stagnant sector of FPS multiplayers, however the granite like foundations of Counter-Strike still appears to rule the roost.