F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon

(untitled review)

Just when you thought it was safe to sleep in the dark…it isn’t. FEAR may not be the most original shooter to date but mix it with horror elements and the FPS viewpoint and bullet-time it certainly has found a small niche in this overdone genre.

You play as a FEAR operative who has very quick reaction times and you are sent out to a scary place where a guy has taken over an army of militant clones and you have to stop him. Sounds like your everyday mission. NO! It turns out that there is a very pissed off nine – ten year old girl hunting you as well.

This is one element of the story that I love. The ability to mix reality with Sc-Fi Horror and make it believable. Te atmosphere is quite literally pant wetting as you have no idea what awaits around the next corner. Dust and blood clouds your vision as a firefight starts up which builds up some tension and quite nice realism.

As you make your way around this facility you will find phones and laptops that supply info on the game universe and what’s going on and what happened in the past. Not necessary but gives useful background info for those wanting to know more. Also you will come across focus and health boosters to max out your character. 100 health just isn’t enough anymore it seems.

So apart from killing men, bigger men and huge robot men you also have “visions”. There isn’t another word really. However you’ll be walking to a door then all changed blood everywhere, you start freaking out and just at the crucial bit everything goes back to normal. And you dread the time away waiting for it to repeat itself.

While the story is nothing spectacular it is curiosity that keeps you going….that and killing more clones and wanting to find the sole maniac responsible. Near the end there are a few twists that will make you cringe. They are actually quite good considering the plot line itself.

There are certainly a few levels worth repeating but there is no need to replay again. There is a basic online mode but it’s nothing special.

It’s made by the Condemned team if you want that mixed with more guns and blood filled violence then go for it.