*REVIEW* - F.E.A.R. 2 [360]

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Cal
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Post*REVIEW* - F.E.A.R. 2 [360]
by Cal » Fri Jul 31, 2009 9:40 am

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FEAR2 (360)
SP Campaign Played on ‘Easy

Well, that’s it: I just finished FEAR2 (360) – no cheats, ‘n’all. It’s quite an ‘Achievement’ for me since I don’t generally get to finish many videogames these days. I have to hand it to Monolith – they made a game I could play right through to the end without ever once feeling I was being unfairly punished or made to look a fool by having to continually replay any section. I made steady, satisfying progress through the entire game - and that’s good game design in my book. I might have only played on ‘Easy’ but isn’t that the point? ‘Easy’ should always be do-able the first time, by anyone. And so it proved.

FEAR2 doesn’t re-write the tropes of old skool FPs gaming in any way whatsoever: it is merely content to revel in it’s own deliciously satisfying combat dynamic and gloriously pyrotechnic visual FX. I have no complaint with this; it is far better that developers polish and improve an existing, well-made game mechanic than continually struggle to keep reinventing the wheel in an increasingly desperate attempt to develop something called ‘innovation’ (a concept which, for seasoned gamers, rarely amounts to little more than some new spanner thrown into the works). FEAR2 is a solid and reliable corridor shooter, just the way many of us old skool FPS fans like. The entire game is strictly linear, much proscribed and clearly heavily scripted. Again – no bad thing. I like my FPS’s linear; it shows the developers have thought about game progression, mood, design and player immersion, always able to deliver new surprises and to monitor the rhythms of the game by triggering combat moments between more explorative, quiet sections. All the old favourites are here: pick-ups, weapons, health packs and armour – all liberally scattered about the game levels at handy, regular intervals (certainly this was the case playing on ‘Easy’).

Visually the ageing Lithtech game engine certainly impresses – especially on my VGA monitor. The levels are wonderfully intricate and architectural. The engine is clearly more at home with its indoor locations, although outdoor levels do not significantly pale in comparison. Great use of light and particle FX, coupled with a very strong use of audio really lift these mesh-heavy game maps into the realms of a polished product. Around halfway through the game we start to move into some cathedral-like underground facilities; the visual design is very accomplished and the engine has no trouble at all accommodating a consistent frame rate with so much detail on show (even if the occasional texture appears to be inexplicably low-res).

But there are curiosities here. What happened to FEAR 1’s real-time dynamic shadows? Hmmm. Some items will have a shadow, many will not. Some will have a baked-in shadow; again, some not. Was this a technical issue? If so, what was the issue? FEAR1 could manage its real-time shadows on 360, so how come the sequel, on an 'improved game engine, somehow drops the ball here? It’s odd – and not a little disappointing and for a pernickety player like me it was a continual niggle the entire time I played the game. Small visual mis-cues – yes: they chafe.

In the end, though, these are but mere trifles; FEAR2 delivers what it sets out to achieve, even if the ending is almost completely underwhelming and so brief as to run the risk of being misinterpreted as some kind of cryptic rebuke from the developers themselves. The story, such as it is, seems opaque and largely inconsequential set next to the far more enjoyable business of shooting the game's many (if not varied) enemies. I found Alma’s unhelpful interventions almost completely irritating throughout: being continually attacked by a naked, zombie-like child or woman for no particular reason seems at best tiresome, at worst baffling. I suffered through these mercifully short interludes, but could find no adequate explanation for their inclusion in an otherwise thoroughly enjoyable FPS.

And as for ‘fear’? No. Not really. I’d go as far to admit I felt some occasional unease, perhaps even a slight fright now and again, but for me the game never managed to instil anything close to a real sense of dread. FEAR2 is simply too silly to manage that trick, its combat far too much fun. Ultimately the ‘fear’ part of what is supposed to make the FEAR franchise tick seems utterly superfluous to the great FPS game it actually is. Having played the entire game I still have no idea what the story allegedly behind it all was actually about, nor do I particularly care. That’s a fail for Monolith, as well as a win. They might want to look at that in future.

8/10

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Hero of Canton
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PostRe: *REVIEW* - F.E.A.R. 2 [360]
by Hero of Canton » Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:03 am

Nice work, Cal. I must get around to this at some point. I have a promo copy, but I've not had time to touch it yet.

DML wrote:F'NARR!
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Atreyu
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PostRe: *REVIEW* - F.E.A.R. 2 [360]
by Atreyu » Thu Aug 06, 2009 3:55 pm

The high score at the end of the review comes as a bit of a surprise. The most positive element of the game for you is that it plays like an old 'skool' linear FPS, but you find flaws in "inexplicably low-res" textures on an "ageing" game engine, inconsistent shadow rendering, an "almost completely underwhelming" ending to an "opaque" plot that features a persistent but "at best tiresome" character. After so many negative turns of phrase in so many paragraphs the 8/10 seems incongruous.

Stylistically, not quite as free-flowing as your usual prose - you know, how you sound when you're getting stuck into one of your causes. Perhaps an over-use of sentences divided by colons or semi-colons? And is it even possible to 're-write a trope'?

"I'd call him a sadistic, hippophilic necrophile, but that would be beating a dead horse." Allen
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Razilez
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PostRe: *REVIEW* - F.E.A.R. 2 [360]
by Razilez » Tue Aug 11, 2009 12:13 pm

Excellent review Cal, and am glad to see you enjoyed it.

This is still my GOTY. I absolutely adored the singleplayer, and still play the multiplayer regularly (team deathmatch usually). It's a very fine package and stands heads and shoulders above every other FPS released so far this year (though I did love Killzone 2 for what it's worth).

The combat itself is what makes it so amazing, as well as the AI. Graphically I think it looks pretty fantastic, with many effects being thrown around at once. Can't say enough good things about this game really. Easily a 9/10 for me (a bit higher actually :shifty:).

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Cal
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PostRe: *REVIEW* - F.E.A.R. 2 [360]
by Cal » Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:40 pm

Razilez wrote:Excellent review Cal, and am glad to see you enjoyed it.


Thanks for the comments. I really did enjoy FEAR2 and although it had a few minor issues for me, it was every bit a delightful romp through familiar FPS territory - a sadly dying breed of honest, up-front FPS action with a linear, easy-to-follow path through every explosive map. Great fun.

Atreyu: I appreciate your comments, too. I did work hard on my review, revising it several times, but it's only when one sets out to write a 'serious' review one realises just how difficult the task can often be. I did highlight what I considered some minor shortcomings in the game, but overall, I take a very positive view of the experience FEAR 2 represents - especially for FPS fans. Still, I'd be the first to admit my flowery prose can often get the better of me, and I'm definitely not my own best editor.

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Photek
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PostRe: *REVIEW* - F.E.A.R. 2 [360]
by Photek » Fri Aug 28, 2009 10:33 am

Good stuff, definatley gonna pick it up as its dirt cheap now and the new DLC demo is up on live so has reminded me of this game.

It scares the bejesus out of me tho. :shifty:

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ignition
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PostRe: *REVIEW* - F.E.A.R. 2 [360]
by ignition » Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:52 pm

I picked this game up the other day for £15 and am very much looking forward to playing it (once I've got an HDMI cable!)

Although I too must admit that the demo made me poo myself a tad... There's just something so creepy about little girls - especially little dead ghost girls! :shock:

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