Fear is one of the primal instincts, but beginning Fall 2005 it also stands for First Encounter Assault Recon (F.E.A.R.) which isn't too far from the first meaning either -- at least not for the player of this highly anticipated game. It may as well be the one game to beat in 2005's "Game of the Year" contests and as far as I can can tell, I am voting for it -- already on its official release. (I actually got the game the day before but was too busy exploring last night.)
FEAR in DETAIL
Installation: [OKAY] The five discs translate into 5 GByte of hard drive space that's required. During installation, the program insists on installing DirectX9.0c, which is potentially a hazard when trying to play this on "WindowsXP x64". Further, multiple CD drives are not automatically recognized and one has to manually enter the other drive if more than one drive is going to be used. There is a note included that requests that you check for updates online before actually playing. Indeed, on the release date there is already patch 1.01 available which addresses mostly multi-player issues.
Rating: ****-
Manual: [OKAY] Against the recent trend to not even include a printed manual anymore, FEAR does provides 32 pages of instructions regarding game modes, items and controls. It's printed in black and white, but quality looks more like a low-budget photocopier. This is mostly an issue with the very dark pictures. Nevertheless, instructions are short, to the point and useful.
Rating: ****-
Graphics: [AMAZING] The special effects rival DOOM III, but also bumps up hardware requirements even more. (Just in case you thought that wasn't possible.) Low frame rates aside, the bump mapped surfaces and environment effects as well as dynamic lighting are worth seeing. All that only holds true if your graphics card can handle it. A special treat are the bullet traces a la movie effects in The Matrix, but most likely only enjoyable to those with good enough hardware. Overall, F.E.A.R. looks a lot like a slightly upgraded Half-Life2 graphics engine, and that's a good thing.
Rating: *****
Story Line: [GOOD] The demo didn't do FEAR's plot enough justice as it only was a very short excerpt of the very first mission. The actual game gives a little more background and story line, but doesn't depart too far from the typical support scenes preparing you for the next section, as seen in DOOM III. However, due to the interaction with your "partners" it feels a lot like Half-Life2, which is a good thing. Anyway, the horror elements of being ported into surreal rooms with spooky scenes or having flash-backs upon arriving at a battle scene create an unparalleled tension as games rarely succeed to convey. There is basically 2 threads running though the game. One is to follow the development of events and while you're busy with that your true identity is becoming uncovered as well.
Rating: ****-
Violence: [GOOD] Prepare for lots of red stuff a la DOOM III. From "simple splatter" to full body disintegration, F.E.A.R. offers plenty "gore" and unless you're a mass murderer, you really should not crave more. Since we're only killing "bad guys" (which makes us by definition "good") it's spectacular to see (and hear) your enemies come apart. Hence, it should be okay in game land - note the M rating. If that's too much and you want it to feel more like Half-Life2, you can turn the gore off and it may be more suitable. (Parents: This is nothing your teenager needs to have!)
Rating: ****-
Controls: [EXCELLENT] Following the WASD scheme most controls follow natural assignments and even game pads are supported. Melee attack on RMB is a first (for me) especially since aiming is assigned to Shift. Typically that's the other way around, but can be modified to your liking anyway. Either way, melee on RMB turned out to be rather useful. Overall controls are good and can be slightly complicated -- if you want to jump and kick while you're running. (Feels a little bit like Mortal Kombat, but it's definately a cool addition to a straight shooter.) The user interface is basic and doesn't give much information. Doesn't sounds fun? Well it is, since now you're more immersed in the game listening to sounds and voice communication as well as checking for unusual movement.
Rating: *****
Physics: [OKAY] For those indulging in Half-Life2's puzzles and overall feel, and even Pariah's sneakiness of collapsible structures something may be missing here. However, if all you need is DOOM III type interaction, F.E.A.R. won't let you down either. Note that physics and AI can be very CPU intensive and an underpowered CPU may require adjustments in the "Options" panel.
Rating: ****-
Interaction: [GOOD] Mostly limited to "modifying" your environment, a rather cool effect stands out, where walls now actually show 3D marks where most other games just show a bitmap "bullet hole". Blowing things up is clearly fun (and takes the most computer you can throw at it), but unlike Half-Life2 there doesn't seem to be any interaction related to your progress (i.e. re-arranging stuff to reach higher) or Pariah where destroying structures can take out otherwise hard-to-reach enemies. Some objects feel too easy to push around and collision can be annoyingly accurate, especially when kicking stuff around (when you needed to be quiet).
Rating: ****-
Sound: [EXCELLENT] Gun sounds are potent and overall mood is well supported by the FX. Ending up in a dark room with noises moving around support the overall mood very well and quality of both gun sounds and effects is excellent.
Rating: *****
Animation: [VERY GOOD] Characters are well animated though sometimes a little bit stiff (nothing unusual for computer models). Motion is real enough to emerge into the game and eventually forget they're computerized. (This thought is supported by the excellent graphics and sound.) In fact, a few times their reactions seemed very natural. Overall though, F.E.A.R. doesn't seem to break any new ground here.
Rating: ****-
Weapons: [GOOD] Only 3 weapons can be carried at a time (not counting mines or grenades). This may sound limiting but is somewhat realistic. Starting with a pistol you get to find more stuff along the way ranging from standard assault rifles to supernatural types. Reload speed and accuracy feel very natural and leave very little to complain about.
Rating: *****
AI: [VERY GOOD] With Far Cry and Thief III introducing idle behavior, F.E.A.R. almost resembles some of it, but overall enemies aren't as chatty or independent as the other 2 examples. However, even in the 2nd out of 5 difficulty levels (Normal), enemies appear very aggressive and inventive as to how to surprise you. Try to sneak up behind an enemy, and you find out that your window of opportunity is relatively small. So you better hurry up. Hiding is a little bit harder than in stealth games, and enemies sometimes seem to spot you easily in a dark corner. Other times you can sneak up in bright light (for a very short time).
Rating: ****-
Progress: [VERY GOOD] Despite the upcoming wave of super consoles (PS3, XBox 360) and the expected shift to habits from those entertainment devices, F.E.A.R. doesn't fall into the trap to copy limitations seen in many console ports. Hold on, before you defend the checkpoint save as the Holy Grail, just don't use the quicksave (F5/F9) and you've got what you want since F.E.A.R. also provides automatic checkpoint save.
Rating: *****
HARDWARE OBSERVATIONS
F.E.A.R. doesn't only scare the gamer but also your hardware as dynamic lighting and excellent particle effect demand a high toll on your graphics card. Add physics and AI and your CPU is heavily loaded too. In my initial configuration (see below) the game was just barely playable and became extremely hesitant when engaging in action that includes lots of effects. With every setting up to near maximum -- without any AntiAliasing -- DOOM III performs better than F.E.A.R. with similar settings. (Quake 4 relies on the DOOM III engine and also performs faster than F.E.A.R..)
Resolution: 1600x1200
VSync: Off
AntiAliasing: Off
Anisotropic filtering: 4x
(All other settings to maximum)
Upgrading my system to a new processor changed things completely. Still using the same video card, OS and memory, the upgrade to AMD's Athlon 64 X2 4200+ brought significant improvements and gameplay greatly improved leaving only occasional points (i.e. entering new room) where the game became hesitant. This indicated that I may have been limited by computing power (i.e. game physics etc. and AI are 100% CPU based) rather than GPU bandwidth. Comparing the CPU activity revealed that the main improvement seems to come from off-loading system tasks to the second core since F.E.A.R. is only using one.
Performance feels about the same between the demo and the actual game. Unfortunately the demo doesn't sport the benchmark to validate settings (a handy tool), but it would give a good idea if your system is ready. I strongly suggest to download the demo first before putting down $55.
On the bright side, F.E.A.R. also sports a DX8 shader for older systems (recommended for anything below an x800 to be honest) - just in case your system cannot handle the DX9 effects.
SUMMARY
F.E.A.R. has kept all promises from the demo and press releases and while demanding extreme hardware (for DX9), it's also one of the best games in 2005 -- even without seeing the other yet to be released titles. So far F.E.A.R. seems to have a slight edge on the other due to innovation, but it will be close nevertheless. (Quake 4 looks stunning and feels a lot like DOOM III, but overall lacks the story. However, depending on your preferences this may be a good thing.)
Overall feel is not unlike Half-Life2 in graphics and story development. Cinematic elements are excellent and cut scenes support the story well, though at least initially it may feel as if you're watching more than you're playing. Weapons are powerful and well balanced. Enemies are "intelligent" and aggressive. The story takes so many twists that you're getting dizzy and interaction as well as overall gameplay feel very polished. However, at no point in time will you forget its foremost character is a straight laced shooter.
F.E.A.R. invokes horror on your hardware and you might consider upgrading to a new Athlon 64 X2 and SLI (or CrossFire) computer system in order to be able to experience F.E.A.R. in all its glory. (Note: The Athlon64 FX57 is still the fastest gaming CPU.) It's much more demanding than Half-Life2 and even a bit more than DOOM III or Quake 4. The latter are surprising as they sure set the bar very high already. Make sure to download the demo before putting down your $$$.
The suggested MSRP of $55.- is right along the line of top games and appears to be justified -- though high nevertheless. With Quake 4, Half-Life2 and Call of Duty 2 competing for your Dollars in October / November 2005 ... go ahead and start saving as all of them might turn out to be a must-have.
[Update] - I spent the last 4 days switching back and forth between F.E.A.R. and Quake 4 (which is not yet listed in Epinions). F.E.A.R. amazes with a smart and adaptive AI, vast outdoor environments, spooky scenes and excellent special effects, though not as fast-paced as Quake 4. That one, on the other hand, provides breathtaking action with a epic score and excellent (mostly indoor) environments that look very similar to DOOM 3. In fact, it feels like a heavily upgraded Doom 3 with vehicle scenes and squad action. Sure, enemies aren't as smart as F.E.A.R., but the overall package is a lot of fun nevertheless. I guess all thiss really means is that both F.E.A.R. and Quake 4 are "must-haves" in the arsenal of every shooter fan.
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