Retro Review : F.E.A.R

F.E.A.R arrived on Tuesday this week completely out of the blue. Not expected till Thursday at the least, the game has changed my life. Not in the sense that I?ll never be the same again, but in a way that means I’m more open to a different type of game. For me, the nearest I?d gotten to any type of horror experience on console was the outstanding, yet completely devoid of all scary moments Resident Evil 4 on the trusty GameCube.

F.E.A.R changed this and for good reason. Before I go into the actual gameplay, graphics or level design, I really have to say this so you understand. From the emotion evoking intro-sequence with its soaring soundtrack laden atmosphere, to the gloriously executed in-game audio inserts, the game never fails to send a chill up my gameplay induced, contorted spine. Not since the night I watched The Exorcist had I felt a connection like this. That night, I?d watched the cult horror alone, with no problems, until I ran up the stairs, turning every light on as I went. The film leaves an underlying air of suspense with you, just as F.E.A.R does. Watching Alma, a little girl and an ever-present mind-fuck of a character giggle as the heads up display fractures as she walks beautifully rendered across the screen for a matter of moments. These times are the one?s when the proverbial brick is very much shat.

But Lo! I?m a 27 year old man, slightly overweight, but very manly in every sense. I even have a rather good amount of chest hair. Why is a videogame scaring me? The answer is in the within the code itself. Whoever came up with the idea for a horror first person shooter needs shooting, because everything before this has been lame, uninteresting and something I?d rather use as a drinks coaster. Monolith?s prowess in engaging the player inside a tense and lucid world is evident across the entire game, so much so that I find myself letting slip the occasional “fuck me”, or worse still; bugger!

What do you mean you’re scared?

Anyway, my complete lack of balls aside, the game itself is based around you, a member of a super secret (you can say this in a corny US accent if you so wish) combat response unit named First Contact Assault Recon or F.E.A.R. Now, although the name sounds cool as just fear, maybe they could’ve thought of a name that doesn’t contradict itself. Look again and you?ll see what I’m saying ? bad Monolith. So, as the game opens, you start to realise that some funky events are starting to unfold, and as you progress through the game, flashbacks, or lucid dreams occur, where you?ll see souls wondering through tunnels or Alma herself, scaring the living shit out of you. Strangely, after having the aforementioned shit scared out of me, I still had a giggle. The type of giggle where you don?t sound manly, but you realise you?re not as ?hard? as you thought. The kind of laugh you?ll never let out in the presence of a lady.

The control mechanics are based on the now standard configuration of left and right analogue to move and rotate the camera, with reload assigned to the X button and action controls applied when holding the X button also. It feels much better for quick control situation than in most FPS of our time, and certainly a welcome change. A weighty but responsible camera improves as you progress, with health and reflex boosters dotted around the various environments. You’ll need these, because as the action gets hot, you’ll have to think about how you?re tackling enemies and plan on the fly how to overcome ambushes. The ability to take cover and use the environment will also keep you on your toes, and just as you think you’ve got your shit together, Alma comes and?well, you get the idea by now.

Each weapon you come across will serve a purpose in differing situations, so choosing the right one per encounter can often lead to getting your ass handed to you with a sign saying “do come again”. Not something you’ll want to write home about, but the game’s well balanced learning curve will guide you along at your own pace. Experienced players will be more able to pick up and play, whilst novices might take a few minutes to get acquainted. So, there are the basics of the game, but how does it differ from PC?

Deja Vu?

Well, there?s a new instant action mode for the Xbox 360, featuring four maps with four difficulty settings. I’ll stick a paw out in the wind and say it might be a tad too difficult for novices, even on low difficulty settings to jump straight in, so a good stab at the campaign wouldn’t go amiss before attempting the beautifully designed Roopftop map.

A best-seller on PC last year, the game has had a slight overhaul in the graphics department, with some extra shiny concrete walls (they’re not like this in real life) and some really detailed lighting and particle effects. Cold corridors and sparse alleyways await you around every corner, designed specifically to give the feeling of claustrophobia. Even the animations of Alma are frighteningly realistic, which is possibly half the reason I mentioned the above colourful words. The graphics are a means to an end of the game, as the suspense is the driver, but it’s driving a sleek black, shiny bump mapped Subaru. F.E.A.R is definitely one to show off your HDTV with.

A trip down memory lane?

Having never played the PC version, I was looking forward to getting this into the drive and the story was enough to justify my expectations. Maybe it’s because F.E.A.R is one of the only games lately that I haven?t had hands-on with before release. It certainly makes a refreshing change to be presented with something so new that you can?t fail to be swamped inside the reverse reverb effects of Alma’s voice, or the incredibly well designed levels. The atmosphere, or indeed the sheer emotion the incidental music and inserts evoke. Each small detail has been painstakingly worked on and crafted in a way that gives the game an air of simple and shining beauty. This Christmas sees the release of many a game, and with all things considered, F.E.A.E is a diamond in the ever increasing rough. If you don’t have Dolby 5.1, this game is a reason to invest, and if you learn one thing from this review, it’s that games can affect you. You won’t go down a street and start slashing people with knives, but you’ll certainly turn all the lights on as you go upstairs. If that makes me less of a man, then hey, Who cares if I’m a big girl’s blouse?

9/10