F.E.A.R. Review

The on-screen carnage is incredible

It's clear that Monolith focussed on the engine's ability to render particles flying through the air, and they have done an amazing job, but the overall visual package is rather a mixed bag. The most important thing is that the game runs really well on the Xbox 360, with a frame rate that is generally pretty smooth, and never bogs down enough to negatively affect gameplay - something that blighted the PC version on all but the most powerful hardware. The lighting is exquisite, made better on the 360 thanks to the introduction of HDR, and enemy models are great, but most of the environments are pretty boxy and don't exactly push the 360. Still, this fades into insignificance once you start firing a weapon.

Firing a gun at another carbon copy soldier never feels repetitive in F.E.A.R. and the difficulty can be set to match your skill level. Health packs (of which you can store ten) and Armour are scattered quite freely around the environment, and they are usually in plentiful supply in the sections leading up to big confrontations, so you won't enter a fight thinking you've got no chance of a good outcome. It can get tricky, but it's always fair. There is no 'quick save' option in the 360 game, but the health packs usually mean you can take quite a battering before dying.

Given the game's heavy emphasis on guns, the selection could be better and the three gun limit is a little annoying. It's not realistic to carry seven weapons at once, but it's not that plausible to be able to slow down time either, and having to continuously drop weapons to change to something else becomes pretty tiresome. It didn't happen often, but I was left ammo-less for short periods, which ruined those short sections of the game; I had to run from enemies, rather than take them on, which isn't what the game is about. In the end it balances out well, but some of the better weapons (a rail-gun alike weapon in particular) are left rather underused as it's safer to enter a combat zone with fully loaded machine guns, than a couple of semi-depleted devastating weapons. The 360 game features a new single-handed machine gun, which you can also duel wield, and this is a nice addition to the arsenal.

Another complaint could be levelled at the range of enemies. For the most part you'll take on soldiers (occasionally accompanied by a 'Heavy') or generic armed forces. This is fine as they display some great AI, but some more variety wouldn't have gone amiss. A few bit-part enemies come into play now and again (with one in particular causing a reaction no other videogame has been able to. To say I was freaked out is an understatement), but the supernatural menace isn't actually a threat for most of the game, simply being used to scare you at various points.

An area where the game never stumbles is its audio. It's simply superb, with a creepy atmosphere, great soundtrack and awesome sound effects.

An area where the game never stumbles is its audio. It's simply superb, with a creepy atmosphere, great soundtrack and awesome sound effects. From the sounds of your weapons to the groans from enemies as they die (particularly while you're in slow motion), everything is top notch. The story is mainly told through short in-engine cutscenes, recorded messages left on phones around the office area and abandoned laptops containing info on what's gone on, and while the voice work can't be faulted, the story is rather underdeveloped and certainly could have been fleshed out a little more.

Multiplayer is also supported for sixteen players, with ten maps on offer for standard team and solo game types (Deathmatch, Elimination and Slow-mo variants), and three maps designed for Capture the Flag. The use of slow-mo in multiplayer (by giving one person the ability to use it at a time) is a nice touch, and games are fast, frenetic affairs, which isn't something that many Xbox 360 shooters offer online at the moment. If you're bored of tactical shooters, F.E.A.R.'s online mode might be just what you need, with solid performance and plenty of maps.

It's a short game, but well worth playing through again.

New to the Xbox 360 version is the Instant Action arena mode, in which you attempt to achieve a high score to be placed on the global Xbox Live leaderboards. While this mode initially seems like a cheaply tacked on feature, with only four arenas based on single-player levels to fight in, it takes some real skill, and you'll be playing for a new high score well after you finish the single-player campaign, which is sadly quite short - a new 'level' that only takes about ten minutes to finish doesn't add much to the overall experience. Had the recently released PC expansion been included, the 360 version would have been a package well worth its next-gen price tag.

The action in F.E.A.R. is relentless from start to finish, and the AI of enemy soldiers is about the best you'll find in video games at the moment. Bar an ending that will leave you wanting a lot more, there's little not to enjoy. If you aren't a PC gamer or your current rig simply can't handle F.E.A.R.'s particle effects, the Xbox 360 version is an excellent port, and the new arena mode is well worth investing some time in.