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It is sometimes said that the first-person shooter (FPS) is the fastest moving of all gaming genres.
Often used to showcase the latest in graphics, physics and artificial intelligence, occasionally a FPS game can actually look dated before it even comes out, such is the speed of evolution.
So it is slightly surprising that FEAR 2 (technically it’s F.E.A.R. 2, but let’s overlook that; it was a bad idea first time round, and isn’t any easier to type now) arrives without a huge amount of expansion over its three-year old predecessor, yet remains as enjoyable a shooter as you’re likely to play all year.
Beginning just before the end of FEAR, the sequel places you in the role of Michael Becket, a special ops soldier following-up the events which occurred in the previous game.
Essentially this is the premise for an awful lot of shooting action, with FEAR’s Alma reprising her role as the disturbed/disturbing young girl with serious anger management issues - possibly caused by not being cast in the various Ring films, which she’s clearly based her act upon.
Plot-wise it’s all fairly formulaic, but what’s really great about FEAR 2 is the way it gets the basics right.
At a fundamental level, the game comes down to two things: thrilling gun battles, and tense, heart-thumping scary sections. Both are done exceptionally well, creating a game experience which is consistently entertaining while offering a welcome change of pace which stops either mechanic from outstaying its welcome.
It’s the horror sections which present the greatest improvement over FEAR, because while the first game was somewhat clumsy in its handling of ‘jump’ moments, the sequel reveals a developer far more adept in the art of building and maintaining tension.
But of course it is the combat that steals the show, thanks to a series of glorious, thrilling gun battles against impressively intelligent enemies who will do their best to outflank you, or flush you out of hiding places with well-aimed grenades.
Still, for all their intelligence, FEAR 2’s enemies don’t posses the ability to slow down time, and it’s this that gives you the crucial advantage in battle, shifting the feel of combat from defence and attack to empowerment and sheer, brutal carnage.
Armed with the slow-mo ability and a deliciously beefy selection of weapons, FEAR 2’s gunfights descend into a glorious slow-quick ballet, as you dance between cover points, dispatching enemies in showers of blood and combustible scenery, and flitting away to safety before they even knew what hit them.
Of course there’s nothing here that’s particularly new or innovative, but the entire game is put together so well as to be effortlessly enjoyable throughout. Niggles aside (quite why we have button bashing boss fights in 2009 is a mystery), FEAR 2 is a fantastically entertaining adventure: a worthy follow-up to the original, and a high benchmark for 2009’s other shooters to aim for.
Often used to showcase the latest in graphics, physics and artificial intelligence, occasionally a FPS game can actually look dated before it even comes out, such is the speed of evolution.
So it is slightly surprising that FEAR 2 (technically it’s F.E.A.R. 2, but let’s overlook that; it was a bad idea first time round, and isn’t any easier to type now) arrives without a huge amount of expansion over its three-year old predecessor, yet remains as enjoyable a shooter as you’re likely to play all year.
Beginning just before the end of FEAR, the sequel places you in the role of Michael Becket, a special ops soldier following-up the events which occurred in the previous game.
Essentially this is the premise for an awful lot of shooting action, with FEAR’s Alma reprising her role as the disturbed/disturbing young girl with serious anger management issues - possibly caused by not being cast in the various Ring films, which she’s clearly based her act upon.
Plot-wise it’s all fairly formulaic, but what’s really great about FEAR 2 is the way it gets the basics right.
At a fundamental level, the game comes down to two things: thrilling gun battles, and tense, heart-thumping scary sections. Both are done exceptionally well, creating a game experience which is consistently entertaining while offering a welcome change of pace which stops either mechanic from outstaying its welcome.
It’s the horror sections which present the greatest improvement over FEAR, because while the first game was somewhat clumsy in its handling of ‘jump’ moments, the sequel reveals a developer far more adept in the art of building and maintaining tension.
But of course it is the combat that steals the show, thanks to a series of glorious, thrilling gun battles against impressively intelligent enemies who will do their best to outflank you, or flush you out of hiding places with well-aimed grenades.
Still, for all their intelligence, FEAR 2’s enemies don’t posses the ability to slow down time, and it’s this that gives you the crucial advantage in battle, shifting the feel of combat from defence and attack to empowerment and sheer, brutal carnage.
Armed with the slow-mo ability and a deliciously beefy selection of weapons, FEAR 2’s gunfights descend into a glorious slow-quick ballet, as you dance between cover points, dispatching enemies in showers of blood and combustible scenery, and flitting away to safety before they even knew what hit them.
Of course there’s nothing here that’s particularly new or innovative, but the entire game is put together so well as to be effortlessly enjoyable throughout. Niggles aside (quite why we have button bashing boss fights in 2009 is a mystery), FEAR 2 is a fantastically entertaining adventure: a worthy follow-up to the original, and a high benchmark for 2009’s other shooters to aim for.
Posted: 24/02/2009 20:52:47
Fear: Shooting Game Is Top Stuff
Fear: Shooting Game Is Top Stuff
Source: Sky
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