F.E.A.R.

Written by Nick Doukas  on June 30, 2006

First Impressions: Paxton Fettel comes to the 360...

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F.E.A.R, the incredible PC shooter brought to you by the folks who developed Condemned: Criminal Origins (Monolith - though Day One Studios is handling the translation from desktop to console) is on its way to the 360, and I must admit I couldn't be happier. One of the most atmospheric shooters ever, F.E.A.R combines stylish combat with incredible set piece battles, all wrapped up in a paranormal mystery that drips with frightening authenticity. As the newest member of the First Encounter Assault Recon team, it's up to you to take on an army of clone soldiers led by an insane military commander named Paxton Fettel. Oh, and while you're at it, you'll also have face off against Alma Ц a creepy little specter of a girl whose bad habit of turning people inside out with her mind has everyone just slightly on edge.

The team, along with members of Delta Force, is tasked with taking out Fettel and his telepathically linked legions as they blow through a major American city like an ill wind, apparently searching for something, though as the game opens you have no idea exactly what it is they're after. Presented in an excellent cinematic style, F.E.A.R takes combat to new levels through extraordinarily smart enemy AI, slow motion gunfights akin to the lobby scene from The Matrix (you know, bullet tracers whizzing through the air, plaster dust and chunks of concrete flying everywhere) and incredibly cool weapons. In addition, the scares are through the roof as your character is prone to visions Ц not to mention the main attraction, little Alma, whose numerous appearances throughout the adventure induces pants wetting terror in her enemies.

Because of this attention to a movie like experience, every gun battle is a tour de force of insane destruction, and your foes will react like never before. Simply put, these guys are the most intelligent and aggressive AI enemies you've ever faced, bar none. Not only will they try to outflank you, but they'll flip over tables for cover, blind fire at you from around corners, communicate and coordinate with each other to pin you down, and generally do everything in their power to make sure you have a very bad day each time you encounter them. F.E.A.R features a slow-motion bullet time that's simply breathtaking, as you'll see projectiles flying past your head with incredible clarity, enemy soldiers blown apart in great clouds of blood or pinned to the walls with nail guns, and every other manner of gruesome dismemberment. You'll have a large assortment of weapons with which to wreak havoc, including dual pistols, assault rifles, sub-machine guns, a nasty combat shotgun and a particle beam weapon that fries your enemies on contact. All the weapon models look amazing, and the act of firing a gun in F.E.A.R is viscerally satisfying as every one of them feels perfectly balanced and intensely vicious. In other words, all the weapons will tear up bad guys and the environment with incredible Ц if somewhat over the top - stylistic realism. You'll also have instant access to grenades, which definitely opens up your tactical possibilities nicely.

The story is deep, and unfolds through various encounters with Alma, as well as simple voice mails and answering machine messages you'll stumble across during the unnerving stretches of silent exploration. Finding empty offices with blood covered walls and encountering frantic, fear tinged voice recordings left behind by unfortunate victims will really set the mood for a frightening experience as you complete your missions and move ever closer to discovering the true evil behind the army of clones. You'll also hear radio broadcasts that fill in some of the blanks. The 360 version comes complete with a bonus mission that helps to flesh out some of the more obscure story threads left unanswered in its PC counterpart, and you'll definitely want to keep playing to see the twisted resolution of the haunting narrative. Shocking appearances by Alma when you least expect it, rivers of blood that suddenly begin to flow along the walls and ceilings, not to mention numerous other visions and frightening hallucinations really set the mood well, and make F.E.A.R one of the most terrifying gaming experiences you'll ever have.

Graphically, F.E.A.R for the 360 looks amazing, with high quality textures throughout the environments, fantastic animations and realistic looking character models, and the best particle effects I've seen yet. The game features wonderful physics and your enemies will ragdoll all over the place when you blast the hell out of them, and nice touches like the shockwave from grenades that can be seen in slo-mo make the combat stand head and shoulders above other games in the genre.

The audio in F.E.A.R is just as sweet, with all manner of creepy noises and scuttling footsteps surrounding you while moving through the office complex. Combat sounds are off the hook as well, with shattering glass, booming explosions and the clatter of shell casings hitting the floor adding loads of tension to the firefights. The voice acting is top notch, and you'll hear the clone soldiers discussing the situation, and radio broadcasts which adds to the realism and cements the idea that events in the city are reaching an out of control, fever pitch.

The 360 version of the game features a robust multiplayer component (supporting up to 16 players) that will have shooter fans logging onto Live every night to get their fix, and also brings an УInstant ActionФ mode to the table. Basically, you can just drop yourself into massive firefights for a quick and satisfying experience without booting up the campaign mode if you wish. The multiplayer, in addition to the deep and involving single player story, looks to make F.E.A.R one of the best values for your gaming dollar when it hits Microsoft's baby in the near future.