Well. It's finally come to this. A movie reviewer has finally gone to the Dark Side, and decided to review a game.... dear God.... No, that's a lie. I've actually been intending to review video games, novels, and comics in addition to movies for a little while now, so here's my first actual review that focuses on just that! So here we go, let's review F.E.A.R., the 2005 game for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360!... this is where a themesong would probably be if this were a video series. Hmm... this is awkward... uh... LOOK OVER THERE, A PREMISE!
-Synopsis-
This game was developed by Monolith Productions in 2005, and was released on the three aforementioned systems above. It received extremely good ratings from the likes of IGN, received two awards on the Best Enemy AI, and gained John "Halloween" Carpenter as its spokesperson after the studio showed it to him. That, sir, is bad-ass!
Yes, that one!
So what is the premise? You are the Point Man, an operative of the F.E.A.R. faction. The F.E.A.R. team is a branch of the government that investigates paranormal activity, and is kept secret from everybody else. Like Team Jericho, but cooler. Anyway, shit hits the fan when a whacked-out operative named Paxton Ferrel takes control of a telepathic clone army (don't you dare think of The Clone Wars), and takes control of the Armacham Technology Corporation. It is your job to neutralize him before he is able to pull off any horrible deeds, and you are completely alone as you not only battle legions of these supersoldiers, but also encounter a creepy and incredibly powerful entity named Alma. How does Alma fit into the story? She sends the Point Man into what can only be described as Mindfuck City, easily making these portions some of the freakiest in the game.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO, NOT THAT MINDFUCK CITY.
Now that we've gone over the basic premise, let's see what makes this game so universally-acclaimed back in the day, shall we? I'm going to try and make this formatted with the other game reviews on this site, but I'm also going to try and incorporate my own style so bear with me on this one!
- The Good -
One of the first things I noticed about the game that made me particularly happy was the general aesthetic and atmosphere. While you're on your way from point A to point B, you come across some dark, foreboding set pieces that, while a bit simplistic, still inspire some fear. It's mostly the huge amount of shadows that seem to saturate the game, creating a darkness that sticks with you throughout the game. When the mindfucks start to happen, or you see a ghostly apparition appear out of nowhere, you know you're going to be in for a daunting treat! The darkness scared the crap out of me, particularly because I just have a fear of complete darkness. Which is why I have such a hard time keeping my head on when I play most modern horror games. YAY.
Speaking of keeping your head on straight, that can be a little hard with millions of bullets whizzing and banging each and every way. Yes, I'm talking about the gunfights that happen throughout a majority of the game. When you're not quietly lurking in the darkness, you're killing loads of Clones before they kill you. The action is friggin' intense from start to finish, and you're kept on edge throughout! The AI is actually extremely intelligent thanks to the programing, and their strategy adapts to whatever situation they can manage to kill you. They duck behind walls and pop out only when you approach, and you can die in an instant if you're not extremely careful about how to handle them. This game doesn't encourage Rambo/Halo 3 tactics of charging like an invincible mantank, and you can't absorb damage like Master Chief either. If you get shot too many times, you WILL die.
Like this dude you are NOT.
A favorite mechanic of mine, which is probably a little overused in games but I wouldn't know because I am new to the gaming world, is the slow-motion mechanic. With the press of a button, you can slow down time! Use this skill wisely, because it's not a "Get Out Of Dying Free" card. If you need time to look around for an enemy, use it! If you need time to run across a room without assholes turning you into Swiss cheese, use it! If you want to jump out and go Rambo on seven dudes at once,... it's not encouraged. In fact, you will die instantly if you tried that tactic with or without the slow motion, so don't do that! Strategy is good, and picking off enemies like Classic Michael Meyers, or any other slasher villains, is heavily recommended!
SLOWMOOOOOOOOOOOO
The horror in this game is also freaky as hell. When it first came about, I had no idea what to expect. You experience massive hallucinations, the setting changing in an instant into a horrific atmosphere, heavily emphasizing Japanese horror. Particularly when the antagonist, Alma, appears, who happens to be a ghostly child who makes it her mission to make your life a living hell. When I bought the game, the clerk told me about one of the hallucination sequences... which I am not going to spoil, because you need to experience it for yourself. The explanation didn't sound nearly as scary as when it actually happened, and I screamed like a little girl. There are also small blips of paranormal mindfuckery when your on-screen display starts to flicker, a ghostly figure walking past you, furniture moving by itself, lights flashing and breaking, or pipes bursting to make flame block your path.
This is what happens when you fuck with Alma.
The music was extremely creepy when the occasion called, but it also brought about some epic battle music when some intense gunfights came around the corner. The voice acting was also superb, and the sound effects complimented the visual atmosphere very well! Screeching, ghostly giggling, whiz-bang action, and some terrifying sounds when the mindfuck moments come along, this was one of the highlights for me!
Immersion is also incredibly important in a game, and it really immersed you into its creepy story and atmosphere. No large, unskippable cutscenes, which is a huge plus for me!
Now, let's groove on down into the bad.
- The Bad -
The graphics were the first thing I noticed about this game: since it is an older game in the 360 library, they aren't as good as today's standards. Granted, when the game came out it looked amazing, but they aged a little when all of the great atmospheric shadows are taken away. There were also a few twitchy glitches in the game that, while not hindering or destabilizing the enjoyability of the game, are sometimes a bit strange. Take for instance when you shoot an enemy soldier. If he falls down a great distance, his weapon or his corpse may get stuck in a wall, and there will be a rattling noise caused from the body getting stuck in an inappropriate place. This is just a nitpick more than anything, so that's not anything too bad to whine about.
Attachment:
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This is what happens when you nitpick.
Another thing that I'm probably nitpicking about is the flickering of the on-screen display when weird shit's about to go down. When this happens, you know that something supernatural's going to go down, and a predictability starts to produce itself when this happens after a while. However, this is just a nitpick.
My main complaint is the controls.
The controls are sometimes a little twitchy and unforgiving, although I can see why since this was a PC port. In a gunfight, I sometimes find that my efforts to point a gun at some Clone troopers results in completely missing the mark, aiming above their heads and getting a stomach full of bullets as a result. This particularly happened with the slow-motion mechanic, and it was annoying when things got frantic. I found this happen to me several times, especially when I was fighting the mechas that would come later on in the game. These suckers had rocket launchers or powerful beams, and I tried to turn on the slow-motion so I could aim at them. Many times, the aim was above their heads or to the side because my frantic motions translated into moving too far. You need keep cool and try to be as fluid with your motions as possible, or you're going to die. You are going to die quickly if you are frantic and in a guns-ablazing-Halo-mindset.
- The Verdict -
This is an excellent game overall, one of the grooviest games I have played yet. I'm just getting into the FPS mindset, and this was a great introduction. This game evokes thinking, this game scares the shit out of you, and this game needs strategy to beat. I got this for $13, and it was worth every penny! Seriously, you can find this game cheap, and you can have the time of your life! It's a worthy investment!
Graphics: 6/8
Not great compared to the standards of today, but they were phenomenal for their time. The atmosphere is spooky, and it has some great moments!
Sound: 10
The music was extremely creepy when the occasion called, but it also brought about some epic battle music when some intense gunfights came around the corner. The voice acting was also superb, and the sound effects complimented the visual atmosphere very well!
Gameplay: 7.5
The mechanics could get a little used to when things get hairy, but otherwise I can't complain. Smooth, easy-to-learn controls.
Story: 8
Up until the twists at the end, which totally come out of left field, it was... average. Track down cannibal asshole, escort a lady to safety, and escape secret exploding base. It immerses you, though, and that's really important to note.
Replay Value: 7
The menu lets you select your favorite missions to choose from, and I'd say that you can play through any of your favorite campaigns for the crazy gunfights!
Overall: 8
Go. Get the game. You know you want toooooo. Do it! DO IT NOW!
Rocksmith Review
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