F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Preview

Background Info

Obviously you can tell from the name, this is the sequel to F.E.A.R.  Just like the original, F.E.A.R. 2 is a horror based FPS. The developers at Monolith Productions were even nice enough to continue the story from almost exactly the same place it ended. However, there are new enemies and plenty of new encounters. As you would expect, the engine has also been updated giving the game much improved graphics.

First Impression

My first impression was one of shock. I had played F.E.A.R. but not much. Thankfully I did my research online so I knew what was coming. The graphics were much better than the original, though it still ran great on my computer even at the highest settings. I did quickly notice that the AI seems to be very predictable. Even on the highest difficulty I had very few problems surviving.

Gameplay

As I said, the AI seemed to be predictable but that is not always a major problem. I was however, very impressed by the Slow-Mo feature. With the push of a button (Ctrl by default) slow-mo was enabled. This came in particularly handy when there was a multitude of enemies approaching and I needed some time to aim at them individually. Weapons were very intuitive, each different gun I used was easy to figure out. Combat shotgun was great for close range, the sniper rifle was (obviously) good for sniping. A few shots on a gun and you could tell if it was going to be close range or long range. Most importantly, the game is fun. The storyline is somewhat dictated, but there are still plenty of free roam areas to get into.

Overall Impression

Overall I am very impressed with what I have seen. Without having played F.E.A.R. much I surely didn't understand everything that was happening, but it still caught and held my attention. With plenty of weapons, suspense, and excitement this game will not get boring quickly. If singleplayer campaign is not enough, there is also an online multiplayer mode too! I thoroughly enjoyed this test and I am very excited for the release of this game. (Feb. 10th)