Metareview - F.E.A.R. (Xbox 360)
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Nov 2nd 2006 at 6:15PM }
It's hard to shake the sense that F.E.A.R. is 'so last-year.' With Gears of War and Call of Duty 3 both just days away, and Rainbow Six Vegas debuting later this month, we're not sure there's reason to invest in Monolith's shooter -- at least, not until it lands in the bargain bin. Bottom line: a mostly stable port of the solid PC original, with some decent extras, like Instant Action, tacked on (the achievements are a bitch though).Peep the word:
- IGN (91/100) - "F.E.A.R. for me was a totally new experience and, as console games go, an excellent one ... While F.E.A.R. has been low on the hype meter for a while ... I think hardcore gamers will discover its greatness real quick" [Another Take].
- Team Xbox (87/100) - "While F.E.A.R.'s core story is essentially run-of-the-mill in terms of video game plots, the game makes up for it by creating a world in which danger lurks around every corner. ... If you're looking for an intense shooter that will occasionally scare the living crap out of you, F.E.A.R. is exactly what the doctor ordered."
- Game Informer (Second Opinion) (80/100) - "Maybe it's because I've played this game before, but F.E.A.R. doesn't get my blood pumping like it once did ... Or maybe it's just because I've played more intense shooters since the original came out ... Those who have played through F.E.A.R. on the PC don't have much reason to pick up the console version..."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Agent MOO @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:22PM
I played through the first few levels on PC, but I think I'll rent it for the Achievements. It's a quality game, but nothing groundbreaking like some people hype it to be.
Tony @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:23PM
I just do not get the reviews for this game. I got it on PC, finished it and never thought about the single player again. The fire fights are awesome, but what else is there?
For a game that calls itself "fear", it sure as hell isn't very scary. I'm reading things that put this game at some level beyond any other horror-esque title preceeding it. The last similar FPS I played, Half-Life 2, is scarier than this game and that's not even its main goal. Take some The Ring cliches (creepy little girl and mother), plop them into a random genetic conpiracy story that seems to be in every other game nowadays and you have the basic idea. Some of the movements of these characters is right out of the "Horror Movie Guidebook" and, as such, lack any real impact. Half of this "story" is told through cheesy hallway sequences that appear ad nauseum, leading to a "climax" that is figured out by the player well beforehand.
The game is just insanely repetitive: a desolate office complex, desolate streets, a desolate apartment building... more offices. Nearly everything looks the same. If I wasn't spending so much time shooting at things it probably would have bothered me more, but as it is, it's an annoyance.
In addition to this, the levels are just the definition of linear. If you get to a blocked door, almost every single time the alternate exit is right in front of you or a few feet to the side. At times it seems incredibly arbitrary; for example: why is there a small, easy to access tunnel right next to a door that's locked that will take me to the same area? Wouldn't this make the door absolutely useless? Why would anyone bother locking it or holding me back? Swap "tunnel" with "ladder" or "vent" and you pretty much will know what to look for every single time.
Plus, I have to say the amount of time reviews claimed the single player lasted was well over twice as long as it took me. I was severely let down by this title.
I just don't get it. I suppose all I can say is "to each their own".
Zo K. @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:42PM
I haven't played it yet. Why don't game journalists ever keep that in mind? Take these products with an unbiased view?
"This game sucks because it came out last year."
Or...
"This game sucks because I've played a similar game a month ago."
Readers aren't near as spoiled as game journalists. We don't play near as many games. So an unbiased review, or one that has a damned change of perspective would be nice every now and then.
DannyOB@360insight @ Nov 4th 2006 7:47AM
If you would like an unbiased opinion, i would recommend IGN's review, as the person who reviewed it had never played FEAR before. That also might be the reason IGN's score is marginallly higher. There is a link to said review on my site, here's the direct link to the story. http://360insight.blogspot.com/2006/10/fear-review-and-its-good-news.html
Nate @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:50PM
I already commented on this game in a previous blog post about it....but I'll reiterate....
This game bored me to tears. I played the demo on the marketplace, and honestly, that was enough for me. I usually don't rag on graphics if they're bad as long as the gameplay is solid....but this game did neither of them right.
The graphics were muddy and the guy's hand and pistol looked really blocky...as well as the enemies. It kinda took away from the whole experience.
The gameplay wasn't any better....very basic shooting mechanics with very basic guns. The whole horror thing seemed a little tacked on to me, just to make it "different".
Just a really boring game, IMO....but I can't wait for some of the 360's better shooter offerings like R6 and Gears.
JUJUSTSHUTUP @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:06PM
u achievements people make me sick, wait till ur 50 and u say yes i played games in the old days on the xbox360......... for achievements that no one gave a fuck about, and now in my 50s i realize what a waste of time that was...
meddow @ Nov 2nd 2006 6:58PM
cant w8, got a PC that could run it with easy (mac pro)
But me loves the 360 for the fps', :D
Zo K. @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:06PM
"If you would like an unbiased opinion, i would recommend IGN's review, as the person who reviewed it had never played FEAR before. That also might be the reason IGN's score is marginallly higher."
Yeah, so I saw. This is the exception to the rule, though, it seems.
If it's an older game that most have already played, I don't see why it suddenly becomes a bad game. Just throw someone who's not a biased asshole who has played the game before (and who will unfairly rate the game as a result) on the controls. If someone who's played the game before happens to read said review, they can nod in agreement, and pass over that review... and onto the next.
This is just an issue I see with most gaming journalists. They generally speak from the "I" position, and seem to forget that they're writing to appease their audience.
mr finger @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:04PM
Jezzuz H. Christ! I hope you guys aren't this blah about Gears of War! Maybe we should all go back to playing Pong on hi-def or Duck Hunt......hey!..... wait a minute!
Thryon @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:05PM
My friend purchased this game yesterday. I shall borrow it from him. I also played the game on the PC, and I found it quite fun. I am looking forward to playing on the 360, but as you indicated, too much new stuff coming out to spend money on titles I have already played.
Graham @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:09PM
Fear had two very memorable moments for me, the ending (not to spoil anything, but I thought it was very cool) - with exception of the very last 'scare'.
And the guy strapped to the chair, seeing him wheeling himself closer really freaked me out. There was something a bit too real about it
ohboy @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:28PM
So unless it's something you can discuss when you're 50, you shouldn't be interested it?
Is that how it works?
JUJUSTSHUTUP @ Nov 2nd 2006 7:42PM
if u have to discuss it at 50 with embarrasment and regret you shouldent be interested in it, no.
Thryon @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:03PM
@ JUJUSTSHUTUP
“u achievements people make me sick”
Prepare to be sick!!!
I love achievements. I have rented, borrowed, purchased games just for achievements. The way I see it, it is harmless fun.
Achievements is what kept me playing Condemned: Criminal Origins long after I finished the game. I actually played it again, finishing the game using only melee weapons to get the achievement. I would never have attempted this if not for the achievement, and I would have missed out on a great gaming experience (only using melee weapons changes your strategy on the game). I am playing Oblivion again from the start, as an assassin to get the achievements.
We are also a group of friends that own Xbox 360s and this system allows us to keep track of each others progress in games.
I can see nothing wrong in achievements. They are a badge of honour, a reward for having accomplished a specific task. We all have friend that “have beaten that game, on the impossible level”…well now they can prove it.
But you are allowed your opinion. If the sight of people having fun and enjoying purchased games long after they have completed it makes you sick, that is a shame. Do not worry; there are enough game systems out there that will accommodate your nausea towards achievements. After all, it is about personal choice is it not?
Good gaming my friend!
gman @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:05PM
fucking great game. With the lights off and 5.1 surround cranked, this game freaked me out like i hadnt been since the RE4 days. Too bad the conversion to 360 has been less than gracefull graphically from what i've seen. Oh well...pc will always rule fps
FuzzyPickles @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:05PM
So when you're fifty you'll be telling your grandkids how much fun it was to suck Sony's cock in the public forum?
steve @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:20PM
i cant say ive played fear single player but the multiplayer is fun
it close quarters combat
u run around shooting, die, come back in 3 seconds, repeat
i might pick it up just to try it...
JUJUSTSHUTUP @ Nov 2nd 2006 8:50PM
15. So when you're fifty you'll be telling your grandkids how much fun it was to suck Sony's cock in the public forum? - FuzzyPickles
nice one high five.
rdj75 @ Nov 2nd 2006 9:02PM
I bought this game yesterday and I am loving it so far. On easy or normal difficulty it shouldn't take long at all to beat the game. Between all day yesterday and today I have been playing it on the hardest difficulty and I finally beat it. It probably took me about 12 hours or so and yes certain parts scared the crap out of me and if you are a normal human being certain parts of the game should scare the crap out of you too.
As for multiplayer, me and a group of friends on my friends list played for about 5 hours or so late lastnight and we all agreed that out of all the multiplayer games we have played on the 360 so far this was the most fun we have had. Yes there are other great games coming out like Gears, COD3, and of course Rainbow, but this game shouldn't be overlooked.
Now like what someone said in a previous post, the game and environments can be somewhat repetitive but all in all I think its still worth it to play if you have never played it before. As for the graphics, well I don't own a high end gaming pc or even a middle grade gaming pc but on my 360 playing on my 56"Jvc HD-ILA it looks prett damn good to me.
refinedsugar @ Nov 2nd 2006 10:41PM
I realize how FEAR gets regulated to back-bench duty by actual gamers with such high potential 360 titles in the release pipeline, but it's eerily creepy how gaming media is following suit. Playing into this "fear is old news, forget about it" routine as-if almost purposely trying to acerbate it.
Usedtabe @ Nov 3rd 2006 3:06AM
Nate, the demo was a pre-E06 build. The retail version is totally different. Do yourself a favor and rent a game before judging it off of a 10 month old demo.
On subject, this game has the best multiplayer of any 360 game so far. It beats all previous MP games so far, IMO. And yes, I've played them all. The single player is also a terrifying experience, and the graphics are amazing. In slo-mo, even with blood clouds,bullets,dust, and particles flying in your face, the game never stutters. The environment reactions are awesome. I sometimes have to stop shooting for a few seconds just to see whats going on from all the dust erupting from the environment I just ripped into.
Overall, a great game. And I never played the PC version.
DrXym @ Nov 3rd 2006 4:43AM
I bought into the hype and got FEAR for the PC last year. Sure, the battles were intense, but every level and every battle were virtually interchangable. After you've fought your fifth battle in an abandoned warehouse you wonder when the levels are going to get more interesting. They don't. Sure there was the odd set piece, but most of the game was dull, dull, dull walking through office corridors, warehouses etc. and plugging the odd handful of enemies. And the backstory is some cheesy Ring rip-off with a scary little girl and occasional cut scenes that occurred every now and then. It was almost as dull as Doom 3 with a constant and predictable stream of "shock" moments.
The battles and the slow-mo were cool. It's just too bad that the rest of the game sucked. It doesn't deserve 90%, more like 70%.
polly @ Nov 3rd 2006 12:29PM
Thryon,
Dude, you don't have to start over in Oblivion as an assassin to get those achievements. You just have to join the Dark Brotherhood. Murder some random villager and they'll find you.
Mike @ Nov 3rd 2006 1:26PM
I played this on a subpar PC. It is definitely next-gen in terms of lighting. It also did have the most amazing battles. They were so cool that I turned the options way way down to get those battles at the highest FPS possible.
I am not surprised at the positive reviews, because this game would be quite the stuff on a large tv with the features cranked and high FPS. Which is what you get on the xb360 version.
My only qualm would be the boring office building settings. Besides that I loved it.
Thryon @ Nov 4th 2006 12:38AM
@ Polly
I wish it was tath simple. After I had my meeting with the Dark Brotherhood rep, the guards saw him, and toasted his a$$. It was super funny. Since I like to play my games unscripted, adn go with the flow, I saved the event, and continued on my way. Now I lost my contact for the Dark Brotherhood. I do have to start over. This will give me a change to play a different character, so its not all bad.