Monolith designer blames loss of F.E.A.R. fans on expansions

by Griffin McElroy { Dec 28th 2008 at 5:00PM }

The original F.E.A.R. garnered universal critical praise when it launched, but it seems like we've heard less and less about the subsequent installments in the series. In a recent interview with CVG, Monolith's Dave Matthews, lead art designer for F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, blamed the Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate expansions (which were created by TimeGate studios) for "[killing] off a few" fans. Later in the interview, he did a positively heart-melting acoustic rendition of "Crash Into Me".

Matthews' main qualm with the expansions is that TimeGate took the story in a direction that Monolith wouldn't have followed -- they took the focus away from the series' young, unsettling antagonist, Alma. With Monolith behind the PC version and console ports of Project Origin, Matthews is confident that the story will continue "the way we originally intended." This is great news for fans, and terribly unfortunate news for the faint of heart.

[Via X3F]

Tags: fear, fear-2-project-origin, monolith, timegate

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Isaac @ Dec 28th 2008 5:09PM

This is the problem with giving the same series to different studios. You lose a coherent experience and it is almost impossible for both games to be equally good.

This applies to both fear and COD. COD 5, regardless of game quality, is a totally different game from COD 4 at least with regards to the time period.

If a series is successful it should remain with the same studio because that's the studio that knows it and can do the best job.

ZB @ Dec 28th 2008 5:13PM

LOL you give COD as an Example but don't you realize that all the other COD games are either WWI or WWII. COD4 is the only one set in the modern day. Also Each COD game has its own missions that are not concurrent with the other games. With FEAR it was meant to be a story to blend the 2 games together.

Moptimus Slime @ Dec 28th 2008 5:26PM

"LOL you give COD as an Example but don't you realize that all the other COD games are either WWI or WWII. COD4 is the only one set in the modern day. Also Each COD game has its own missions that are not concurrent with the other games"

"COD 5, regardless of game quality, is a totally different game from COD 4"

fail post is phail

CB @ Dec 28th 2008 6:12PM

Fail and phail is annoying and overused.

TomCo @ Dec 29th 2008 12:42AM

"LOL you give COD as an Example but don't you realize that all the other COD games are either WWI or WWII"

Do tell, which COD game was set in WWI?

I don't ever recall fighting the Kaiser on the Western Front.

ZB @ Dec 28th 2008 5:13PM

I am looking forward to FEAR 2 FEAR was the First game I got on the PS3 when I bought mine. I thought it was rather good. Although I don't think FEAR2 will stack up as well against Kill Zone 2

MosquitoControl @ Dec 28th 2008 5:16PM

Alma was an annoyingly stupid cliche and ripoff of the annoyingly stupid The Ring.

If anything moving away from her would gain fans by concentrating on what is original in the story and moving past the stupid "everything evil stems from a little girl" crap that no one likes.

Justin B @ Dec 28th 2008 5:20PM

I take it you didn't play the game from start to finish, then?

Foetoid @ Dec 28th 2008 7:10PM

Well played Justin, +1

The Dark Wayne @ Dec 28th 2008 5:43PM

I actually liked Extraction point, it was pretty good. But perseus mandate just felt disconnected and completely awful

michas_pi @ Dec 28th 2008 5:57PM

Well, no shit. Perseus Mandate was/is/will always be terrible.

LiarLiar @ Dec 28th 2008 6:06PM

Dave fails to mention the real reason the expansions moved away from the Alma character. Monolith and Vivendi Games had a falling out after the first FEAR. Vivendi ended up with the name FEAR and Monolith staked claim to Alma and other characters at the core of the IP. Without Monolith to develop the expansions, Vivendi turned to Timegate who did a good job but were forced to take the story in a new direction without Alma who was being featured in Monolith's Project Origin. Vivendi sold their rights to FEAR to Monolith parent Warner Brothers Interactive after the Acti-Blizz merger happily reuniting the name and the characters at Monolith.

NeuroMan42 @ Dec 28th 2008 6:18PM

I agree. The expansions sucked, and due to that I have NO desire to even bother with the sequel.

Yourself @ Dec 28th 2008 6:35PM

I'll admit I didn't play the expansions, but my guess is that reality isn't quite what he's said. The problem with F.E.A.R. is that it's an incredibly fun single-player FPS with relatively little replay value that does almost nothing original. Draw that out with two expansions and what's to remain interesting? What's to keep public attention when 1000 other FPS's every year? F.E.A.R. is F.E.A.R.: it's not trying to be anything too special and has never been treated as such.

Einhanderkiller @ Dec 28th 2008 6:41PM

News source headline says ports and expansions while Joystiq headline says only expansions?

Naota @ Dec 28th 2008 6:41PM

I've alwasy seen FEAR as a sub par fps with not much more than the creepyness and slowdown to save it.

Vidikron @ Dec 28th 2008 6:59PM

Ditto. I heard how great it was, but when I played it I was thinking, "This is it"? I was bored half way through. I got tired of fighting the same guys over and over in building basements and warehouses. Maybe it get's better near the end, but I couldn't be bothered to continue.

Haggard @ Dec 28th 2008 9:07PM

The crazy matrix-style bullet ballets in first person with sparks flying and grenades sending screen-warping blasts were awesome (and the hip-firing autocannon was a blast), but yeah.. it's a dark, depressing slog of corridor shooter.

Crysis managed the crazy action-movie style shootouts a lot better, and with actual light and non-grey colours. I'm sure Monolith have some great ideas for FEAR 2 but I'm just not interested.

Strategy_Panda (The Sandwich Poisoning Crew) @ Dec 29th 2008 6:39AM

you guys are making the game sound like Shogo

Kelly @ Dec 28th 2008 7:03PM

Ya think?

Haggard @ Dec 28th 2008 9:04PM

Dave Matthews band - the whitest musical ensemble ever, despite having three black members.

Jacksons @ Dec 28th 2008 11:34PM

So true.

Chin-Poh @ Dec 29th 2008 12:26AM

I didn't think the expansions were that bad. I'm actually disappointed the sequel won't have you playing as the Point Man again, he's an important character, he got his slow-mo abilities due to being a child of Alma, and yet these abilities are just tossed to the protagonists of Perseus Mandate and Beckett in FEAR 2.

I take it we won't also see Holiday, Jin, Norton Mapes, etc in the sequel either?

Alex @ Dec 29th 2008 8:52AM

Maybe they'll do a Crytek and change it beyond recognition when compared with the first game.

Mr.Ironic @ Dec 29th 2008 7:04AM

I'm *just* about to finish Fear, didn't have a good enough of a good computer till recently, and coming back to it after a few years it's lost a bit of it's edge, I remember being really excited about it when I first got it. Having played most of the game I'm a little disappointed that alma does not feature *more*. It's not that scary. It's still good for the action but I was expecting to be surprised more.