LTTP: F.E.A.R

expendable

Yes, that would First Encounter Assault Recon.

Picked this up today on a whim. I was in the mood for something a bit different, and FEAR looked like it fit the bill. I've got the 360 version.

My first impression of the game were that the graphics seemed last-gen, which made sense. My second impression was "Oh hey! Look at those shadows!" and I immediately wasted 15 or 20 minutes moving around various light sources and playing with my flashlight.

The gameplay itself seems very well done. My first "horror" scene, while surprising, merely made me curious, and much more cautious. Despite the fact that I haven't gotten very far into the game yet, this seems to be the usual effect they have on me.

The dev team did a wonderful job pulling me into the game though. I hate not knowing what's going on, and of course the only way to learn is to keep pushing forward. To have the music build up toward a climatic/spooky crescendo as I approach and open a door after having glimpsed that weird little girl or Paxton guy, only to have nothing happen and the sound to cut out completely is a new experience, and when something did happen, it was effective. Rather than being able to just go through the motions of killing the enemy in my usual detached way, I'm engrossed in the atmosphere. I'm cautious, curious, and maybe even a little creeped out. I'm definitely more than a little twitchy and jumpy at points. Damn that little girl!

Now for the embarrassing part. Since I'm playing on a 13 inch TV, I'm usually crouched or sitting on the floor, rather close to it. At one point I happened to be crouching (like a baseball catcher) as a hallucination (?) scene began. There came a point in the scene where I was noticeably startled: to the point I jumped and fell back, dropping my control and letting out an audible "AH!" which I noticed was mirrored by my character on screen as he came out of the hallucination.

I can't remember the last time I was so engrossed in a game that it had that effect on me (if ever at all). It's what drove me to immediately save and come post this thread.

And now you all may commence making fun of me.

captaink

FEAR is definitely a fun FPS. It looked REALLY good when it came out. The bullet-time was definitely following a fad, but also useful for some of the tougher bits. There are some very tricky set piece battles against the enemy soldiers, who are pretty smart on top of that. This is kind of making me want to go play it...

RainbowDespair

I thought for a game entitled F.E.A.R. that the horror aspects were fairly tame. A couple jumps here and there, but nothing compared to any of the survival horror greats like Silent Hill 2 or the better Resident Evils. Nevertheless as a FPS, it was a very solid game. The slow-motion effect was both cool and fun, the enemy A.I. was unusually good, and it had good graphics for the time. I haven't tried the expansion pack, but I might pick it up if I saw it in the bargain bin.

Fiaryn

I think the fear factor of F.E.A.R is less about fear and more about paranoia. Rampant fucking paranoia. I know that I for one felt constantly endangered due to the apparent fact that Alma COULD screw me sideways if she so pleased at just about any moment. Moments like the ladder (you know what I speak of, SWEET MERCIFUL MONKEY CHRIST) only deepened my wild eyed paranoia.

expendable

Fiaryn wrote: »

I think the fear factor of F.E.A.R is less about fear and more about paranoia. Rampant fucking paranoia. I know that I for one felt constantly endangered due to the apparent fact that Alma COULD screw me sideways if she so pleased at just about any moment. Moments like the ladder (you know what I speak of, SWEET MERCIFUL MONKEY CHRIST) only deepened my wild eyed paranoia.

I think you've got it dead on there. This is my first real venture into anything with a survival horror theme (I guess that Area-51 PC game with David Duchovney might count, maybe, not really...) and I am super paranoid.

I'm going to assume Alma is the little girl. I don't think I've learned anything about her other than

Spoiler:

she can blast the skin off the bones of my buddies, she likes fire, leaves some bloody footprints, and I can shoot her all I want as I'm running away from her, but she's going to throw me out that window like a ragdoll anyway.

Like I said, I haven't gone too far in the game yet. I'm still in a waste water treatment plant. The point where I've stopped for the night (curses to starting the road trip tomorrow!) is

Spoiler:

The end of a hallucination cutscene that came after I dropped down a hole in the floor into a pit filed with water. I immediately blacked out and found myself standing in a hallway filled waist-highish with blood. There a set of double doors in front of me, and as I walk toward it, I see a man bent over something, but I can't see what he's doing. Trying to get closer resulted in a skeleton suddenly shooting out of the water in front of me, and my character came back to his senses in the water, as a plastic container was splashing around in the water.

Morninglord

It is very well done example of psychological terror crafting. It's horror is pretty meh though.
The music, the weird sounds, the whispers, the random hallucinations. All the way up to the end and its final revelation, which I wont spoil for you here.

brynstar

F.E.A.R is one of my favorite games. A fun and great looking game, which is marred only by some repetitive level design. I've played it a few times, and I still get a little turned around in a couple of levels later on in the game.

TSR

F.E.A.R. is a very, very good game. The melee attacks in particular were extremely satisfying (and nothing beats scissor kicking a man down a flight of stairs as he points an assault rifle in your face.)

The worst scare, the only one that still got a HOLY CHRIST I'M SO AFRAID out of me when I played through a second time, was

Spoiler:

when she crawled out from under the table in the cubicle of the office building as the lights flicker and the phone goes off really loud right next to you. I shiver just thinking about it.

AHH!

It was a fun game. Not that astounding though.

To me it was just a fancy FPS with bullet time and kicking.

Though it did those well, the "creepy" aspects were retarded. level design got boring after a while, too

thorpe

I'm a huge F.E.A.R. fanboy. Hell, I liked it more than Half-Life 2, primarily due to the story. Believe me, it will have you with a curious "D:" face to the very end. Which is when the final revelation takes place and you shit yourself with disgust and horror.

expendable

I don't suppose anybody knows if Extraction Point will ever make the jump to 360?

thorpe

expendable wrote: »

I don't suppose anybody knows if Extraction Point will ever make the jump to 360?

Not very likely at this point. Shame, because it was a lot, lot scarier than the first.

SlyJoker

expendable wrote: »

I don't suppose anybody knows if Extraction Point will ever make the jump to 360?

Heh, I was about to post about how the only problem with the 360 version was no Extraction Point. EP is fucking amazing, a worthy and satisfying follow-up to F.E.A.R.

EDIT: Beat, but yeah, it was also a lot scarier than the first game.

urahonky

Fiaryn wrote: »

I think the fear factor of F.E.A.R is less about fear and more about paranoia. Rampant fucking paranoia. I know that I for one felt constantly endangered due to the apparent fact that Alma COULD screw me sideways if she so pleased at just about any moment. Moments like the ladder (you know what I speak of, SWEET MERCIFUL MONKEY CHRIST) only deepened my wild eyed paranoia.

You're correct sir. The whole game made me paranoid that that asshole was going to show up again.

Man, I might do another run through that game again sometime.

Esirdan

The ninjas in FEAR are the best ninjas I've encountered in an FPS thus far. They were actually hard to predict at first, and satisfying as hell to hit with a shotgun after getting smacked numerous times in the face, only to have them suck up into the ceiling before you could take aim. Also, the ending of the first FEAR kicks ass.

Raiden333

My favorite part of the game was listening to enemy chatter as I picked them off.

"THREE DOWN, MOVE UP!"

"FUCK YOU!!"

cj iwakura

The 'sequel'(Extraction Point) is just plain evil, in so many ways, but I get the impression not nearly as many people played it.

Spoiler:

It's like Alma's done playing, and wants you to just straight up die now.

I'm about four chapters in. Much tougher, mostly because there's more

Spoiler:

unkillable spirit things

.

darleysam

just to pour some more praise on it, F.E.A.R. is one of my all-time favourite games. I've still not played anything else that even comes close to the awesomely tactile nature of the game, and gives you firefights anywhere near as kinetic. The guns just feel so utterly powerful and dangerous, and it's exhilarating to see them ripping chunks of plaster off the walls as they zing past your head.

And the AI is nice and adept, too.

edit: and yes, there are some attempts at scares and jumps (which caught me out, i'm a wuss), but what worked better for me, as someone said earlier, was paranoia and tension. There are a number of places they'll give you a series of 'arenas' (you know, open rooms where you're expecting a fight to kick off), and nothing happens. Every time you walk in, you're trying to spot where the fight's coming from, sticking to the walls and shadows, trying to stay alert.. and nothing. Then the next one, gotta happen here.... nothing. DAMN YOU GUYS!
I found there were a few times i was almost at a breaking point from all the expected firefights.

And i absolutely love the last few levels of the game. I'm not gonna bring in spoilers, but yeah, it had some of the coolest things i've seen in a game.

Silpheed

Man, dropkicking people in slowmotion was fun as hell. I think I only used guns for the heavy armor enemies, the rest fell under my mad kung fu skillz.

VaLiantine

How was the expansion pack?

Solid_Steve

TSR wrote: »

F.E.A.R. is a very, very good game. The melee attacks in particular were extremely satisfying (and nothing beats scissor kicking a man down a flight of stairs as he points an assault rifle in your face.)

The worst scare, the only one that still got a HOLY CHRIST I'M SO AFRAID out of me when I played through a second time, was

Spoiler:

when she crawled out from under the table in the cubicle of the office building as the lights flicker and the phone goes off really loud right next to you. I shiver just thinking about it.

Yeah, that was most definitely one to remember. I just started playing it again, and I'm still pleased by the bullet time and destructibles. Sometimes I'll come across a pane of glass, and I'll stop to shoot it and watch it shatter in bullet time.
And yes, the ninjas. Oh the ninjas... I actually jumped the first time I saw one.
Anyone notice the writing on the omnipresent 'control panel' things- you know the ones you see all over the place with a bunch of buttons you can't press? I looked at one, and since I haven't played since I upgraded my videocard (i turned all the settings all the way up) I never saw that the numerical displays on the upright section have labels like 'Lives Left', 'Enemies Killed', and so on. That made me laugh.

Stolls

darleysam wrote: »

just to pour some more praise on it, F.E.A.R. is one of my all-time favourite games. I've still not played anything else that even comes close to the awesomely tactile nature of the game, and gives you firefights anywhere near as kinetic. The guns just feel so utterly powerful and dangerous, and it's exhilarating to see them ripping chunks of plaster off the walls as they zing past your head.

And the AI is nice and adept, too.

edit: and yes, there are some attempts at scares and jumps (which caught me out, i'm a wuss), but what worked better for me, as someone said earlier, was paranoia and tension. There are a number of places they'll give you a series of 'arenas' (you know, open rooms where you're expecting a fight to kick off), and nothing happens. Every time you walk in, you're trying to spot where the fight's coming from, sticking to the walls and shadows, trying to stay alert.. and nothing. Then the next one, gotta happen here.... nothing. DAMN YOU GUYS!
I found there were a few times i was almost at a breaking point from all the expected firefights.

And i absolutely love the last few levels of the game. I'm not gonna bring in spoilers, but yeah, it had some of the coolest things i've seen in a game.

Seconding everything in this post. Without question, FEAR had some of the most intense and visceral action I've seen in a shooter. Enemies actually showed some degree of intelligence, and at the very least didn't go down without a fight; even with slomo I was encouraged to seek cover and trade shots at a distance, to use grenades and set traps of my own. And some of the best parts of the game just had you wandering for minutes in darkened, spooky-looking corridors and never encountering anything - but constantly thinking that something's going to happen.

It has its flaws, sure; the level design gets a bit stale around the middle and the action centers around objectives you never really achieve, save for one. But FEAR is most definitely a keeper, and if there is any justice in the world the gunplay will be featured in more games to come.

I still hold out for an apology for Extraction Point, however. Of all the people to live through it,

Spoiler:

why the fuck is Mapes still running around?!

Edit: Clarification. EP was fine in the gameplay sense, and had more of the same in terms of action, which is never a bad thing. But it took everything good about FEAR's story and chucked it right out the window.

captaink

Raiden333 wrote: »

My favorite part of the game was listening to enemy chatter as I picked them off.

"THREE DOWN, MOVE UP!"

"FUCK YOU!!"

Yeah, it was really fun when you got some lucky hits off early and they'd be like "SHIT!"

Fibretip

great game... i was getting bored in the middle though... a few variations in level design really wouldn't have gone amiss.

worst scare for me :

Spoiler:

working your way through an air duct and having her scuttle towards you on her hands and knees... man i hate that shit, it's like the grudge all over again

darleysam

for all the talk of kung-fu moves and stuff (which i never really used), i had the most fun once i discovered that both trip-mines and grenades can be detonated in the air, by shooting them.

Oh, how i would love abusing that afterwards.

round corner, pitch grenade, slow-motion, waaaaaaaaait... bangBOOM

jungleroomx

FEAR is a great concept that needs a sequel to fully flesh out its potential, since it's obvious the studio rushed the development.

God damn the office level just seemed to go on as long as Uma Thurmans legs.

subedii

So as someone looking to start playing F.E.A.R. , I've got a couple of questions.

1) I've recently learned the joy of playing through games on hard (thanks in large part to SWAT 4) usually when the game doesn't resort to cheesy "throw more enemies with more health at you" method of ramping the difficulty (or at least doesn't use that as a crutch. So I was wondering whether F.E.A.R. is more fun playing through on a harder difficulty. I might just end up starting on hard if it is, assuming it doesn't thoroughly beat me into the curb after my first 5 seconds of play over and over again.

2) Related to 1, are the checkpoints / autosaves spaced out well (generally before / after major firefights), so that I can feasibly play through the game without having to save manually. Again, I've learned that games are more fun when I don't resort to quicksave / quickload after every 5 seconds. It adds so much more to the intensity of FPS's (again, this was pretty much beaten into me by SWAT 4).

brynstar

subedii wrote: »

So as someone looking to start playing F.E.A.R. , I've got a couple of questions.

1) I've recently learned the joy of playing through games on hard (thanks in large part to SWAT 4) usually when the game doesn't resort to cheesy "throw more enemies with more health at you" method of ramping the difficulty (or at least doesn't use that as a crutch. So I was wondering whether F.E.A.R. is more fun playing through on a harder difficulty. I might just end up starting on hard if it is, assuming it doesn't thoroughly beat me into the curb after my first 5 seconds of play over and over again.

2) Related to 1, are the checkpoints / autosaves spaced out well (generally before / after major firefights), so that I can feasibly play through the game without having to save manually. Again, I've learned that games are more fun when I don't resort to quicksave / quickload after every 5 seconds. It adds so much more to the intensity of FPS's (again, this was pretty much beaten into me by SWAT 4).

I will do my best to answer!

1) The harder difficulties in FEAR increase the accuracy of the AI, and decrease the effectiveness of your armor. Because the game relies so heavily on its environment and encounters for suspense, they can't just dump a ton of enemies in there. So yeah, it's a pretty fair way of doing things. The AI is pretty aggressive though, so it will provide quite the challenge (in my opinion).

2) The game has autosave checkpoints after each major encounter, so this too shouldn't be a problem.

Demerdar

subedii wrote: »

So as someone looking to start playing F.E.A.R. , I've got a couple of questions.

1) I've recently learned the joy of playing through games on hard (thanks in large part to SWAT 4) usually when the game doesn't resort to cheesy "throw more enemies with more health at you" method of ramping the difficulty (or at least doesn't use that as a crutch. So I was wondering whether F.E.A.R. is more fun playing through on a harder difficulty. I might just end up starting on hard if it is, assuming it doesn't thoroughly beat me into the curb after my first 5 seconds of play over and over again.

2) Related to 1, are the checkpoints / autosaves spaced out well (generally before / after major firefights), so that I can feasibly play through the game without having to save manually. Again, I've learned that games are more fun when I don't resort to quicksave / quickload after every 5 seconds. It adds so much more to the intensity of FPS's (again, this was pretty much beaten into me by SWAT 4).

1. Playing the game on the hardest setting is one of the most satisfying experiences in a first person shooter, ever. The AI is unquestionably the smartest I've seen in any game. The game manages to become much harder without throwing in that cheesy method of adding difficulty. Though, it would be best to do it after you've beaten the game first, cause it was still pretty tough just on normal difficulty.

2. The saves and checkpoints are spaced out fairly well. I am more of a quicksave type of guy though.

darleysam

i actually heard it from Monolith themselves that they didn't change the AI for the difficulty settings. They wanted everyone to encounter the AI as it was, regardless of difficulty. You're only meant to take more damage, and do less. I've not actually read any official confirmation from people after the release, so you guys may be right, but that's what i did read from the devs themselves, i think in an issue of Edge.

expendable

subedii wrote: »

So as someone looking to start playing F.E.A.R. , I've got a couple of questions.

1) I've recently learned the joy of playing through games on hard (thanks in large part to SWAT 4) usually when the game doesn't resort to cheesy "throw more enemies with more health at you" method of ramping the difficulty (or at least doesn't use that as a crutch. So I was wondering whether F.E.A.R. is more fun playing through on a harder difficulty. I might just end up starting on hard if it is, assuming it doesn't thoroughly beat me into the curb after my first 5 seconds of play over and over again.

2) Related to 1, are the checkpoints / autosaves spaced out well (generally before / after major firefights), so that I can feasibly play through the game without having to save manually. Again, I've learned that games are more fun when I don't resort to quicksave / quickload after every 5 seconds. It adds so much more to the intensity of FPS's (again, this was pretty much beaten into me by SWAT 4).

Don't know about 1 yet, but on 2, there's usually a checkpoint near major events, or so I've noticed. I don't know if you can save manually on the 360.

Also, just in case you're paying attention to when the game saves, some checkpoints have absolutely nothing before or after them, adding to the paranoia. I wonder if that was intentional.

jungleroomx

darleysam wrote: »

i actually heard it from Monolith themselves that they didn't change the AI for the difficulty settings. They wanted everyone to encounter the AI as it was, regardless of difficulty. You're only meant to take more damage, and do less. I've not actually read any official confirmation from people after the release, so you guys may be right, but that's what i did read from the devs themselves, i think in an issue of Edge.

That may be true. Needless to say the AI in this game is fantastic. I tried hiding in a corner and waiting for the soldiers to come down the walkway during the first level. It's a tried-and-true FPS trick.

I then saw a little green thing flash before my eyes and the dreadful *tink* of a grenade.

RainOPain

I've been meaning to do a run-through of this game with the bullet time turned off. It should be a more enjoyable/rewarding experience

With it on, every time you encounter an enemy the game just turns into bullet-time, headshot, repeat.

subedii

I guess I'll probably go with a no-save playthrough on medium, and if I'm finding it too easy, move it up to hard. Danke all

Gorilla Salad

So, I picked this up for 30 bucks from Gamestop not to long ago.

Am I ever so glad. I have plans to play this tonight in the dark. I can't wait.

cj iwakura

I hope you got the Gold version with Extraction, since I think it's like the same price or something.

Still, the base game's just as good, but EP should get more love(and they really screwed the console version out of it).

Spoiler:

Can't Fettel just die already?

brynstar

darleysam wrote: »

i actually heard it from Monolith themselves that they didn't change the AI for the difficulty settings. They wanted everyone to encounter the AI as it was, regardless of difficulty. You're only meant to take more damage, and do less. I've not actually read any official confirmation from people after the release, so you guys may be right, but that's what i did read from the devs themselves, i think in an issue of Edge.

Aye, that's what they did. That's why I mentioned that only their accuracy and the damage ratings are changed. The actual behavior of the AI is just as brutal and awesome no matter what the difficulty. They'll take cover, flank, and communicate with each other. I wish they would outsource the AI to other shooter developers. Too often these days, opponent AI in shooters is pretty basic. There are exceptions of course, but Monolith was able to do this two years ago!

Gorilla Salad

Oh, no. I got it for 360 so I could play it with my friends.

Hotlead Junkie

Share your best stories about the soldior AI!

I have loads of stores, but my all time favorite is throwing a grenade at a soldior who was hiding behind an upturned desk in an office and having him look up, scream "OH SHIT!" and put his arms over his head. He KNEW he couldn't possibly get away in time and just accepted it. It was hilarious/awesome.

darleysam

had one bit where you go round a corner (in one of the more lobby-like areas of one of the office buildings), and they shut the lights off and go to torches. Firstly, really cool because you can see their beams, they can obviously see yours. So i'm hiding there and just killed most of their mans as they come round. I then hear one shout something like "move up!", which is met with "NO FUCKING WAY!"

if i'd been there, they'd have killed me easily. I'd have been the guy rolling on the floor in hysterics.

Gorilla Salad

Oh man. There are so many good stories. The most common is when I pump a man full of shotty bullets and he explodes in that fine mist of blood right next to his buddy, and you just get the "FUCK" or "OH SHIT" reaction. There's bound to be better ones soon, though.