8.7

F.E.A.R. II
Project Origin

The latest edition to F.E.A.R. series finally arrives after a brief sojourn in the gaming wilderness. Thankfully PS3 gamers can now once again experience this worthy sequel that goes beyond the original title.  Even if you have never played the last title, you really don’t need to know the back history of this title as the developers have ensured that enough story flashbacks and texts which can be found lying around the gaming environment to give you a true insight into the game itself.

The game itself begins with a special forces squad who are on a routine mission to the city of Auburn which is rocked by a supernatural explosions. With this explosions comes Alma, a girl who has been harmed and is seeking revenge on those around her and her fury is unparalleled. Featuring strong elements of the Japanese survival horror genre that lends itself well to the world of first person shooters, gamers play a soldier who must piece together the missing pieces of his life and through the help of their squad, uncover and defeat this heinous evil.

In F.E.A.R. 2, gamers play Michael Beckett, a soldier who unbeknown to him has psychic powers that as you progress, so do his powers. Unfortunately for you, your squad members think you are a little strange but without spoiling the storyline, the relationships between your squad is perfect and at times is reminiscent of Aliens.

It’s also good to see that creepy little girl “Alma” return again in F.E.A.R. 2, although she is considerably older, perhaps 17 or 18 as she takes the gamer on a truly supernatural experience with her dreamlike world that draws you into the game.

The most noticeable difference in this sequel to F.E.A.R. is the realism of the characters that you encounter who use the environment to their advantage, whether it’s pushing a table for cover or using another part of the gaming environment to get the upper edge on your character.

Of course the game contains a healthy dose of human and supernatural foes that makes this game quite a scary experiences, especially when the supernatural elements of the title begin. Battling against the strange failed experiments of the Armacham corporation is truly an adrenaline pumping experience as you try to make sense of what is real and what shouldn’t exist.

Some of the characters that you battle remind me of the foes in Japanese movies such as the The Grudg with their unearthly movements that had me using an entire round of ammunition when I first encountered these strange creatures. Apart from your stock standard weaponry, your character also has access to his psychic powers which include bullet-time that allows you to slow down the world you play and assist you in battling the countless foes that you engage in. In the original game, bullet-time really made the title quite special and worked hand-in-hand with the gameplay, storyline and overall enjoyment of the title which although is revisited in F.E.A.R. 2, works equally well.

Another scary creature that you encounter are the Spectres that also like to play with the gamer, especially by leading you into areas where on mass, they will attempt to kill you. It gets even scarier with the “remnants”, those lost souls who keep repeating the same tasks that they done before they died, however once disturbed, you will have a hell of battle as they animate the dead around you. Thankfully it’s not all about scary corridors as players even have access to a Mech that was easily my most enjoyable experience in the game and I sincerely hope that Monolith revisit the SHOGO franchise again.

The level design of F.E.A.R. II is brilliant which features those “scary” survival-esq dark corridors, however there are also some larger areas and daylight scenes which does break up the sometimes monotony of environment fits all. My biggest grip with the title is way too much use of "dark" areas. 

Graphically, the title is visually quite impressive on the PS3 with highly detailed characters and some great level design. The backgrounds are a little Spartan, however the developers have ensured that the special effects and gameplay more than makeup for this lacking aspect. Match that with some great voice acting and sound effects and you are in gaming heaven.

In conclusion, F.E.A.R. II Project Origin is a thrilling game that we could recommend to lovers of the first game or for those that love a good first person shooter with a healthy dosage of survival horror. Definitely one to check out!