I entered the F.E.A.R. 2 demo with no prior knowledge of the F.E.A.R. universe. I was aware of the creepy aura of the game, the darkness, and of course, Alma. That creepy little girl is every gamer’s nightmare. Anyway, I had no idea of what to expect in terms if gameplay, graphics, or overall quality. I checked out the demo, and here is my first impression.

As is often familiarized with the franchise, the Project Origin demo was quite creepy. Although not downright scary, I had a few jumpy moments that were all-to-familiar from my Condemned days. Although some encounters or quick flashes of light/ghosts are predictable, the game maintains the scary atmosphere throughout the player’s exploration. A fine example would be when the power suddenly goes out and lights flicker and lightning flashes. I honestly tried to turn around and leave because I didn’t want to know what was around the now dark corner. I knew there was something, as will every other gamer, but the idea of willingly walking into a chance to soil yourself isn’t very pleasing. It is this that kept me exploring. I enjoy being scared and I enjoy FPS’, so, naturally, this game was a match made in heaven. Or hell.

The controls for this game are well laid out, but are basically generic for the FPS genre. I did the weapon select menu, but the D-pad option of scrolling through weapons isn’t very convenient. I found myself in the midst of battle trying to pull out a shotgun by the menu, which blocked my screen, and by D-pad, which took too long. Basically this is the only flaw with the layout. Your character handles nicely, with no obvious errors.

As for the weapons, I really enjoyed each one. The available weapons include an SMG, Shotgun, Machine Gun, Sniper Rifle, Laser Rifle, and Rocket Launcher. Obviously, each has their own strength, but each can also stand their own in battle. I never found a dull point with any weapons, no matter which I was using. The big gun, which is a mech-style vehicle, is used to roam the streets, with a payload that includes several machine guns and rocket launchers. Did I mention that you can go into slow-mo mode also? This makes the game alot cooler.

Graphics wise, this game is above average, but nothing to drool over. The high point is the highly detailed environment and the amazing lighting. I would have liked more detailed character models, but at least they don’t hurt to look at. I had some frame rate issues, but they were easily overlooked.

Overall, this game fares well in my opinion. I am definitely looking forward to the game’s release. The demo was enjoyable, and I had a great time playing each part. Although this game isn’t the scariest game out, it still ranks up there among the Condemned games and Silent Hill games. Since this was my first experience with a F.E.A.R. title, I had no idea what to expect, and Monolith Productions didn’t disappoint. Look for the full game to release on February 10th. I know I sure will.

The Good

1. Maintains a creepy atmosphere throughout.
2. Great weapons that are always fun to use.
3. Slow-mo combat is a blast!

The Bad

1. Bad weapon selection system.
2. Enemy A.I. is sometimes unaware of a teammate dying right next to them.
3. Character models could have some finer detail.

The Ugly

1. Why aren’t your enemies affected by the glass-breaking, door-smashing, desk-throwing ghosts?

Review by: Brandon

G3 community name, Gamertag, and PSN: Thegreatest7884

Second Thoughts by: 1337_Byte(G3 Community Tag)
Video Walkthrough also by: 1337_Byte

The demo of Monolith’s upcoming FEAR 2 was very fun to playthrough. Throughout the demo, a few horror sequences are showcased and the player makes use of a variety of weapons. The improvements in this game over the first one are enormous. Everything has an extremely high amount of detail, Monolith really worked hard with their level design.

At times it seems like it is a completely different game from the first FEAR due to all the changes. A lot of the weapons have been completely changed or replaced. It seems that Monolith wants the player to have a more powerful arsenal with the new Sniper Rifle and Elite Power Armor. The new weapons were just completely epic in campaign and I can’t wait to see them in multiplayer.

This demo showed us a lot about the upcoming game. Unlike the first FEAR which received little attention, this will definitely be one of the big games up there. It seems like Monolith has worked very hard on this game, and the results will show.

Walkthrough of the Demo Part 1

Walkthrough of the Demo Part 2