I will admit to being a humongous fan of F.E.A.R. when it came out. I had just been given an Xbox 360 by my lovely wife for Christmas and made a hasty trip to Best Buy for a half dozen games. F.E.A.R. quickly jumped out in front and became the game that sold me on the Xbox 360 gaming platform. The F.E.A.R Files solidified that experience and when I realized that F.E.A.R. 2 was coming out I was literally counting down the days.
I made a trip to the store to pick up F.E.A.R. 2 just before we started to move and was not only instantly hooked, but I found myself stopping on purpose to make sure that I get the entire experience instead of blowing through it and feeling like it just didn’t last long enough.
As of now I am about half way through and that is plenty of time to give a rave review and explain why this is hands down the best game I have played in a long time.
Graphics
This game is even creepier than the original. It has top notch textures and particle effects, the baddies are modeled in great detail and the environments are rich and immersive. They aren’t quite as interactive as some, but they are still deep and fun to roam around in. The weapons look incredible and I can’t say enough about the lighting. If any game used lighting to set the mood, this game is the gold standard. From lazily moving hanging lamps to missile fire and burning environments, the lighting adds nearly as much to the creep factor as the spectral visions that have incredible timing when it comes to making you grip the controller tightly and jump.
Gameplay
I am playing it on normal settings and it’s challenging enough without being terribly difficult. I don’t think you could make it though without the ability to slow down time though. Health packs seem to be a little more rare than they were in F.E.A.R. and the weapons are dropped at just enough rate to keep you wondering if you are going to run out when you need them most. They probably could have done away with armor and adjusted the health system to compensate because it’s not very obvious what it does and how long it lasts. The health bar itself is actually a little confusing. I also don’t like that when I am full I can’t grab the health shots for later, only the large health packs are collectible.
Sound
This game must have had a top notch horror sound editor. The sounds of the environment play a large part in the vibe you get walking through the different phases. It’s very well done and a full blown firefight will have your adrenaline pumping like you were actually there.
Summary
Buy this game. Well, rent this game at least. If you aren’t into the online options you could probably finish it in a weekend with little trouble. That being said, it will be one of the most fun, creepy and intense weekends you have ever spent on a game console. I can’t recommend this enough. Three thumbs up. (figure that one out)