Fear 2 Preview

Fear 2: Project Origin Preview

Preview written by KatanOmega on 2/1/09
Last edited on 2/1/09

After playing the Fear 2 demo I got the impression that it is a weird mix of CoD4 and Bioshock. I’m not sure if that is going to work for or against this game. The graphics are amazing from what you are able to see, this game is super dark. If you are one of those players that like to see all of the level you are playing in then definitely up the brightness settings. The backdrop of the demo has a very post apocalyptic CoD4 “after the nuke feel to it”, with a mix of Silent Hill, Resident Evil, etc… If you’re going to get inspiration from other games then Monolith picked the right games to pull from.

The creepiness level is turned way up in the first 10 minutes of this demo. On multiple occasions I felt panic tickling the back of my neck while traversing the burnt out school. This is something that many games try but few achieve, and Fear 2 executes this brilliantly. While the graphics and mood the game sets are superb, I’m having trouble categorizing this game. Fear 2 does not feel to me like it has an identity of its own. Is it survival horror, or is military shooter. I feel like the Monolith team was going for an amalgam of both genres kind of like Condemned and I’m not sure if they pulled it off. Granted this is only a demo and we should all reserve judgment till release.

As far as the story goes it’s pretty standard stuff, Alma is back, Para-military team has to stop her blah, blah, and blah. From what I experienced it feels like the story is going to be a little unoriginal and contrived, like bad anime. This is important because if the game was just a run of the mill shooter I’d say it could at least fall back on its graphics and game play to see it through. You add that touch of survival horror in though and you need a solid story to pull it off. That’s my opinion anyway, the Resident Evil* games have the worst story ever, and they sell millions. Once again though this is just a demo, so reserve judgment.

The game mechanics feel directly ripped out of the Call of Duty series, which is good. While they do not feel as smooth or responsive as the Call of Duty games, they are close enough for you to feel right at home. The one thing they did add which I love is the ability to jump kick, it’s like a little touch of Mirrors Edge in the game and definitely makes you feel like there is more to you than just the top 1/3 of whatever weapon you are holding. Remember kids, demo reserve judgment.

The enemy AI like the story is pretty standard fare for the shooter genre. Shoot, take cover, shoot again, move to new cover, and shoot again. We have seen it before and from what I can tell there is no point where you will wonder what the hell the AI just did to you, which is unfortunate because I love those moments. The one thing that I’m sure everyone is happy about is mech-combat. I don’t care what kind of game you have; if you add mechs to it your game will be cooler. I did feel like jumping in a mech kind of ruined the “fear” for me, but 15 seconds later I was like fuck it I’m in a mech! Do I have to say it again, demo reserve judgement.

To sum up, Fear 2 seems like it is going to be one of the better monster closets we have seen come down the pipe, but in the end it is still a monster closet. I wonder how long into the game will it be before spooks stop being scary and start being annoying. The demo ends with “Fear Alma again” in large text. Well, I did not fear her enough to get me through the first game, but I really hope I will this time around.

Now if you do not mind I would like to take a minute and talk about not judging demos. While I realize that demos are not the final build, they are representative of the game itself. If you release a demo, have it as polished and as close to completion as possible because people will, and should judge whether they want to buy your game based on their experience with your demo. Nothing makes me crazier than when people make excuses for their demos, fans and developers alike. Demos are the first real impression of what a game is going to be, and if it’s broken and you tell us that “oh it’s just a demo, that will be fixed in the retail release” 9 times out of 10 I’m not buying your game. You only get one chance to leave a first impression, and if developers don’t care enough to put out a polished demo, then who is to say if they care enough to release a polished game.

Fear 2 was a fine demo, BTW.

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