IGN
Say hello to the season's first fall blockbuster. New screenshots, HD footage, and a video interview.
by Douglass C. Perry
Hot damn! If you thought this summer was marked by the engaging FPS Prey, then this fall you're in for a real treat. Vivendi Games, bent on maximizing its fast-paced, dark, and troubling PC first-person shooter F.E.A.R, is determined to share the love with Xbox 360 owners. Old to PC gamers but new to console gamers, F.E.A.R. thrusts gamers into tight interior spaces, plays with light and shadow and paranormal themes, and brings a technical savvy and graphic touch of class to the nearly budding Xbox 360.
Vivendi brought the game by IGN's offices a few weeks ago to show off its powerful F.E.A.R. engine, giving us a healthy peek into what the 360 can do with the high-powered PC game. To see for yourself, check out this Masterbit HD footage. Slated for a November 2 release date, rated M, and packing a serious visceral punch, F.E.A.R. is riding the second wave of Xbox 360 games with the graphic fidelity this generation has promised but has only occasionally delivered. F.E.A.R. stands for First Encounter Assault Recon, a paranormal squad of military soldiers packing extra-powerful weaponry, and you're the lead soldier in search of Paxton Fettle, a rogue department of defense employee you must track down. It turns out Fettle is a cannibal, and in a rather loose interpretation of reality, he periodically consumes your flesh to gain knowledge from you. The logic is a little fishy, but chalk it up to the kind of X-Files type science theories born in the late 1990s, and you're good to go.
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You take on the role of a squad leader and pursue a series of missions eventually revealing a mystery of rather grand proportions. Vivendi has upgraded the resolution to 720p, enhancing the Xbox 360 version to the top-tier performance on the PC. You'll wield a nice selection of weapons and stomp through a series of mostly indoor levels eloquently lit with HDR lighting (high-dynamic range), which enables the game to cast real-time lighting indoor and out with a realistically dark and blindingly bright look.
The game offers dozens of examples of its visual punch. Pass though a room with an electrical light and blast it out with an assault rifle. The light will flicker out, casting out particles of electricity and light and rock back and forth using the game's Havok 3.0 physics engine. Walk by a light from another room and watch your perfectly formed shadow stretch across a wall. Stride through a room with a pool in it and shoot a handful of bullets into it. The water reacts with real mathematical reactions, quickly forming circles that spread, cross and multiply across the wavy water surface. Sneak up on an enemy militant, fill him with lead, and survey the crumpling body react with force, bounce across a hand-rail and tumble down a flight of stairs. Heave a grenade and enjoy a heat blur effect explode across the screen sending enemy bodies flying like limp flesh bags.
The gameplay is tight and focused. You'll enter dark offices and building structures where a flash light helps guide your path (and yes you can have it switched on while wielding a gun). The story follows a critical path but does open up occasionally. The tight corridors and multi-tiered structures provide both tense indoor combat arenas and wider, multi-path stretches that show off the enemy's deft AI. Enemy AI tracks your path and reacts to your movements. You can crouch, run, jump and lean around corners, and if you stay on one area for too long the enemy will flank you. Enemies run around corners, duck, avoid grenades and seem to be constantly on the move. The Xbox 360 single-player game is the same as the PC version, plus a bonus mission enabling you to play as another character. (This feature is unlocked later on in the game.)
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The weapon range is excellent. The assault rifle appears to be a nice default weapon, whereas the shotgun is a powerful short-range beast that will have you smiling darkly. The HV Penetrator is a beastly gun that shoots heavy, wide bullets that are so wide and long they'll actually force enemies back against a wall and stake them to it. You'll have immense fun with the Penetrator as you peg enemies' heads to the walls, ceilings, and the floor. You'll face bosses, sub-bosses, and a range of soldiers with various skills and levels of AI.
Vivendi has a thing about first-person shooters. It brought us The Chronicles of Riddick and now with F.E.A.R, it's taking fast-action, high-tension FPS games to a new level. The excellent graphics and sharp Dolby 5.1 surround sound are sure to bring this home with a particular touch of graphic love for those who exist to show off their powerful systems. My advice? Save your money, keep your eyes peeled, and prepare to enjoy the tremendous depth of F.E.A.R. this fall.
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