There is no secret that I’m a big fan of the F.E.A.R. series. I love playing first-person shooters and I love it more when they involve a level of horror without using the cheap tactic of just making you walk around in the dark for ten hours. I enjoyed the original game so much that I named my dogs after two of the leading characters Alma and Paxton. Saying that I’m not one to scare easily and F.E.A.R. is one of the only games I’ve played that was capable of sending shivers down my spine - a concept that movies don’t achieve. Horror is a realm that I just don’t tend to get. I’m the guy laughing at the girl as she runs outside because someone is “watching her” in a horror film. Criticising the character for doing the stupidest thing possible while being chased by a demonic scarecrow hell-bent on stuffing her with hay (has that one been done yet?) , I’m also the guy who has been banned from going to see horror films with friends because I kill the mood for them. What I’m getting at is that I don’t get horror and I don’t scare easily.

The problem with horror for me is I just can’t immerse myself. However F.E.A.R. and now F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin are an exception to the rule. Another problem I have with most horror is the storyline. Most of them involve stupid people doing even stupider things. However for the most part, F.E.A.R. doesn’t take part in that. It uses visuals and audio to set the mood rather then actions. The music in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin lets you know when you are going to have to kick someone’s arse. It also lets you know when you’re about to be given a fright. Normally this annoys me in game. I would rather be ambushed rather then have music tell me that enemy soldiers are about to attack. However, this time I found myself going “Oh no, here we go again” and actually enjoying it. The music also set the mood of the game really well with a large range of world music playing in the background. Some Indian, Middle Eastern and some even sounded Aboriginal, all mixed in with drum and bass - this would have to be one of the stranger soundtracks to a game I have heard, however it worked.

The visuals are really what set the game apart from the original title. Scene colours were used to great effect to immerse you in the game, really using techniques that have been reserved for movies until now. A blue sky can make you feel safe, while a red environment enhances your senses ready for an attack. Brightness was also used well to set a mood and up your heart-rate, however unlike most horror genre games the bad guys aren’t just hiding in the darkness waiting to jump out at you. In most scenarios, you’re the one who starts in the darkness, while they are out in the open. This is excellent to use a sneak slow-mo attack however if you are like me and walking around with a torch on, there is a good chance they will spot you and call in re-enforcements. Even the Specters don’t just jump out of the dark, they make you well aware of their presence before attacking. This really breaks this game away from other titles.


I loved the gameplay in F.E.A.R. and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is no different, many modern games look and feel great but the zombie-like intelligence of the AI lets the game down. The original F.E.A.R. has some of the best AI I have seen in any title, and this continues into Project Origin. The AI works together to flank you, hides when you are shooting at it, moves objects in the room to hide behind, and will even try to flush you out with grenades if you decide to camp it up for a bit. All in all I just can’t fault it. It is by far the most advanced AI I have seen in a first-person shooter. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin also brings some button-crunching techniques popular in console games. A monster jumps on you, you need to button-mash until you kick him off. Unlike a lot of console games you don’t need to do this every two minutes – it happens just enough for you to enjoy it, but not to the point where you’ll want to throw your mouse across the room.

Project Origin also introduces a new Mech to the game. Make no mistake though, it is only used a couple of times and in a limited location, so as not to disrupt the overall feel. It brings a new method to the game, I call it the “shoot everything until nothing moves” method. This Mech can cause a lot of damage very, very quickly and although it doesn’t bring any strategy to the game it makes up for it In plain old redneck destructive fun. Sort of like melting toy soldiers with a magnifying glass. There is no skill to it, but who needs skill when you are melting toy soldiers? One other thing I enjoyed is they don’t just make it simple for rampage: if you aren’t careful you will run out of ammo. This almost happened to me a couple of times during the game and can lead to some real problems when trying to kill a Replica Assassinwith a handgun and your elbows.


Don’t get me wrong though the game does have a couple of issues, although the game didn’t crash and ran smoothly on my PC setup, I did notice a couple of small annoyances. One of them caused me plenty of grief walking randomly around a floor for approx 45min before giving up and putting Google to good work. Turns out that an elevator shut without me in it trapping me on a floor, walking aimlessly searching for somewhere to go. A hint for those playing, once you have visited the administration of the school, and you’re going to the sick bay, keep pushing forward when you are going into the elevator. While I didn’t find the mysterious “invisible wall” bug, I did manage to fall through the floor to my death later on in the game. All of these are minor, and things which could easily be fixed in future patches.

The biggest problem I have with the game is the lack of dedicated server software. Because of this there is a lack of multiplayer games online, one of the features I was most looking forward to. I hope this isn’t a long lasting issue as I really look forward to getting into some good games of TDM and the new gamemode involving Mechs. This is the biggest fault I have with the game at this time. And in all good judgement from a PC gamer, it’s a main reason I have to lower my score for the game. I just hope support is released before the game loses its community.

Overall, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a fantastic game, it has a perfect balance between horror and action with a nice side dish of suspense. Single-player is almost flawless with some of the best AI I have seen and although it is let down by multiplayer at the time of writing If you are looking for a spine-chilling experience you can’t go wrong.