F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin (PS3) Preview

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 02.02.2009

Hands-On: Time to get scared as I go hands-on with the PSN Demo!

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin has to be one of the most awaited games of 2009. But thankfully we don't have to wait too much for it since it will be out in a couple of weeks. After spending some time with the Playstation 3 demo I can't wait for it to be released.



As an avid FEAR player in my PC I was shockingly disappointed with the PS3 port of the original game. It suffered from slowdown and other issues and the graphical presentation looked worse on the PS3 than it did in my average-at-best PC. So I am very happy to report that those issues are not present in the FEAR 2 demo at all. The game looks absolutely fantastic and the atmosphere it creates is as eerie and creepy as ever.

The first thing you get to see is a brief introduction on Alma, which I think was well executed. One of the things I am more excited about in the sequel is learning more about Alma, her motives and how she became the creepy little monster we all love. Then the real game begins. You begin walking around, somewhat dazed, in a ruined city full of debris. A crashed helicopter is near by and everything has a reddish hue, which makes it seem like a Nuclear Bomb just went off. Alma shows up a couple of times (as creepy as ever) and leads you to a hole where you jump down (although the hole looks like it is full of lava). When the game resumes you are given your fist objective as you enter what looks like a school. You get your first weapon and are immediately tossed into combat. The enemies are really smart, taking cover behind walls and bookcases and also creating their own cover by turning tables and vending machines. The gunplay is as tight as ever and to me this is one of the game's stronger points. I am not a fan of survival horror games because typically the combat feels too rigid, but FEAR's combat is tight and precise and feels more like a combat game that it does a horror game. If it where not for the creepy supernatural things in the game you would mistake it for another tactical FPS.



As soon as you are done with this first combat sequence, the creepy factor turns up a notch. Lights start to flicker, lockers fly open and even a dead body in the floor is suddenly pulled across the screen by an unseen force. This "force" is some sort of "electric ghost" that tries to harm you and that you cannot harm. Trust me, he made me jump out of my seat and empty a clip into nothingness. Another of the standout scenes in the demo happens when you enter what looks like the lunchroom and see the floor, walls and everything in there smeared in blood. It really plays with your mind and makes you wonder what happened to the kids in this school. The demo also allows you to pilot a Power Armor, which is a cool-looking robot thing equipped with a powerful gun and some rockets. This is one of the more entertaining portions of the demo, although it ends too fast. I suppose this is more encouragement to buy the game.



I died several times across the demo. Many of these times I was just trying to figure out a way to harm our "electric ghost" friend and a few times once the snipers showed up. I was playing in normal difficulty, which means that the game will be pretty difficult in the default setting. With the excellent combination of survival horror scares and tight combat mechanics, FEAR 2 looks like a winner. Mark down February 10 in your calendars and make a date to spend a bloody valentine with FEAR 2.

Screenshots
All 13 F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Screenshots