F.E.A.R. (PS3) Review
Posted by Andrew Mellick on 05.17.2007
One of the biggest first person shooters gets the port treatment as FEAR heads to the PS3. Will it capture its former glory or will glitches land it in the discount bin?
F.E.A.R.
Ports: they have become more prevalent now than bullet time. It used to be that companies would do little more than slap a few extra storyboards and a character model or two in an “extra’s” section and call it a day. However, these days’ consumers demand more for their hard earned money. As prices for games rise, the return that is expected rises as well.
Enter F.E.A.R., the first person shooter horror title that caused gamers to tremble and cry last October has now arrived on the PS3 to put more fear in gamers and more money in their pockets. But can a new system and a few extras really bring a new craze to a game that for all intents and purposes has had its time in the limelight? Read on to find out.
Graphics:
For those who have never played this game before get ready to watch the bodies fly. The rag doll physics in this game are awesome. If you shoot somebody in the leg they actually bend over and fall down, if you blast them in the shoulder, they fly back in the direction the bullet hit them. If you get the shotgun be prepared for carnage. People will fly back from blasts and slam into walls and pillars in horrific fashion. If you are lucky enough to get close to somebody and pull the trigger, you are rewarded with a gut wrenching wave of blood and entrails.
The other animations look slick as well, water ripples with startling realism, mines explode sending flames shooting in every direction. There are instances in the game where you come across the eerie faces of the netherworlds. These encounters are very creepy as the character movements are very unsettling. It creates a real ambiance that is not often seen in gaming.
So what could ruin all this eye candy? One word: glitches. Yes there are glitches. Yes they are horrible. I’ve played games with glitches before and they are always frustrating, but when you are playing a horror game, a genre that relies on timing, glitches can totally kill the feeling. It’s amazing just how many glitches and hiccups in animation there are, especially when you consider that the PS3 is supposed to own when it comes to graphical power. I don’t know if it is a designing thing or if somebody got sloppy, but all the beauty and destruction in this game has been neutered by the lack of smoothness in frame rate. It really is too bad.
Well now what’s he running from? Oh, that explains it.
Gameplay:
Well this game is a first person shooter so that should give you a good idea of what to expect. The game plays well, it’s really fun, especially when you get your hands on that shottie and go to work. There is also this sweet gun that shoots spikes, so when you put a few into an enemy he flies back and sticks into the wall.
The game also incorporates bullet time. I know that everybody did that to death a few years back, but it’s a huge help in the game and it really shows you the amazing rag doll affects when you rush a guy and blast his ass across the room. Plus, when you are a lone soldier facing down a room of baddies, it becomes more than necessary.
Where the game can get frustrating is in the controls. You change weapons with the R1 button and shoot with the R2, while not totally awkward, there was more than one occasion when I’d line up some jackass in my sites, say something cool like “This spikes for you” and accidentally change weapons. Also, the movement felt just a bit off sometimes, move too fast and you lose your bearings. I would have liked to have seen a little more tightness in the control scheme.
Sound:
The sound in this game is awesome. The sound affects are spot on and really bring you into the game. The shotgun blast is incredible, while the spike gun makes the kind of noise you’d expect from a gun that shoots metal spikes. Explosions are epic as the sound of shrapnel clanging off the walls and onto the floor is amazingly clear.
The music in the game goes along way to help create the tension and uneasiness that a situation like this would cause. Disjointed melodies, odd mechanic sounds, and distant rumblings, keep you on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what lurks around every corner.
The voice acting is decent. Enemy soldiers shouting out commands, sound natural and realistic. I would have liked to have heard some more time taken on the cut scenes as these are usually where the story should be fleshed out, yet due to poor sound quality and lack of emphasis on a strong voice presence, it comes across as little more than an afterthought.
Lasting Appeal:
This game really doesn’t have a whole lot that’s going to keep you playing it again and again. Sure there is multiplayer, but the maps are pretty bland and the graphics are filled with glitches here as well. Plus, for some odd reason, the developers chose not to include any voice options so that microphone headset is now useless. It’s pretty cool to have that mic option in any game, but it is imperative to any good FPS.
The added content in this game isn’t anything that exciting. Basically you get a new prequel type level that sets up the events of what happens in the game. This would be awesome if it were a well written masterpiece along the lines of an MGS. But its not, it’s a game with a creepy story but ultimately too convoluted to get too excited about.
While the game itself is interesting enough to keep you involved, the repetitive levels and glitches are just too much to keep you playing for too terribly long. There are definitely some bright spots in the game but not enough to keep you engaged.
Fun Factor:
There is some great fun to be had here. Hammer down the bullet time, break out the shottie and go to town. It’s amazing to watch the bodies fly as you tear through each level. The enemy AI here is lethal. They will flank, check out anything odd in SWAT like formation, throw grenades to clear out areas, and bark out orders to one another. It is really some of the best AI I have ever seen. Also, the difficulty levels are balanced nicely so each step up seems like a logical progression in the level of enemy intelligence.
The online play is not worth the effort in any respect. Lagging frame rate and glitches make any long term play impossible. With the lack of ability to communicate with your fellow soldiers the game breaks down to a mere kill quickly and hide affair.
The game can be fun, but unfortunately it is hampered by too many errors. Which would be bad enough, but when you consider that there is a much better version of the game that came out 8 months ago, it really takes a lot to argue the good in this game.
The 411:
The single player mode has a lot of fast paced action. The shotgun and spike gun provide a lot of fun and the rag doll physics are fun to watch. Unfortunately the game is filled with glitches and comes complete with awkward controls.
The online affair is totally worthless and does nothing to add to the replay value of this game. No communication and glitches galore bog it down to a less than stellar experience.
Overall this game was awesome on the 360 and for some reason transferred poorly to the supposedly more powerful system. If you have a 360 or a good PC I’d pick this gem up for those before I touched this one. Too bad, another port falls to the wayside.
Graphics
7.0
Amazing rag doll physics and a creepy ambiance, but far too many glitches for a next gen title
Gameplay
6.0
While the game offers some fun single player fun, the controls are awkward and the glitches make it far too frustrating
Sound
8.0
The sound is amazing in this game and really helps to set the tone, but the cutscenes leave something to be desired
Lasting Appeal
6.0
There really is nothing here to keep you coming back at all
Fun Factor
6.5
It's a fun game but with too many glitches keep it from being a mainstay title
