F.E.A.R. 3 Review (Xbox 360)

The F.E.A.R franchise has been through a few hurdles since its debut in 2005. The first game in the series was developed by Monolith Productions and published by Vivendi. Just 5 short years later and the original publisher have ceased to be. Like the ghostly little girls that populate this horror FPS series it has moved along in to the hands of Day 1 Studios, who ported the original F.E.A.R to the Xbox 360 in 2006. Can Day 1 carry on the frightening legacy left behind by Monolith and bring closure to the story of Point Man and Fettel?

F.E.A.R 3 assumes that you have played through the original 2 titles in the series. Right away you are thrown into the body of Point Man who is under lock & key at an Armachan facility. Along the way you will hear your brother calling to you. This duality isn’t cosmetic, as I’ll get to; Point Man’s brother Fettell plays a vital role in the games co-op experience. During the single player campaign, as Point Man, your main arsenal is an array of machine guns, shotguns and pistols. While this is all standard FPS fare it is how the game handles encounters and cover that truly set it apart.



Without spoiling too much of the plot F.E.A.R 3 boasts an impressive amount of environments. Unlike other shooters released just this past month F.E.A.R 3 doesn’t lock you into industrial complexes or short corridors. The game opens in the aforementioned Armachan Facility, which resembles a prison. Here Point Man has access to various barrels, railings and crates he can use as cover. When you move in to the city streets and urban areas cover becomes less abundant but the range of enemies and amount of firearms available to you increases. This keeps the experience fresh and exciting instead of making the enemy encounters a series of “pop-up” targets the game will throw a mini-boss. These mini-bosses can vary and one standout example occurs during the beginning of the game when the Armachan forces deploy mechanized suits against you. Sure your standard “fire and hide” tactics will work against them but if you think outside the box the encounter will be over a lot sooner.

After completing a chapter of the single-player, or by taking the game online, you have the option to play as Point Man’s brother Fettel. He is a ghostly figure who possesses other worldly abilities. Unlike his brother he cannot normally wield weapons. Instead he has two different “spells” he can cast. The first is an offensive red ability that can suspend enemies in the air and damage them. The second ability allows Fettel to cast a shield around his brother. As long as Fettel is not heavily damaged this protective shield essentially adds extra hit points to the other player. By far his coolest ability is that of possession. At any time Fettel can posses any enemy that he can see on screen. This allows him to pick up weaponry and join the fight. This also means that Fettel can reach strategic points that Point Man cannot via possession.



Day One has also trumpeted their online component. They took what I feel is a really refreshing approach their online multiplayer. Unlike other shooters they are not trying to be the next Call of Duty or Halo. Instead they invented 4 unique multiplayer modes - a survival mode for up to four players fighting against waves of enemies called “f***cking run”, “Contractions” which plays similar to Activision’s Nazi Zombie mode lasty Soul Survivor has four players facing off against an omnipresent “Specter” who can possess A.I generated enemies to collect Souls dropped by the other four players.

F.E.A.R 3 is a very rounded package with a few loose threads. The game’s single player is short, clocking in at about 4 or 5 hours, but when you factor in the ability to play the game cooperatively with a friend from a completely new vantage point this gives it some much needed depth. The addition of new and inventive multiplayer modes means that you won’t be climbing through the same 50 ranks just to unlock machine guns and ‘perks’. If you haven’t played a previous F.E.A.R title you might want to least read a synopsis or two before diving in. Once you’ve decided to make the jump you’ll find a fairly fresh take on a genre that has become all to stagnant as of late.

Platform:
Xbox 360
..................................
Publisher:
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
..................................
Developer:
Day 1 Studios
..................................
Genre:
First Person Shooter
..................................
Release Date:
6/21/2011
..................................
Game Features:
Offline Players: NA

Ratings :: None
Average :: 0
Submit Full Review
Rate This Game

Share This Article