F.E.A.R. Platinum

My favorite game! Thanks GOG for support!

A good old game, still stands up after 20 years, a testiment to what a great game it was for it's time.

...RUN! I usually end up playing single-player games with cheat codes, since after a while I really would like shooting that really big gun more than twice per game, etc. But F.E.A.R. is something else. Even *knowing* I can't be killed, have every armament in digital creation, and am functionally the most dangerous thing around, I STILL tense up. This game has atmosphere in spades, and will give you memories for decades to come. Like the first thunderstorm in S.T.A.L.K.E.R., or your first dragon in Skyrim, there is something about walking through abandoned offices, hospitals, and city streets at night... These are no zombies to be killed en masse: nightmares are coming to life, and nothing can be done by the US military. In fact, this game has the ONLY satisfactory answer for why you, the player, don't immediately suffer the horrific fate of all who come before you! But first, you have to go where you really don't want to: forward. SPOILER ALERT: A man name Paxton Fettel, incredibly powerful (and *seemingly* insane, but not) escapes from Armacham Technologies Corp. (ATC). One of the most gifted telepaths known, he was to be the commander of armies of soulless clones. These clones are armed to the teeth, better than humans in combat, unfeeling, relentless, with armor, modern and futuristic weapons, helicopters, and one goal: do whatever Paxton thinks. You play an unbelievably gifted soldier working for the government, a paranormal-event military reconnaissance group called F.E.A.R. Your mission starts off as "kill Fettel, everything goes back to normal". But a ghostly little girl, Alma, keeps showing up, and where she is, people die. Horribly. But not you. Play this game. Find out the relationship between you, Fettel, and Alma. And near the end, just when you think you're safe... watch as nightmares tear through the walls of reality and step into the new daylight. LITERALLY.

Trashy gunplay, weapons with bad feedback, bullet-spongy enemies, bullet-magnet player to force the bullet time mechanic; all of it to experience a subpar horror story about a little girl. There is a retro charm to it, it shows its age in a good way, both in terms of story and visuals, but don't expect to find a "true classic" shooter or a particularly effective horror experience. Three stars for excellent presentation and the solid level design, the likes of which we haven't seen since the Half-Life 2 era.

FEAR 1 is excellent. Tense atmosphere, some jumpscares, great gunplay, nice physics, great AI, great sound. The expansions are boring filler, though.