F.E.A.R. Platinum

*WARNING* if you're playing on a newer system there is a high probability that you will need to get your hands dirty installing fixes to get this to run right, Also at least on my system running win10 the multiplayer is completely broken.. you can't even play local network matches. If you aren't willing to get your hands dirty I'd recommend you skip this one. If you are willing to tinker check out the GoG forum for fixes. This was a hard game to review, Do I review the game after I fixed it so it ran smoothly or out of the box from GoG install which is a mess?, I choose to review the game as it's intended. The game came out around 05 or 06, It won't win any awards for graphics or sound these days But in it's day it was quite decent and you can tell a lot of care was spent on setting the mood with the lighting and sound. The A.I in this game is also a cut above.. dare I say even some of today's modern games? It has aged well. Reminds me of Doom, blending FPS action & supernatural horror and no shortage of gore. Characters are likable including the villain who is well voice cast. The action is satisfying, The horror elements are generally well done. The game alternates between story telling, scares, and gun fights with good pacing not to over whelm you with any of the 3. One disappointment I had was there is very little stealth element, Despite lots of shadows you're often spotted in near pitch black darkness, the A.I has incredible vision, which was a missed opportunity imo. The other major complaint is the insane decision to put focus-aim as a "toggle" instead of "hold" function. The A.I is smart in a fight, sometimes retreating or even hiding in wait after you've killed it's buddies. 3 games are included I felt the 1st was environmentally repetitive but, Extraction point had a good blend of action and horror, while Perseus Mandate leaned heavy into the action at the expense of horror. If you like FPS and Horror you'll enjoy this 1.. er 3

Having never played this game when it first came out, I went in more or less expecting a horror game in FPS clothing. What I ended up getting was quite honestly one of the best single player FPS experiences I've had possibly ever. There are certainly horror elements present, and occasionally they are relatively well done, but the gunplay and enemy A.I. are where this game truly shines and earned the game a permanent install spot on my computer. In a world where the average modern day FPS game is generic and multiplayer focused, and aside from indie boomer shooters most single player offerings are relatively samey, the fact that more FPS games haven't expanded on this games blueprint since it came out makes me sad.

I've been playing this game over and over for over a decade and it is easily one of my favorite games of all time. Few games have managed to implement "bullet time" as effectively and thrillingly as FEAR, it is always thrilling especially when used to survive a particularly dangerous skirmish. The gunplay and physics have aged incredibly well with the weapons achieving a heft that many modern FPS titles still struggle to achieve. As a big John Woo fan I love rocking the dual handguns as much as possible, you feel so badass! The enemy AI is still some of the best in the industry. We have seen modern FPS enemies regress into idiots running into harms way with no sense of self-preservation at all. Not so with FEAR where enemies will adapt once discovering your presence. If an area has multiple routes of traversal a solider may very well take the long way around and sneak up on you. Hearing the radio chatter between enemies shows them pointing out when you're trying to flank them and sometimes they fall back and attempt to set up traps to catch you off-guard. This sense of unpredictability prevents the game from becoming repetitive as you kill mostly the same-looking enemy for the whole game. The story is a little hokey but it's still effective and drives the gameplay forward effectively. The spooky sequences will still unsettle and cause a jump or two even after my repeated playthroughs. I also love the ending! Monolith were able to bring strong horror sensibilities and combine it with excellent FPS mechanics and I honestly feel that this game still stands as one of the best ever made in the genre. As far as its age goes, it needs a tweak or two due to it's age but thanks to PCGamingWiki I had it running in 2K on a modern setup with no problems and it scales surprisingly well. Get it already!

Just finished Perseus Mandate yesterday and with that have now completed the whole package offered here. First of all, this is a great value you get here with the Platinum Edition. It will take you some time to get through the main game and the two addons. The game and the addons are pretty good but haven't aged that well IMO. Sure, the AI is impressive and the SlowMotion shootouts thrilling but the level design is everything but impressive and the game itself is pretty repetitive. So what I recommend is to set the difficulty at least on high so you get the most out of the shooting because there isn't much more to it really. The story is, although pretty simple, not very well told (worst combo IMO) and I lost interest very quickly. And yeah, the horror elements are there but are repeated over and over again, so it does get a bit tiresome - especially if you play the main game and the addons in a row like me. And that's about it. There isn't much more to tell. This is pretty much an OldSchool shooter. Better be aware of that before you jump into it. I have to say that I personally liked Perseus Mandate best of the 3 because it gives kinda of an outside perspective on the events of F.E.A.R and EP. Also I though it had the best shock moments and on top of that a challenging boss fight at the end (something totally absent in F.E.A.R. and EP). EP on the other hand felt and played like a chore. It didn't add much to the story and felt like the devs just added a few levels at the end.

One of the best FPS games ever made, but also a terrific horror game. I still remember playing it when I was way younger and now that I've done it again, it's just wonderful. Picked it up here in case it vanishes from other stores. While graphics are dated, the action keeps you going. The game environments had to be a bit sparse due to the way its AI worked, but the section where the story is conveyed are still very well arranged. You owe it to yourself to experience one of the final shooters made before Modern Warfare and the like swallowed up the genre.