F.E.A.R. Platinum

This is one of those games that is fun to play more than once. The combat is fun, with sparks, smoke, blood splatter, and bullet shells flying everywhere. There are physics on the enemies too, which especially when combined with the stake-hurling gun make for some fun times (you can play "pin the enemy to the wall"). The story and horror are decent--more about creepiness and sporadic scares instead of trying to be horror throughout. It is paranormal/little girl horror, like the Ring series. Graphics hold up fairly well The save system is like older games: some automated checkpoints that go to their own save slot, but otherwise it is save anywhere and quicksaves are allowed (yay). The game is fairly linear with only small deviations (like Half Life 2 or Doom 3 in levels). The deviations allow for you to take a few different approaches to some enemies--or for them to take different approaches to you, so watch your back. Highly recommended if you like story FPS's

Don't get me wrong; the first three to six hours of F.E.A.R. are a joy to play. The shooting mechanics are on point, there is a variety of enemies to deal with (from generic shooting dudes to heavily armored dudes, to spooky melee jumpy dudes). Bullet time gives you the much needed downtime for dealing with overwhelming numbers of enemies. The arsenal at your disposal is minimalistic, but it does its job -- the nail gun is particularly satisfying when dealing with tougher enemies. The levels are mostly linear, but have that engrossing Duke Nukem vibe to them where you are always on the lookout for extra ammo and medkits. The only issue is... that's about it. There's nothing really besides it and it turns the game into a crawl after several missions. The story, although not devoid of its strong moments, is sadly predictable and will likely not be enough for you to continue playing if you're not particularly savvy on first person shooters. The graphics are serviceable for its time, but the aesthetic department is a complete failure. Get used to this depressingly post-modernistic grayish-whatever palette prevalent in every level and terribly forgettable enemy and NPC design. No creative use of color like in Mirror's Edge, no interesting change of scenery like in the first Call of Duty -- just the same dull, uninteresting series of corridors, courtyards and offices, like you are were doing circles in The Stanley Parable over and over again. If you consider yourself an FPS savvy, give F.E.A.R. a shot when it's on sale. I'm certainly in the minority when it comes to disliking it and if you can somehow stomach its repetitive nature, you might get some enjoyment out of it. Maybe it's dumb to expect something more out of a first-person shooter, but there is ultimately nothing captivating about F.E.A.R. Somehow a game like Medal of Honor from 1999 made me feel way more immersed than this travesty ever did.

Positives: + Both DLCs are included + Very nice graphics, shadow and lightning effects (for its time) + Good sounds and music + The atmosphere in the main game and E.P. + Creepy horror parts in the main game and E.P. + Nice gunplay + Some cool weapons (nice newcomers in the DLCs) + The few places that are outside + Slow motion + Okay A.I. + Good physics (when the fps is under control) + When things get crazy (gunfights, explosions, things fly everywhere etc) + Good length in total Negatives: - The game engine comes with a lot of problems (especially on modern systems with high fps) - The game exits, levels not loading, very unstable fps, physics issues etc - Some other bugs and glitches - P.M. DLC is not that great in general - A lot of the same looking corridors - Gets a bit repetitive at times (especially in the DLCs) If you like horror themed FPS games, look no further. This is it. The main game is the best, no doubt. E.P. was quite good, but P.M. was just okay. Be aware though, that there will be a lot of similar looking corridors. But the horror parts and fun gunfights will make it worth it. Score: F.E.A.R. : 7.5/10 F.E.A.R. Extraction Point : 7/10 F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate : 6.5/10 Total Score: 7/10

The more time passes the more fond I am of this game. I didn't actually play it right when it came out but it's a masterpiece. The sinister horror elements and the desolate levels give it an atmosphere that is unrivaled in the FPS genre. After the 5 minutes of opening exposition about the "F.E.A.R" recon squad you are on your own and you basically never see anyone on your "team" again. It's just you vs. an unknown and preternatural enemy. So good.

A great classic, that gave the genre a lot of food for thought for the next few years. Unfortunately, enjoying it today on modern hardware might be a bit of a mixed bag. On some systems the game may run into its artificial RAM limit and significantly drop the framerate, regardless of how powerful your CPU and GPU are.