F.E.A.R. is an excellent, consistently replayable horror FPS. Its basic gameplay loop never gets old, with an incredibly realized direction and atmosphere. Anyone who is a fan of the FPS gente has to play it.
Every so often, you'll read a book, watch a movie, listen to a song, or play a game that sticks with you long after the initial experience is over. This is my experience with The Longest Journey. I first heard about TLJ from an old IGN article listing the best PC games of all time. While I wasn't really interested in adventure games at the time, the screenshots intrigued me. Years later, I rediscovered the game here on GOG and picked it up. This game is beautiful. Not necessarily in a technical way, but artistically. The pre-rendered cutscenes and backgrounds evoke living, breathing worlds. You can imagine just how much more there is just off of the edge of your screen. Couple that with a brilliant soundtrack, and you've got a game that is rich in atmosphere I played this game when I was working on a failed second college degree in my early twenties. I really related to April Ryan's struggles as a young adult trying to find my place in the world. It certainly didn't hurt that she's a charming, well-acted character. Playing this at that time in my life really made it stick with me. There are definite downsides to TLJ. Primarily, the puzzles. Good gravy are they convoluted. I would highly recommend not playing this game blind, but instead using a walkthrough. I personally used the Universal Hint System guide, which drip feeds you only basic information at first, with the option to spell it out for you as well. Try it yourself first, but once you get stuck, don't give up. It's worth it to finish. Another aspect that has aged pretty poorly is the voice acting and writing. April herself is acted well enough, but there are far too many characters whose stilted performances and cheesey nineties writing make it a little hard to stomach. From a technical aspect, this game needs a remaster. It doesn't work particularly well on modern systems. Take a look at the PC Gaming Wiki before you play. I adore this game and hope that April will finish the journey home one day.
