I picked up F.E.A.R. after reading about its highly-praised AI, and I was curious to see whether the hype held up in 2025. Spoiler: it absolutely does. From the very first skirmish, it’s clear that this game set the bar for squad-based enemy behavior, and even after all these years, it still feels deeply innovative. The standout feature of F.E.A.R. is easily its enemy AI. During combat, your adversaries don’t simply run at you—they strategize. They’ll pin you down, flank you, and flush you out of cover with grenades, all while issuing tactical orders you can overhear (like the chilling “Flush him out!”). This design elevates every encounter into a high-stakes experience where survival requires quick thinking and adaptability. The game’s level design rewards strategy. Instead of packing the maps with filler enemies, F.E.A.R. focuses on delivering tight, impactful engagements that feel more like tactical puzzles than mindless action. Each fight is its own unique challenge, encouraging experimentation and creativity. I often found myself reloading quicksaves just to test different approaches, because these battles are as rewarding to solve as they are to survive. The horror elements, unfortunately, didn’t quite land for me. The ghostly apparitions and hallucinatory sequences feel tacked on, distracting from the game’s otherwise razor-sharp focus on combat. These moments lack the same compelling design as the fights and rarely deliver the scares they aim for. More nuisance than necessary. Narrative flaws aside, F.E.A.R. remains a remarkable experience, and it’s hard to believe I paid just $2 for it on sale. The battles alone provided me with several hours of satisfying and I know I’ll remember its masterful AI long after I’ve finished the game. While I don’t see myself revisiting it after one playthrough, the legacy of F.E.A.R as a game that shaped modern shooters is undeinable.
The Halo of its day. Fun character, great artwork, plenty of action and humor. If you are looking for a quick lunchtime romp full of ammunition and glory, this is the game for you. What could be better than a fully automatic machine gun-pistol in your hands, bad guys in every direction, and an endorphin-releasing trip down memory lane? PLUS, you get BOTH of Jim's adventures here. The game is great, the price is BETTER THAN RIGHT, and the playability is superb. You are missing out if you don't drop a fiver for this game.
