F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin + Reborn

Certainly love this sequel. I was hooked ever since I played the demo and the final game was a really stellar storytelling experience. Granted it wasn't as innovative as the original FEAR, but in my opinion definitely a must-play for horror fans.

Gameplay: This game feels a lot less awkward then the first that had a ton of controls to use. Slow motion is still great, though it felt a bit nerfed compared to the original (though not nearly as awful as #3). One of the issues is how they "highlight" enemies in slow-mo (too easy). The enemy AI is good as usually, but the ghost enemies were stupid and felt cheap. However, the other enemy types are interesting and challenging. Lastly, the mech battles are awesome. So empowering. Graphics Environments are much more colorful this time around. The lighting is very well done, not only terms of how light casts itself on the environment, but of the lighting color used. This adds a lot of character to the various environments. Each environment feels unique and memorable (compared to the first where the environments felt drab and repetitive (especially towards the end)). Textures are pretty decent (small text is legible at lest, which says something of the quality). The horror vfx are great, and the use of distortion and blur really convey a kind of 'psychosis' that the player character would be experiencing. Sound: Not much to say. Nothing was particularly great or weak. I would have to say that I wish that some of the guns sounded more powerful, as too many (especially the main rifle) felt like pee-shooters. Story Becket is not developed much, and neither are the secondary characters. Alma is given nice development though. The story is pretty straightforward, but nothing new or original. Unfortunately this game relies on a 'twist ending' in order to give the story credibility. It never makes one really think though, and thus the story is not the high point of this game. But this is okay, this game is definitely action-oriented.

While 2005’s F.E.A.R. is reputedly one of the best shooters of its era due to its spooky atmosphere, great slow-mo mechanic and unrivaled A.I., this sequel is often forgotten or said to be disappointing. It indeed fails to truly improve on the formula of its predecessor… But is it really so terrible? The first issue is that it feels like a carbon copy of the first: the shooting mechanics, the slow-mo, the urban environments, the music, the jump scares... it’s the same thing all over again, with no risks taken. At least, since it lifts so many elements from its big brother, it definitely still feels like F.E.A.R.. All of the elements that made its success are still there, and as it was almost perfect in the first place, why fix what’s not broken? More aggravating is that on some levels, this feels like a downgrade, even if it was released 4 years after the first. You can’t lean around corners anymore, the guns tend to feel less impactful, the physics are less satisfying… And the enemy A.I. is still solid, but no more advanced than it used to be – in fact, the enemies seem more suicidal! Even the visuals are a let down: the graphics look only marginally better than in the original, while the lighting and particle effects are a lot less remarkable. It’s just not as stylish and impressive as its predecessor. But hey, nitpicks apart, it’s still tons of fun. Frankly, the gameplay mechanics are very functional, the level design is pretty good, and most of the new weapons are well-designed and satisfying, making for a lot of enjoyable gunfights. Also, you can take control of giant mechs, which is quite awesome. The campaign is well-paced and keeps getting better: it’s one of those games that save the best for last, and the expansion isn’t bad either! So while F.E.A.R. 2 is not as advanced as one might have hoped, it’s a very competent game and an okay sequel to a great shooter. I won’t replay it as often as the first game, but I see no real reason not to recommend it.

Love this game. The strength of the story is not in mystery but the feeling of hopeless as your squad slowly deteriorates from the inside out. The game excels in atmosphere and action, offering a heavy, immersive campaign of intense firefights and serene pathways, and the visuals are beautiful and hard to forget. Everything is dark and almost cryptic and truly makes one feel alone, giving the player a deep, introspective experience. Love it.

Many things have been already written, so I will just concentrate on some things, that I really liked: + the shooting experience is fantastic + the mech parts are great, I also like their older game, SHOGO: M.A.D. + the colorfull graphics was much better, than in the first game + the campaign is solid and long (took me about 12 hours, while I tryed to find almost all the notes) + I am not really a fun of jump scares, but this was all right + I was really surprised, how well the Reborn DLC played. It was short, but explosive fun; and the ending ... the ending was much better, than the main game (Project ORIGIN) Hope one day we will see here - on GOG.com - the last part of trilogy.