[Review originally written in 2011 for X360 version]
After dragging myself through the mediocre FEAR2 in 2009, my expectations were insanely low. I didn't expect it to be this bad. Let's get the positives out of the way first: tight controls & quite challenging difficulty. Phenomenal sound design; those with a 5.1 surround system or headset are in for a real treat. There, all done. Everything’s downhill from here.
After shaking my head in distaste at the terrible presentation & starting up the single player, I was greeted with cringe-worthy voice-acting in a poor effort to gain the player's interest.
The story’s a nonsensical mess. The levels get progressively more generic as one ends & the other begins. Carrying the same 2 guns throughout the entire game save for a few encounter-specific occasions where the game conveniently places a sniper rifle or rocket launcher to use against an enemy type that requires such treatment. There's nothing to hold one's interest other than some mildly entertaining mech shootouts (think of the same battles in FEAR2 minus the thrill).
Completing the campaign as the silent & generic Point Man unlocks Fettel, who offers an admittedly more exciting experience as it does spice up the foul-tasting main course.
Alas, this campaign counts as one of the most tedious, unsatisfying experiences I’ve ever encountered in my 30+ years of gaming. Abysmal story, piss-poor voice-acting, lackluster level design, failed attempts at horror & a cover mechanic ripped straight from Killzone 2.
Every single thing about it reeks of sour milk & pus squeezed straight from a cancerous breast-like blob on life support. FEAR3 is what happens when some dollar-sniffing bloke in a suit says: “Let's not break a sweat. Put in some generic shooter stuff, prison & sewer levels at the start, focus on multiplayer because that's hot nowadays."
This is shooter #596451 with a FEAR stamp on the front of the box. A proper and final insult to fans.
