To me F.E.A.R. is an example of the perfect first-person shooter. Its levels are very well designed and host many engaging combat encounters, it has first aid kits and actual health points as opposed to the annoying health regeneration system, and as you progress you find or pick up off dead enemies more and more powerful weapons without having to deal with the modern crafting/upgrading system, which I am definitely not a fan of. The weapons include your regular rifles/shotguns, 3 types of explosives, and a couple of futuristic guns. There are two main families of enemies (variations of the replica soldiers and Armacham security forces, mainly differentiated by their arms and armor) and more rare supernatural horrors.
At times the ability to slow down time does make certain parts of the game easier, other times though it feels vital. I’d say the game is balanced around it and this mechanic makes things more fun and intense, not to mention that it’s actually a plausible explanation for why you were able to single-handedly take down a small army worth of soldiers. You can change the difficulty at any point in the pause menu, if it’s too easy or too hard.
The story (a good part of which is told through the voice messages on phones and the information you learn from abandoned laptops) is good, but it’s not something you’d discuss at a family dinner. It’s important to note that the included expansion packs (Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate) are NOT canon. F.E.A.R. 2 and its DLC continue the story of the original F.E.A.R.
