F.E.A.R. Platinum

I'd been interested in the FEAR series, particularly the first game, for years, but with a backlog the size of Mt. Everest, I've only just gotten around to it. And I'm very glad I did. Monolith's J-horror by way of John Woo is both one of the most claustrophobic and simultaneously liberating games I've played in recent memory. When I started playing this game, I took it slow. You can lean to peak around corners and almost every encounter gives you the element of surprise, letting you plan out your attack. The game is enjoyable this way -- it's enjoyable most any way -- but it wasn't until I let my hair down and began to experiment that the true malleability of FEAR's mechanics became clear. Instead of just lobbing a grenade, giving enemies a second or two to realize and get out of the way, why not toss it toward them, slam the shift key to go into slow-mo, and detonate it mid-air with a well-placed bullet. Enemies on the floor below you? Hop over the railing, slam the shift key, and pop each in the head on the way down. Enemy about to toss a grenade your way? Slam the shift key and shoot it out of his hand to detonate it, taking out a whole squad. All of these opportunities happened over my roughly 5.5 hr playthrough and I always felt like an absolute God weaving my way through beautifully choreographed action scenes. None of these moments of improvisation are totally player-authored, the devs clearly intend for you to shoot grenades out of the air, hop over railings, etc. They telegraph each scenario with pathing, enemy barks, and subtle hints. But it's never so obvious that it feels like your hand is being held. Overall, 100% worth a look. It's relatively short, but well-paced. A 4.5/5

I love this game. The good gunplay mixed with the smart AI makes for some intense gunfights. The atmosphere is also great and theres some cool scares too. While the graphics may look basic I feel it's aged pretty well with the lighting still looking fantastic, and the overall image looking clean. Definitely recommend this for shooter fans! :)

Still the same as when I first played it on 10 FPS (although nowadays I have finally smooth run :) ). Enemies are still more intelligent than in your common AAA Titles, they often use covers and map layout more than players... shame this isn't seen more often.

Graphics : still hold on, still bleak and gory, still scary and thrilling Sound: WB has its hand on it so expect great quality sfx and voices, the music goes from static to orchestral score and overall excellent. Gameplay: a bit repetitive but the formula is so strong that it just works to keep you gripped till the end. Story: nothing fancy but solid so it becomes scary and thrilling. the screenplay is just top notch. Still one of the best FPS to date. 9/10

for $10 very good for fun