While not what I would call a vast variety, F.E.A.R. does have some real gems, my favorite of which is the Particle Cannon. This emits what seems to be a single laser blast that is almost guaranteed to kill an enemy with one hit. However, the way in which it goes about its business is both gruesome and satisfying, burning the flesh off its intended victim leaving only the charred remains of his skeleton clattering onto the floor. The Nail gun too is a favorite of mine, rapidly firing large metal spikes. Accurate and powerful, and adding a sprinkling of humor to your foes unfortunate demise as you pin them up by their head/leg/hand or whatever else you happen to aim at. The usual suspects are there as always, including shotgun (fantastic fun) machine gun, dual pistols and what FPS would be complete without a rocket launcher? But I shall leave you to decide the merits of those and one or two other treats as you come across them. One thing to note is that you can only carry a maximum of 3 weapons at a time, and that ammo varies in its quantities from one to another. This often leaves you strategising over which weapon is the best to take or leave for a given situation, but as you progress through the game you will no doubt conclude on at least one ever present in your arsenal.
Well, as great as all this action is you are probably thinking that so far the well documented scare factor is no more than the average FPS. Now let me dispel that illusion right away. F.E.A.R. reaches a level 10 on the official Guru 3d ‘this is so scary I need a new pair of pantsometer’. So, what you may ask, can make a game so unsettling? Well, three main things contribute to this, namely a little Girl in a red dress, some excellent pacing where level design is concerned, and a relentless atmosphere that burrows itself into your subconscious. Now, I have to add that any thoughts about kids at this point in my life are generally pretty scary and enough to have me running for the door, let alone one that can rip your arms out of their sockets from 30 paces. She also has an uncanny knack of appearing where you least expect, leaving a trail of death in her wake - although judging by the behavior of the kids of today, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is becoming closer to normality. This maybe why Alma had me more transfixed than most. She is certainly involved in many of the games ‘jump points’ that really do have you jump out of your chair. Just don’t let your grandfather anywhere near F.E.A.R., as it maybe more than his pacemaker can take! I won’t go into the details of the story line surrounding Alma, just to say that it is compelling enough to keep you glued to the keyboard.
You learn about her plight through various laptops and answer phones dotted through the levels, as well as the brooding whisperings of Fettel himself, declaring that ‘they all deserved to die’. This maybe a rather conventional way of portraying the story, but in general it works well in the given context. However, F.E.A.R. isn’t just about the ‘jump’ factor, but a lot more the ‘chill’ factor. In fact, the best way to describe F.E.A.R. is ‘chilling’ and by this I mean blood curdling, spine tingling, “I really don’t want to go into that dark room over there” chilling. This is created by some excellent pacing that links the game together, with some long unsettling periods of wandering and investigating buildings in between the action set pieces. The action/events of the game are timed precisely at the right moment to have the desired effect. This, along with so much else contributes to the dark foreboding ever-present atmosphere.
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