Video game review: F.E.A.R.3 (2011)
F.E.A.R.3
I reviewed F.E.A.R.3 for Rave Magazine the other week. Quick summation: it’s OK.
F.E.A.R. 3 [MA 15+]
Developer: Day 1 Studios/Warner Bros.
Platform: PS3/360/PCPoint Man teams up with psycho brother to find mother
F.E.A.R. 3 is a somewhat confusing affair. The third instalment of the horror-themed first-person shooter series, notable for the involvement of filmmaker John Carpenter and writer Steve Niles in the game’s production, sees the return of the brothers Point Man and Paxton Fettel, characters from the first game. This time they’ve teamed up but just exactly what they’ve teamed up to do is somewhat hazy. Roughly, it concerns finding the creepy Alma Wade, who not only has crazy supernatural powers but also happens to be the mother of the protagonists, despite looking about 10 years old.
The game’s narrative seems as flimsy as the acronym on which the series has been constructed (F.E.A.R apparently stands for First Encounter Assault Recon, referencing a special forces group that deals with paranormal activity). The first scene sees you rescued from interrogation by Fettel, and from there you have to break out of an asylum and get to the city of Fairport while battling legions of armed personnel, crazed murderous citizens and spectral foes. It’s supposed to be scary, but it largely isn’t. Occasionally a weird-looking monster (who reminds me of Arch-vile from Doom II) may pop up in front of you or suddenly crawl across the screen, but since it often seems to kill your enemies, it makes it difficult to understand if it’s good or bad. Ethereal visions of Alma will pop up periodically, but never in a way that seems connected with the narrative.
Thankfully, F.E.A.R. 3’s saving grace is in the department most essential to a shooter: the game is built on fast and furious combat. Armed with the usual pistols, shotguns and assault rifles, you’ll encounter both special forces as well as deranged zombie-like enemies and, by God, they’re smart! They’ll often hide behind cover, dive behind boxes to escape gunfire and throw projectiles from distance, making them quite difficult to kill. Charging headlong into a room will probably mean you’ll die, so you’re forced to think strategically. Occasionally, you’ll be forced to fight large mech-like robots, which proves exhilarating. And when you run out of ammo (which happens often), don’t be scared to engage in some kamikaze hand-to-hand combat. Furthermore, the game’s four multiplayer modes are where the game’s replay value shines through with one mode, soul king, uniquely asking you to possess enemy soldiers and entice them to kill their teammates. If you’re content to ignore the game’s confusing campaign and embrace its clever combat system and multiplayer experience, you’ll find F.E.A.R. 3 a largely pleasing experience.
***½
DARRAGH MURRAY
It’s funny – people often point to the first FEAR game as an example of how a game can be creepy without being dark, but I do find that the broad daylight diffuses any tension that there would have been. Compare that to something like Alan Wake where a lot of creepiness is because you’re stuck in the dark, and there’s a lot to be said for keeping it after sundown.
I’d never heard of that Alan Wake game until you mentioned it. It sounds intriguing. I find most of these horror genre games to be a trifle predictable. Random things jumping at the screen rather than creating an eeries atmosphere. The scariest game I’ve ever played is System Shock 2, and fear in that game was generated by the maddening feeling that your cause was hopeless.