F.E.A.R. - awesome idea falls to mediocrity

A

AdamNesvick

2[H]4U
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Jun 18, 2006
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I read all the reviews for this game, and ran out to buy it when it came out. The graphics are bar-none, the story was awesome. Why the lame gameplay? I mean, I felt like I was runing through the same level, killing the same guys, the whole game? The AI was good, I'll grant that so sometimes it got interesting. Plus its short and has a shitty ending.

Why do game companies continue to release interactive technology demos? Thank god some companies don't fall to this. Monolith used to be awesome (Blood, Shogo: Mobile Armor Division) What happened?
 
Agreed, the firefights in FEAR were awesome but the level design was really lacking. Through out most of the game I kept thinking "when's the next firefight coming?". Another aspect I found lacking was the objectives in the game, the goal for the whole game was "find and stop Pettel".
 
I have no complaints about F.E.A.R., If I had to choose one it would be its length but even that I can't really complain. It felt like a complete game, nothing felt rushed or just randomly thrown in. The ending was great and I can't wait for the expansion pack.

Monolith is still one of my favorite developers, they have yet to really let me down. Only title I think they didn't put their all in was with Contract J.A.C.K.
 
I thought the levels served the story. Office buildings aren't the most exciting places in the world. They built a convincing atmosphere, the AI was superb, and the story kept me interested. As far as i'm concerned that makes it a quality game worth the $55 i spent. :)
 
In the last few years, I think the only FPSes I've played that could compete with FEAR are Half-Life 2 and Far Cry. So many of the fights are just so brutal, frantic, and fun. More games need to let you hit people with your weapons. I had no problem with the level design, either.

I think I would rather have a Shogo sequel than anything else right now though.
 
aznpxdd said:
...but the level design was really lacking.
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I disagree. While this may be true of the level design in terms of artistic direction, I thought the actual structure of the levels was excellent.
 
While I don't think the levels were badly designed I sure think most people feel that way because of the lack of firefight and interesting objective. I mean at one point there was 0 firefight for at least 2 minutes. Granted there was that girl shadow once or twice during that period but the point of that is lost with the really Hollywood type ending.

Some say it feels like an engine demo and I somewhat agree. But unlike most games these days it was mostly original and doesn't feel rushed (even if it's rather short).

IMHO, I think they should stop putting soooo much emphasis the engines and maybe use a good solid one and make the best of it with the best graphics possible, worthy music and descent story. Prey is good example.
 
They could of changed the environments a bit...as was done in Condemned Criminal origins...
 
I thought it was the most fun I've had with a video game in a long time. You know what they say about opinions, though...
 
alphaone said:
I had no complaints with FEAR. One of the better games I've played.
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Yeah, I agree. I mean that was one of the top games last year for me. There's just no pleasing everybody... ever.
 
FEAR's gameplay didn't differ enough to be really interesting, the firefights became rather stale before long. Don't get me wrong it's a fantastic game but it certainly lacked in some areas. I think they picked too little themes and made the levels with them too long, it's kinda like the boatride and the car ride in HL2, you just want them sections to end after you've been doing it for so long.

One thing I advise people to do with FEAR, if you want a more cinematic game experience, set the crosshair size to the smallest, and the most transparent, it means even if you're a good shot that some of your bullets are going to miss and actually hit the environment, my problem was that because I'm a good shot and conserve ammo etc that the environments stay relativly untouched which is a real shame because 50% of the visuals is in the destroying of things.

I've just finished playing it through for the 3rd time (1st time was done in a few days, 2nd time I gave up with boredom) and it was much more enjoyable with no crosshair, felt like the firefights were more hide and lean out and spray and take your time, rather than legging it around rambo in slow motion taking them all out before any of them get a shot off.
 
Frosteh said:
FEAR's gameplay didn't differ enough to be really interesting, the firefights became rather stale before long. Don't get me wrong it's a fantastic game but it certainly lacked in some areas. I think they picked too little themes and made the levels with them too long, it's kinda like the boatride and the car ride in HL2, you just want them sections to end after you've been doing it for so long.

One thing I advise people to do with FEAR, if you want a more cinematic game experience, set the crosshair size to the smallest, and the most transparent, it means even if you're a good shot that some of your bullets are going to miss and actually hit the environment, my problem was that because I'm a good shot and conserve ammo etc that the environments stay relativly untouched which is a real shame because 50% of the visuals is in the destroying of things.

I've just finished playing it through for the 3rd time (1st time was done in a few days, 2nd time I gave up with boredom) and it was much more enjoyable with no crosshair, felt like the firefights were more hide and lean out and spray and take your time, rather than legging it around rambo in slow motion taking them all out before any of them get a shot off.
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As far as enviroment damage goes in a game, nothing holds a candle to Red Faction, that was a awesome game in many ways. F.E.A.R. was just more of the same over and over and over again, thats what I hated about Doom 3. Prey seems good, and I can't wait to try it, But half life 2 is still the king, more variety in a game than I can ever remember.
 
AdamNesvick said:
As far as enviroment damage goes in a game, nothing holds a candle to Red Faction, that was a awesome game in many ways.
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Oh hell yeah. I spent hours just blasting tunnels through the walls. :D

Whatever happened to that concept? I think more games should use it.
 
beanman101283 said:
I thought the levels served the story. Office buildings aren't the most exciting places in the world. They built a convincing atmosphere, the AI was superb, and the story kept me interested. As far as i'm concerned that makes it a quality game worth the $55 i spent. :)
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I don't usually do this, but this is an excellent post, and deserves a QFT. :)
 
jaguax said:
Oh hell yeah. I spent hours just blasting tunnels through the walls. :D

Whatever happened to that concept? I think more games should use it.
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im sure PPUs (or multi-core CPUs) will make that a reality soon enough...
 
I played the FEAR demo and I thought the level design was too simplistic. Maybe it was the artistic direction, I don't know. But I do know I 'walked around' in game and found the architecture to be too square and/or uninspiring. I had just come off of playing Doom3 and there is nothing square or boxy about the rooms and levels in Doom3. Ignore the closet demons, appreciate the level design.
 
PrkChpXprss said:
I played the FEAR demo and I thought the level design was too simplistic. Maybe it was the artistic direction, I don't know. But I do know I 'walked around' in game and found the architecture to be too square and/or uninspiring.
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What office buildings are usually oval with neon colors? The game probably had one of the most realistic enviroments second to Half-Life in terms of fitting in with realworld architecture.
 
|MaguS| said:
What office buildings are usually oval with neon colors? The game probably had one of the most realistic enviroments second to Half-Life in terms of fitting in with realworld architecture.
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Point taken. Maybe I'll go back and play the demo again just to see if my perception of the game has changed. I do remember the AI being pretty tough. I also could have been burnt out on the 'scary' concept just because I got so g-darn tired of the monster closets from Doom3.
 
jaguax said:
Oh hell yeah. I spent hours just blasting tunnels through the walls. :D

Whatever happened to that concept? I think more games should use it.
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I get the impression (as I've recently mentioned half a dozen times in the PPU forum...) that level design would become far too convoluted, because the player has so much freedom of movement. Alternatively, you can restrict the player to a certain progression through the game by imposing seemingly arbitrary limitations (as was the case in Red Faction, where nearly every wall was steel or steel-reinforced), effectively relegating "fully destructible environments" to an utterly useless gimmick.

Though I guess this doesn't really apply to a lot of multiplayer shooters. Anything objective-based could be fucked up pretty badly, but most problems in a straight DM could be pretty easily avoided.

HighwayAssassins said:
im sure PPUs (or multi-core CPUs) will make that a reality soon enough...
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For the reasons above, I don't think it's anything to do with technological limitations. I mean, the capability has been there for at least five years, and no other developer has touched it. If anyone wanted to do it, they'd be doing it already, with or without realistic physics.
 
Interval 8>*

Urban Decay was by far one of the coolest chapters of any game I've played, from Interval 6 and up is where the action really starts.
 
AdamNesvick said:
I read all the reviews for this game, and ran out to buy it when it came out. The graphics are bar-none, the story was awesome. Why the lame gameplay? I mean, I felt like I was runing through the same level, killing the same guys, the whole game? The AI was good, I'll grant that so sometimes it got interesting. Plus its short and has a shitty ending.

Why do game companies continue to release interactive technology demos? Thank god some companies don't fall to this. Monolith used to be awesome (Blood, Shogo: Mobile Armor Division) What happened?
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Hmm, not sure where you're coming from. I thought the game was a class act from beginning to end.
 
FEAR was certainly a great game and one of the most taxing on your system. This game can cripple an underpowered PC or even a smoking fast system.

I was very impressed when I walked into Monarch Computers the other day (local cust) and saw they had a Hornet with a FX-62 and 7950 all in a SFF box running FEAR maxed it. It looked gorgeous and play fluidly, maxed out. I stayed for about 30 min, just playing with my jaw dropped. I need this system!!! :cool:
 
i just started playing it the other day and i like it so for. the only thing that bothers me is there is a lot of banding. its very noticable on wall corners and where lighting and shadows/smoke overlap. the textures look really odd on the lockers for some reason too. i tried maxing out the settings but the banding was still there. i also tried a different video card but no difference. i have a crt monitor and have never noticed banding in a video game before. :(
 
trek554 said:
i just started playing it the other day and i like it so for. the only thing that bothers me is there is a lot of banding. its very noticable on wall corners and where lighting and shadows/smoke overlap. the textures look really odd on the lockers for some reason too. i tried maxing out the settings but the banding was still there. i also tried a different video card but no difference. i have a crt monitor and have never noticed banding in a video game before. :(
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I've gotta run vsync on mine. You got it turned on?
 
Mark305TBI said:
I've gotta run vsync on mine. You got it turned on?
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yes but that doesnt do anything for the banding. i even checked the config to make sure it was in 32 bit because the banding is so noticeable. :(
 
trek554 said:
yes but that doesnt do anything for the banding. i even checked the config to make sure it was in 32 bit because the banding is so noticeable. :(
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That's strange. I thought you might be talking about tearing, 'cause I got that real bad on my LCD without the vsync. The textures on my 21"CRT/6800GT box and my 17"LCD/7800GTX box look just fine to me... :confused:
 
AdamNesvick said:
I read all the reviews for this game, and ran out to buy it when it came out. The graphics are bar-none, the story was awesome. Why the lame gameplay? I mean, I felt like I was runing through the same level, killing the same guys, the whole game? The AI was good, I'll grant that so sometimes it got interesting. Plus its short and has a shitty ending.

Why do game companies continue to release interactive technology demos? Thank god some companies don't fall to this. Monolith used to be awesome (Blood, Shogo: Mobile Armor Division) What happened?
Click to expand...
I'll agree that once the wow-factor of the slowmo effects wore-off the firefights were a little boring. I kept going because of the new guns/ levels.
 
ohgod said:
I'll agree that once the wow-factor of the slowmo effects wore-off the firefights were a little boring. I kept going because of the new guns/ levels.
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Exactly, and the story just got stupid. What happened to System Shock 2 caliber games folks? I STILL have that on my computer. If you haven't played it, check out home of the underdogs, its Abandonware now, and worth a try. PM me if you need the link, I dunno if the Admin considers that piracy or not so no direct links.
 
I agree somewhat about the level design, but didn't the fright aspect keep your interest peaked at all? I am genuinely afraid to go around the next corner in that game. The only time I get to play is after midnight when I've put the birds to bed (so its dark and quiet in my house) and its just so much fun getting scared!
 
AdamNesvick said:
Exactly, and the story just got stupid. What happened to System Shock 2 caliber games folks? I STILL have that on my computer. If you haven't played it, check out home of the underdogs, its Abandonware now, and worth a try. PM me if you need the link, I dunno if the Admin considers that piracy or not so no direct links.
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How, exactly was the story stupid?
 
xtasyindecay said:
How, exactly was the story stupid?
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Ok, your following a kid in a red dress, all through the game, and some psycho that eats people/drinks blood, whatever, you finally find him, he's dead, you run into the girl, shoot her a few times, shes dead. I shouldn't say stupid, just boring. I had a high yawn factor for this game. In Half life 1 & 2 I couldn't stop playing cuz I wanted to see what happened next, I had to take a break from fear just because its like playing the same game all over for however many just to finish it. I LOVED the first firefight, in the warehouse in the beginning, but it never got better. Beautiful game, substandard pacing, and plot to me.
 
I have to disagree with the op. FEAR is the best story I have ever played. And the best ending too. I have never felt the emotional high I got from FEAR in any other game. Never.
 
luke51087 said:
I kinda liked the ending, i was like o shit fear 2 here i come
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QFT, except I actualy screamed "OH SHIT!" out loud...and it was 3:00AM...yea, I woke up just about everybody in the house.
 
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