When I first rented Monolith Productions’ F.E.A.R. on Xbox 360 back in 2007, I was very impressed with the singleplayer campaign. Despite not being able to complete F.E.A.R. before I had to return it to the video store, it left a lasting impression on me and I considered it a modern classic. The recent inclusion of the game as part of the Humble WB Bundle provided the perfect opportunity to re-experience the game and see if my initial impression of it holds to my more refined standards of today.

One element of F.E.A.R. that impresses more than even most newly released games is its beautiful visual effects and physics. Just about everything smaller than entire desks and tables, from office telephones and spinning desk chairs, to paintings on the walls, are physics based. Occasionally, this causes some issues (most of which exist in all games with lots of physics-based objects) such as corpses becoming embedded in walls and floors or clutter bouncing around when they should not, but for the most part lends itself greatly to the experience. It can be terrifying when you are walking down a dark hallway, trying to sneak up on an enemy, when you accidentally walk over a soda can, kicking it down the hall with a silence-breaking twang. The first time you enter a large firefight, enable SloMo, and begin exchanging fire with the Replica soldiers is breathtaking: dust fills the air as bullets impact nearby walls, creating actual holes in the walls rather than just placing a decal; stray bullets knock boxes of papers and electronics off shelves, breaking them; a grenade goes off nearby, knocking the hanging lights around, the game’s marvelous dynamic lighting and shadows changing the entire look of the battlefield; and the opposing forces’ soldiers react realistically, with custom animations dependent on where they are hit that are integrated well with ragdoll physics. Another soldier, panicking, runs away but stumbles and falls over while he attempts to call squad for backup. While these sorts of features are not a new creation for F.E.A.R., they are all used extremely effectively together to create impressive and satisfying scenes that leave a lasting impression, defining F.E.A.R. and setting it apart from other games in people’s minds.

While F.E.A.R. manages to wow with its impressive physics, lighting, and effects; intense soundtrack and Japanese-horror inspired ambience; and solid gunplay and fair difficulty, F.E.A.R. is not a perfect game and many of its elements and tropes undermine the level of immersion needed to truly be disturbed by a horror game. There are a significant amount of attempted jump scares that are ineffective and cheap feeling. The enemies, unless you're playing on the hardest difficulty, lack the power to instill a fear of death in you. Because of this playing on the hardest difficulty is an absolute must, even on a first playthrough. The highest difficulty is the only one that has fair and interesting feelings gunplay, since on lower difficulties enemies are just too weak and easy to kill. The improved gunplay and stronger enemies add both enjoyable skill-based gameplay and intense ambience that greatly improves the overall feel of the game.

Overall, F.E.A.R. is an overall great game that I would reccomend to anyone who enjoys first person games. Despite its age, it is of much higher quality than much newer first person and horror games. F.E.A.R. is a classic that everyone should experience as an important part of the history of modern gaming, regardless of your interest in the genres.

When I first rented Monolith Productions’ F.E.A.R. on Xbox 360 back in 2007, I was very impressed with the singleplayer campaign. Despite not being able to complete F.E.A.R. before I had to return it to the video store, it left a lasting impression on me and I considered it a modern classic. The recent inclusion of the game as part of the Humble WB Bundle provided the perfect opportunity to re-experience the game and see if my initial impression of it holds to my more refined standards of today. One element of F.E.A.R. that impresses more than even most newly released games is its beautiful visual effects and physics. Just about everything smaller than entire desks and tables, from office telephones and spinning desk chairs, to paintings on the walls, are physics based. Occasionally, this causes some issues (most of which exist in all games with lots of physics-based objects) such as corpses becoming embedded in walls and floors or clutter bouncing around when they should not, but for the most part lends itself greatly to the experience. It can be terrifying when you are walking down a dark hallway, trying to sneak up on an enemy, when you accidentally walk over a soda can, kicking it down the hall with a silence-breaking twang. The first time you enter a large firefight, enable SloMo, and begin exchanging fire with the Replica soldiers is breathtaking: dust fills the air as bullets impact nearby walls, creating actual holes in the walls rather than just placing a decal; stray bullets knock boxes of papers and electronics off shelves, breaking them; a grenade goes off nearby, knocking the hanging lights around, the game’s marvelous dynamic lighting and shadows changing the entire look of the battlefield; and the opposing forces’ soldiers react realistically, with custom animations dependent on where they are hit that are integrated well with ragdoll physics. Another soldier, panicking, runs away but stumbles and falls over while he attempts to call squad for backup. While these sorts of features are not a new creation for F.E.A.R., they are all used extremely effectively together to create impressive and satisfying scenes that leave a lasting impression, defining F.E.A.R. and setting it apart from other games in people’s minds. While F.E.A.R. manages to wow with its impressive physics, lighting, and effects; intense soundtrack and Japanese-horror inspired ambience; and solid gunplay and fair difficulty, F.E.A.R. is not a perfect game and many of its elements and tropes undermine the level of immersion needed to truly be disturbed by a horror game. There are a significant amount of attempted jump scares that are ineffective and cheap feeling. The enemies, unless you're playing on the hardest difficulty, lack the power to instill a fear of death in you. Because of this playing on the hardest difficulty is an absolute must, even on a first playthrough. The highest difficulty is the only one that has fair and interesting feelings gunplay, since on lower difficulties enemies are just too weak and easy to kill. The improved gunplay and stronger enemies add both enjoyable skill-based gameplay and intense ambience that greatly improves the overall feel of the game. Overall, F.E.A.R. is an overall great game that I would reccomend to anyone who enjoys first person games. Despite its age, it is of much higher quality than much newer first person and horror games. F.E.A.R. is a classic that everyone should experience as an important part of the history of modern gaming, regardless of your interest in the genres.