F.E.A.R.

F.E.A.R.

Minimum Requirements	Pentium 4 1.7ghz or equivalent processor, 512 MB RAM, 64MB Graphics Card, Internet connection (Multiplayer)
Latest Patch	1.5
Platforms	Microsoft Windows, Mac OSX
Age Rating (OFLC)	MA15+
File Mirror	F.E.A.R. 1.08 Patch and Free Multiplayer Download

1 F.E.A.R. - First Encounter Assault Recon
2 Gameplay
3 Multiplayer
4 Patching Information
5 Help Section
6 Resources/External Information
7 Similar Games

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F.E.A.R. - First Encounter Assault Recon

“You are an elite soldier trained to deal with unusual situations others can’t even imagine. Called in to confront a murderous force with paranormal abilities, you must contain a crisis spiralling quickly out of control. Discover the true meaning of F.E.A.R. in this unique fusion of stylised FPS combat and supernatural suspense.”

F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon) was developed by Monolith Productions and published by Vivendi, as a horror first-person shooter released in 2005. F.E.A.R has since had an expansion pack entitled F.E.A.R. Extraction Point in October 2006 with a further sequel having been announced by Monolith Productions. F.E.A.R. is primarily a single player game, however has had a multiplayer mode built in. F.E.A.R. Combat was recently released as a free multiplayer version of the game, which people can obtain freely from the Internet and play online.

The game has been well-received by critics, scoring 89% on Game Rankings, with PC Gamer saying “You don’t know tension until you’ve experienced this.” It was awarded the Game Critics Award in 2005 for “Best Action Game,” being referred to by PC Gamer as “A Classic in the Making”. F.E.A.R.’s artificial intelligence has also been cited as being one of the most highly advanced of any game currently, winning GameSpot’s “2005 Best A.I. Award.” IGN went on to add that “The A.I. is some of the most impressive I’ve seen in any game.”

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Gameplay

“The player is an elite soldier trained to deal with situations others can’t imagine. A mysterious paramilitary force infiltrates a multi-billion dollar aerospace compound, taking hostages but issuing no demands. The government responds by sending in a Special Forces team only to have them obliterated. Live footage of the massacre shows an inexplicable wave of destruction tearing the soldiers apart.

With no other recourse, the elite F.E.A.R. team is assembled to deal with these extraordinary circumstances. They are given one simple mission: Evaluate the threat and eliminate the intruders at any cost, before it spirals out of control”.

F.E.A.R.’s prominent gameplay element is that of “reflex time”. This slows the game world down while still allowing the player to aim and react at normal speeds, reflecting the characters superhuman reflexes. The weapons used in F.E.A.R. have both a fictional and non-fictional element, with weapons such as the pistols, sub machine guns and rifles being based on real weapons. The more powerful guns, such as the particle beam weapons are entirely fictional. Each weapon was created for a particular purpose, in light of Monolith Productions intentions to create a “balanced arsenal where each weapon serves a specific function”. The player can only carry a maximum of three weapons at a time, requiring a strategic approach to selecting and carrying weapons. All weapons can be used in melee attacks, with hand-to-hand combat available as a last resort to attack enemies if you are unarmed.

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Multiplayer

As mentioned, F.E.A.R. does have a free multiplayer component. This includes several traditional modes including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag and Last Man Standing. Recent additions to the multiplayer modes include, Control and Capture All these modes are played in an attempt to occupy as many control points as possible. There are also several "SlowMo" game modes available - which lends the "SlowMo" function within the single player version, this takes inspiration from The Matrix movies.

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