When you change any given element in a process, there’s always going to be someone that thinks it’s a change for the worse. Case in point – when Retro Studios took over the Metroid franchise for Nintendo. Many folks thought that shifting the legendary series to a first-person perspective was a sign of the apocalypse. But surprise, Metroid Prime turned into one of the most memorable trilogies in gaming history, leaving its mark on a storied franchise and leaving fans begging for more. Now we have F.3.A.R. (or F.E.A.R. 3, whatever you want to call it), the latest in Monolith’s first-person shooting series. The problem is, the long-time developer, who worked on the first two games, has shifted gears towards a new project, the upcoming Gotham City Impostors for Xbox Live. In its place are Day 1 Studios, the same team behind the sci-fi shooter Fracture, among other games. This change in developer may have long-time fans crying foul, but despite a genuine lack of scares and some dingy visuals, it gets the job done when it comes to sick shooting skills and some wildly fun multiplayer opportunities. Don’t sell this one off just yet.
In the game, Alma is back, impregnated by the lead character from F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin – but not by his choice. An apocalyptic scenario is about to set in should her kid be born, and it’s up to the hero from the original game, the supercharged soldier Point Man, to stop it from happening. He can’t handle everything by himself though, so he calls upon his supernatural brother, Paxton Fettel, to help. The problem is, he shot him in the head long ago, a fact Fettel isn’t quite ready to shake off. Still, they form a shaky partnership as they attempt to stop Alma, before the world pays the price. Granted, there’s all sorts of enemies getting in your way, including those pesky Armacham soldiers, who’d rather see you dead than as a savior. As we said before, F.3.A.R.’s visuals aren’t amazing. The environmental level design isn’t bad, with lots of room to roam around both upstairs and down, and some of the lighting effects, particularly with your flashlight, are pretty cool. But compared to the first two games, they seem a little more plain this time around, particularly when it comes to creating an atmosphere on the same level as Alma’s madness.
We’ve seen these sort of environments in games before – the prison, the shopping mall – and there’s nothing that really stands out often enough. It’s still pretty good, but hardly any epic places to stand your ground. At least the sound fares better. Both Point Man and Fettel are quite convincing characters, and the other dialogue, mainly from gutsy Armacham soldiers, is great to listen to as well. It’s funny to hear a soldier call you out right before he caves your head in. The weapon noises are quite effective, and hearing a bigger menace head your way – particularly a mech – may send chills up your spine. Still, it’s the gameplay that really matters here, and Day 1 Studios has this dialed in just about perfectly. Point Man is a great character to control, with a useful cover system (hard to do in a first-person perspective) and plenty of weapons to get his hands on. Perhaps his best ability is being able to slow down time, enabling him to get an enemy in his sights much quicker and turn them into an exploding pile of blood with the perfect shot. This ability worked well in the first two games, and it does so equally here.
This feature review concludes on the next page, please click Page 2 below to see our final thoughts on F.E.A.R. 3.
