Fear Alma Again. But will you really fear anything? With a name like F.E.A.R. (which stands for First Encounter Assault Recon) you would think you'd be crapping your pants and screaming your ass off every time you turn a corner. That may be the case with some people who are new to horror games but experienced gamers will probably rip though everything without blinking. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin was released on February 10th 2009 for the PC, XBOX 360, and PS3. Published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and developed by Monolith Productions.

The story continues from the last game. Alma is wrecking havoc using her paranormal powers. This time she is targeting Michael Becket from Delta Force. Becket goes through many hallucinations of Alma in the game. Short cutscene hallucinations explain a tiny bit of the backstory and Intel from your comrades fill out the rest of the story. There is a lot that is shrouded in mystery so you'll wanna keep on playing, especially if you beat the last F.E.A.R. The story is complex at some parts but in the end, it all comes together.

This game is a FPS and has all the basics. The Assault Rifles, the Rocket Launchers, and the Flamethrower. A few other weapons are mixed in to change things up. The fire fights against enemy soldiers can get intense and when you throw a grenade, or fire your shotgun and you see your enemies' body exploding, you can't help but feel like you really are powerful. Reflex allows you to slow down time and take out your enemies with precession and accuracy. The game's other type of gameplay is navigating through scary environments that are filled with hallucinations. Though you don't do much but walk around, it's a thing you'll experience lots, sometimes the game will deliver cheap scares through these segments, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Mechanized suits are another new addition to the game. You'll jump in a suit and destroy every soldier in your path. These sections are very fun. One negative thing I gotta say is that it gets a tiny bit repetitive in some parts and when you are treading down through the darkness you can get bored. Basically the game could've been a bit better.

The games graphics really set a tone for the game, a dark atmosphere. This is very important in a game like this and F.E.A.R. 2 pulls this off wonderfully. The hallucinations are done with shaky camera movements, a red filter, and quick camera jumps mixed with static layers. This is effective, even if you don't get scared, it does add to the experience. The sounds are mixed well. The voice acting is alright but the ambient effects are where the game really shines. Screams and moans, monsters shuffling around, and gunfire are some of the sounds that will torment you through the game. F.E.A.R. 2 defiantly sets the standard for what a horror game's tone should be.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a game that delivers some great scares and shivers while also setting up a great atmosphere. Project Origin is a must buy for fans of the last game. Any FPS/Horror fans that want something different, you might wanna check this out.

Score - 8.5

- SmellyDeadHobo

Another Take:

Hobo covered the main points of the game very well. The fact is, the game is great all-around except for one thing. If you got "FEAR" in the title of the game, make it a little scary! It's like they just kept the same scares from the original game, and only listed to the kids and homos that thought it was the scariest game ever thus not increasing the scares. Point is, Silent Hill 1 makes F.E.A.R. 2 look like an episode of Hannah Montana.

Something Hobo didn't cover was online. Online gets a nice upgrade from the original game, but it's not going to compete with other great multiplayer FPS games. There's the standard selection of Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, and CTF. The newest mode is Armored Front that has two teams capture certain points on the map. It's the addition of the mechs make for some more fun.

Similar to other online FPS military games, F.E.A.R. 2 online makes use of a kind of class system. You customize your character to make use of different weapons and armor. Going with tougher armor will improve your chances to survive but you lack weaponry and vice versa. It's a nice change but still, not enough to warrant spending a lot of time on it.

Even though the game is a nice improvement over the original, F.E.A.R. 2 still lacks on the horror aspect of the game. Still you just can't deny that the game looks and plays great.

Score - 8.7

-O.G.