F.E.A.R. Review: First Mission

F.E.A.R. mission coordinator, Rowdy Betters, has tracked the enemy commander, Paxton Fettel to an abandoned building in Auburn district. Meantime Hannibal-3 spy satellite shows no sings of Replica soldiers in vicinity. Once Fettel is contained, Replica soldiers will become inactive and can be rounded up without incidents.

In some aspects the environment is really funny. For example there are rats in the basements and in the abandoned buildings. I used to wonder why in most FPS games there are not rats in the city environment and F.E.A.R. finally brings them. Actually the first scary encounter is with these little vermin. There are scattered and broken chairs, shelfs, tables, and pails everywhere. The creepy music adds a final touch to the dark and unnerving atmosphere.

The usual health and vests can be seen throughout the game but they always are in secret locations or pitch dark places. A nice feature is the notices that appear whenever the player comes near to an object or needs to activate something. The objects are not static and they can move and fall on the floor. Besides they can break if they are made of glass or of an other breakable stuff.

During the game you can bring to the screen a a window with all tasks you have to accomplish. In addition to the current main mission, there are few additional missions, from which you can choose.

Light and shade effects indoors are awesome. There are realistic lighting and reflections upon room walls and floor. But there are pitch dark rooms too, where you can find you way only with the flashlight. Inside and outside walls are covered with good-looking textures.

F.E.A.R. possesses a wealth of rooms and corridors with different shape and disposition. As a downside, the objects and furnitures in rooms tend to be very repetitive. The phantoms are great in numbers and come in many variates.

F.E.A.R. Review: Introduction	Page 2 of 4	F.E.A.R. Review: Second Mission