F.E.A.R (Xbox 360)

Ok, kind of short and fairly sweet. This game oozes class. As a member of a specialist SWAT-style team, you are sent in to hunt the bad guys. Easy, huh? NO! The enemy A.I. is very responsive, and intelligent too. They will dive for cover, or try to flush you out with grenades, or hide in the shadows and jump out behind you whilst you are attacking their teammates. Also, they can take a good dose of pain before they fall. So, how do you beat them? With your own selection of guns, added to kung-fu style moves(seriously!), and your "heightened reflexes". This literally translates as "matrix-style bullet time". Press a button, and everything slows down, except the speed at which you aim. Yes, its been done to death recently, but it is actually useful, and stylishly executed too. Anyone who has played Max Payne will appreciate how good it is.

So, far, so good. But what sets F.E.A.R. apart from other FPS games? Two major things come to mind. The cinematic style gunplay is the first. You really feel like John McClane/ Arnie / insert-your favourite-action-hero. The set pieces (of which there are many) are fantastically executed, and very tense. Your heart will race as you enter an open area, waiting for the (not always) inevitable skirmish. And secondly, THE HORROR. Yes, this is a horror game too. I can't detail much without giving away some plot, and this is best enjoyed without any spoilers. But, if you liked The Ring, or House on Haunted Hill, or any other mind-messing horror film, you will surely be in your element.

So, great guns, great gameplay, so whats not so good? Well, not much. The only things I can think of are: 1) The levels look quite repetitive, but you don't really notice too much as you are trying to see whats up ahead, 2), I think the "heightened reflexes" is over used, making some sequences a little easier than they could be, and 3) The story is a throwaway effort used solely to put in all the set pieces. But, to be fair, none of these is adverse enough to be a problem, and overall this game does stand head and shoulders above the bulk of the huge FPS market. If you like shooters, don't miss this one.

Lastly, plase notice: THIS GAME IS AN 18 CERTIFICATE. It is NOT a kids game. There is a worrying trend towards trying to restrict or ban these kinds of games at the moment, so I will always put this kind of message in my reviews. Unless you want your kids to (potentially) pull a Columbine one day, or have serious nightmares, DO NOT buy it for them.

And one last thing: Could we please see less of reviewers like David Lim? This is a space for reviews, not PC-vs-console debate. I appreciate good reviews, not some fools opinion on which is better. Mr. Lim, keep it to the forums on games sites please. Whilst you are correct, this is a PC port, it has been graphically enhanced for the 360, and allows this game to be brought to even bigger audiences. And bigger audiences=more money=better game development in the future. And surely thats a good thing?

When a sequel to a successful game comes out, there are always lots of people who'll say that the original was better. Sometimes you wonder if they are remembering only the good parts of the game and no matter how good it is it can't live up to their expectations. I never played F.E.A.R. the first time around, but I enjoyed Project Origin and managed to pick the original F.E.A.R. up cheap. So my review is for those people who have played the sequel and wonder if it is worth tracking down a copy of the game that started it.

The first thing you'll notice when playing is that compared to Project Origin, the graphics for F.E.A.R. are slightly disappointing. That's to be expected, as it's an older game. Play on though, and you'll soon get used to it, and it really is worth getting used to, as the maps in F.E.A.R. are far better than those in F.E.A.R.2.P.O. As the game goes on, it keeps presenting you with better and more varied setpieces, and there are some very clever levels and visuals, especially towards the end of the game.

The weapons interface takes some getting used to after the intuitive HUD of F.E.A.R.2.P.O., but the weapons are just as good and there are some there that are far better balanced, even some that allow double wielding. The railgun and automatic cannon are excellent fun, and even the shotgun is better. Remote-detonation grenades allow for far better player strategy than the proximity mines you get in both games, and it is a wonder that they didn't appear at all in the sequel. One bad thing? Flashlight with extremely limited battery life before switching off and recharging.

The story is good - no better, no less than P.O. - but where this game really excels is its excellent and imaginative use of sound effects and creepy freaked out hallucinatory visuals. There are parts of this game that are genuinely terrifying when played in the dark with headphones on (as all good psychological horror games should be) - and I couldn't honestly say that about Project Origin, which I found to be more unsettling than frightening.

Where F.E.A.R. also scores higher than Origin is in its gameplay. You get slow motion from the start (which, as in Origin, you can increase by finding boosters), and charging at enemies and dispatching them in various ways before the clock runs down is much more fun and far better implemented.

There's no email pickups either - you get backstory clues by listening in-game to phone messages and letting your tech-guy remotely hack nearby laptops. Complete the game and you get a bonus mission and four "instant action" maps where you compete missions against the clock for points on various difficulty levels. Achievements are on the stingy side, but you get a greater sense of accomplishment when you get one of the big ones.

Having played Project Origin first and then F.E.A.R. afterwards, I can honestly say that I had more fun and frights from F.E.A.R. than I did the sequel. Although it's very difficult to get a new copy anymore, there are a few second hand copies out there - although these too are sparse, and I guess that says more about the longevity of this game than anything.

F.E.A.R. is a game that deserves to be played and enjoyed by anybody who loves good games, although the decision to release it in the same month as the massive Gears of War & Call of Duty 3 will certainly limit its success. The stigma of being a port of a 2005 PC game is another nail in the coffin from short-sighted gamers who criticise for the sake of it.

Make no mistake, as a first-person shooter F.E.A.R. is truly excellent with superb graphics, sound and gameplay. In my opinion the best feature is the artificial intelligence of the soldiers you face. If you've ever stood in a spot and held your finger on "fire" whilst wave after wave of enemies flung themselves onto your bullets be prepared for a shock with this. Enemies move in squads, they will flank you and try to get behind you at every opportunity. If you stay back in a safe spot, they'll try to flush you out with a grenade; they'll also respond to your flashlight if you're not careful when negotiating the levels - truly superb.

The storyline is suitably daft and there's a real supernatural theme running through the game with some good jump out of your skin moments - think Resident Evil 1 and the Dobermans through the window scene and you get the picture....no spoilers here though.

The game is a decent length, in addition to the campaign mode with different difficulty levels (changing how the guards react to you) there's a quick play mode, putting you in the driving seat of several set-pieces from the campaign and playing for a score which are uploaded to Xbox Live leader boards. There's also a multiplayer which I can't comment on as I haven't tried it yet.

In summary, some excellent games seem destined to failure through poor marketing, image and bad timing. If you enjoy this type of game there is loads here to keep you happy with good replay value, intelligent programming and a pace to the game that needs to be experienced. A lot of thought and effort has gone into F.E.A.R., all you need to do is give it a chance - you won't be disappointed.