F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

[soupface]

Played the F.E.A.R. 2 demo recently, and enjoyed it quite a bit. The environments seemed much more varied, textured, richer, and the enemies more intelligent, than those in F.E.A.R.. (I should mention that I've played about as much F.E.A.R. 2 as I have F.E.A.R.: twenty minutes.)

Oh, and it's pretty scary, if you're willing to get into it—that is, it's scary until you get into the giant mech battlesuit with unlimited ammunition.

There are some locations or moments in which the environment becomes evil (full of fire, twisted trees, etc.) that reminded me of American McGee's Alice and Undying.

Anyone a fan of F.E.A.R.? Did the F.E.A.R. 2 demo make any impression on you? Is it worth my while to play through F.E.A.R. before trying out the sequel?

[gdf]

FEAR was alright, but I gave up from boredom about two thirds through, it was just too samey (to be fair I was playing it on 360). FEAR 2 is, by all counts, a lot better judging by the demo. The gunplay is meatier, the violence is intact, the AI is even better, it looks great and it actually gave me a decent scare at one point. I think I'll get it this year, I'm just a little concerned that the bombastic action sections won't sit particularly well with the flat out horror bits, it was even slightly jarring in the short time the demo took to complete.

[Garple]

Ok. The ghostly spectral dudes that move toward me really quickly and then dissapear...am I supposed to shoot them? I played for a while without the flashlight and that was intense (I can see; I can't see; I can; I can't; Oh God!!!), but I quickly ran out of stuff to shoot, and then just found myself wandering around a messy high school looking at blocked off doors.

[shawsie64]

I enjoyed the demo a fair bit. I played the original FEAR on PC when it first came out and I loved the AI and feel of the weapons. If they can vary up the environments in FEAR 2 then im sold as the demo feels spot on

[DanJW]

gdf, did you reach Alma in the original? That bit is really scary and great. unfortunately it carries oh a bit too long after that.

I also played the first expansion back, which had some excellent moments but in terms of storyline made no sense what so ever.

Does the sequel ignore the expansions? I'm not sure what the setup is exactly, other than continuing after the first game ends.

FEAR 2 seems pretty much more of the same. That's good though, since at it's best FEAR is really good. It even managed to make me jump once, which is impressive seeing how much I played the first one and pretty much know what to expect. Also I saw a giant tentacle there... is ALma going all Cthulu on us? Here's hoping so

[James]

I had FEAR, but I never got that far into it because my PC couldn't really manage to make it look nice, and I got distracted by other things. I quite liked the demo to the sequel, but if I were to get it, I'd probably get it for the PC, and I'm actually on the same PC that couldn't quite do the original justice, but now with a bigger monitor that would require a higher resolution and therefore put a much greater strain on the resources. I did actually buy a new PC since then, but it broke and I failed to do anything about it. PCs are so frustrating. I really want to get back into PC gaming, but every time I try I'm disappointed by hardware problems. Things never seem to function as they should. Still, I'm thinking of having another go, soon. Because, you know, this is exactly the time to be buying expensive electronics.

[gdf]

DanJW: I think that the expansions are being considered non-canon, either that or they're just too minor to care about. I saw Alma several times in FEAR, but I don't think I got to the stage you're describing.

JamesM: I just got a PC last year, a couple of my dad's friends threw me together a good rig for about £400. It's packing 2GB RAM and a GeForce 8800GT (among other quality bits and bobs), which all in all is great for gaming. I got it at parts value because they're hobbyists who do it as a favour for friends, so if you can find a few mates that are into that kind of thing I'd advise you to, I've basically got free 24 hour support if anything goes wrong.

[Cigol]

Yeah a decent rig doesn't cost a lot at the moment. Don't know whether this is the calm before the storm or what though

[James]

I got it at parts value because they're hobbyists who do it as a favour for friends, so if you can find a few mates that are into that kind of thing I'd advise you to, I've basically got free 24 hour support if anything goes wrong.

Unfortunately, my friends who are into gaming are even less PC-centric than me. I've built a couple of PCs before, but it was a very long time ago, and I feel like I don't really know what's good any more. Anyway, I might start a thread about it rather than derailing this one further.

What I forgot to mention in my original post is that part of the reason I'd favour a PC version is that the vertical sensitivity on the PS3 demo seemed really high, and I couldn't find separate controls for each axis. I can understand having greater horizontal sensitivity, what with most things happening on a horizontal plane, but emphasising vertical movement made things feel weird and twitchy. It wasn't intolerable, but it was irritating. Perhaps it was a deliberate ploy to make the player more jumpy or something; if so, it's a really bizarre one. I suspect it's me just being overly picky about something that's fine with most people. Anyway, I'd feel happier with a mouse.

[Scratch]

So I just got this on steam and played into the first chapter or thereabouts. So far it's been alright, nothing spectacular. But if you compare it to the original game, it's looks and plays much better.

The strongpoint in FEAR 1 was the AI and it seems to have improved even further, though the "normal" difficulty mode still seems too easy at least in my case.

I hate the fact that there is no lean option, to peek around corners. This was present in the first game and I for one miss it. I also don't like the film-grain effect. There isn't an option to turn it off either and I do hope they patch it in or something.

One more thing, there are achievements...but not "steam" achievements?!?

I got one for completing the first chapter and it only shows up through the "awards" option menu ingame. You can't see it in your profile like in other games that support achievements through steam. I mean, what's point of having achievements that only I can stare at, nobody else knows I even got them.

I personally thought that since FEAR 2 is "steampowered" it would fully support steam features like achievements, guess I was wrong.The only other upcoming third party game that I know of is steampowered is Empire Total War. Here's hoping atleast that one supports proper achievements. Oh and UT3 just got added to the steam support list, apparently there is a big patch coming that will add steam achievements.

Alright, that's all about achievements.

[miffy495]

Downloaded the demo, but I can't seem to make the sound work in it. A pity, since the visuals are bloody gorgeous. Oh well. Not exactly doing a great job of selling the game when I can't hear it...

[Scrobbs]

I've basically got free 24 hour support if anything goes wrong.

I used to do this, but a few bad experiences - friends phone me up, I end up sat in front of this dusty piece of shit all set up wrong. I find a few problems (that they didn't know they had) and begin repairing. Then it breaks. Tehn you spend the rest of the weekend making it work again. I got sick of it. I only offer advice now, and steer clear of anyone's computer except my own. If I break it, then I can repair at my leisure.

But back to your point about FEAR 1 - I too got bored 2/3 way through.

EG really slammed FEAR 2 as well. With Empire Total war coming and Killzone 2, I can't see me getting this.

[Wrestlevania]

Tried the demo on Xbox 360 myself too a couple of nights ago. The scares seemed superficial and not very engaging to me; making the lights flicker, while hitting the player from random directions with minor damage, doesn't mandate a clean pair of trousers in my book.

I will try it again, however, as the gunplay in the original was excellent. The AI and level design of the first game also made things more interesting than I expected, too.

One small detail's puzzling me, though: what's with the name? I thought Monolith weren't allowed to use the F.E.A.R. brand anymore and so decided upon Project Origin instead of F.E.A.R. 2? And wasn't there a Monolith competition to name "The Legally Not (But Really It Is) F.E.A.R. Sequel" anyway, which is where Project Origin came from in the first place..?

[DanJW]

You're right, but they got the IP back recently and so promptly slapped the name back on.

The first F.E.A.R had possibly the best AI for its time when it came out. I wasn't able to tell if that's still the case from the new demo, but we can hope.

[Scratch]

One small detail's puzzling me, though: what's with the name? I thought Monolith weren't allowed to use the F.E.A.R. brand anymore and so decided upon Project Origin instead of F.E.A.R. 2? And wasn't there a Monolith competition to name "The Legally Not (But Really It Is) F.E.A.R. Sequel" anyway, which is where Project Origin came from in the first place..?

As you might know, Warner Bros. bought Monolith but were not able to gain rights to the FEAR name, which remained with Sierra (owned by Vivendi). That is why, the "name your FEAR" competition was arranged and eventually "Project Origin" was announced.

But then in 2008, Vivendi merged with Activision and most games in Sierra's lineup were dropped. At this point, Warner Bros. and Monolith, successfully bought the rights to the name. They decided to keep the subtitle Project Origin, as they had already chosen through the contest.

EDIT: Ugh, DanJW you're too fast.

[Wrestlevania]

DanJW, Scratch: thank you.

This sort of stuff fascinates me, bizarre as that might seem. I bet Monolith were glad to get the brand back.

[brkl]

And now the game has two utterly terrible names.

I bought fear, and liked it too, up to a point. I never finished it, but I went back to the game occasionally and always liked it. Too damn samey levels though -- that's why I always started to get bored with it.

[Scrobbs]

I remember getting really excited when there was a bit of cut scene - you'd be encouraged to believe that just round the next corner, you'd get out of this infinite warehouse. When I realised that they were just lying constantly, and it was never going to happen, that's when I gave up.

[Wrestlevania]

Yeah, this sort of "environment fatigue" is what spoilt the experience for me in the first game as well.

[Scratch]

Well they did address this "environment" issue in Project Origin. Sort of. In FEAR 2, the levels aren't just endless hallways or corridors in offices/warehouses. They are now much more varied and to an extent open. If you played the demo, the part where they introduce the mech-suit is one example where the level design is more open than you were used to in the first game.

That said, I am not saying that it is completely void of the "hallway shooter" vibe. There are times when all you're doing is going down hallways, waiting for the hallucinations to roll by and then walking into an ambush. In fact to some it might seem like an endless cycle of one scary/weird moment then immediately followed up with shooting dudes in slowmo and then repeat.

In any case, overall I still like what I've played so far. More detailed impressions when I finish it.

[Chris]

Downloaded the demo, but I can't seem to make the sound work in it. A pity, since the visuals are bloody gorgeous. Oh well. Not exactly doing a great job of selling the game when I can't hear it...

I had this problem but it was fixed with the final game.

[MonkeyWrench]

I've just played through the first couple of levels and so far I'm enjoying it. It feels very polished, the combat is solid and there seems to be great attention to detail. There were a couple of neat little touches on the first level, one was I went for a paddle in the fountain right at the beginning and my buddy questioned whether I had a shower in the morning. The second was how an enemy on the roof top opposite the office I was in spotted my flashlight and shot the crap out of me. Little things, but it shows the developer was thinking beyond the obvious.

It has to be said mind it seems to be following the old scare-prepare formula of the original, it's no longer "oooh my flashlight is flickering, I wonder what's wrong with....AAARGHGGHGH! PISH the bed!" It's now a case of bracing yourself ready for little blood-red riding hood to come ambling up to you in a creepy manner.

Anyway I'm going to get back to it whilst I have the TV to myself.

[Scratch]

I just finished it. Hmm, the opening chapters were good and I was beginning to like it. Then something happened and I just couldn't wait to finally get it over with. This game is my first disappointment of 2009.

Firstly, the game was short compared to the original. I finished it in under 10 hours. Secondly, the story is just way too "simple"? About halfway through the game, I could see right through the plot. I won't spoil the ending here, but suffice it to say, it wasn't nearly as satisfying as the first game. Not to mention I strongly feel that the ending is flawed in some respect.:shifty:I liked the plot in the first game and it was one of the reasons I liked that game. Nevertheless, atleast Monolith managed to answer any unexplained queries from the first game.

Finally, there is something about the difficulty level that baffles me. Just to clarify, I am playing this on PC. I began playing it on the normal difficulty, but soon found this to be too easy. As Chris mentioned in the podcast, the plentiful amounts of med-kits, armor vests and health-injectors, not to mention the ability to slow down time, makes the need for taking cover pointless. You can always slow time, go up to the NPC and blast him in the face. No need to worry about health, there's always some lying around. And in the rare case, that you do die...there's the nearby checkpoint save (of which there are plenty as well).

I did bump up the difficulty to hard (maximum possible) about three chapters into the game. Here, health drains out much faster and you can die occasionally. This is what should be happening in normal mode; you kill a bunch of dudes, sometimes "hit the wall" in a tough spot, die a bunch of times and try again. I did not die even once while playing in normal mode. Makes me wonder, what the hell is easy then? I haven't personally tried to play in easy yet, but I might give it go.

FEAR 2: Project Origin In that order, I can't make up my mind.

[MonkeyWrench]

I think I'm over half way through now (in the school) and I'm still enjoying it. I normally take the default difficulty with any game, but this time I took Chris' advice and started on hard. The challenge is spot on, I've died a few times but like you said there's plenty of checkpoints. In fact I noticed in one area of snipers it was saving after each sniper kill! Not that I mind, I'd rather that than having to trudge through the last 5 minutes of game. I'm not finding it particularly scary either, but there has been a few well directed cut-scenes that was suitably creepy.

One thing I am missing from the original is the lean function. You have this system where you can tip furniture over (did anyone actually use that?), but then you basically have to come out of cover to shoot. Also it seems like the enemies are perfectable capable of leaning out, as if they're mocking you with their supple spines *shakes fist*

[Scratch]

I thought it was basically a given, that you could topple a table and then lean out to shoot. I miss the lean function as well and yes it is annoying when I can clearly see the enemy do it flawlessly. Not to mention, the existing cover system would've made more sense with a lean option.