Topic: FEAR 2

[scottws]

Meh... the first one wasn't a bad game, but it was pretty forgetable.  As a result, I'm not too interested in this one.

Aww... that's a shame.  I thought the original was fantastic.  Great gunplay along with a sufficient horror environment.

[MysterD]

4 stars from GameSpy (out of a 5)
Written review.

[gpw11]

I liked the first one quite a bit, save for the fact that the scenery eventually got boring.  The demo just didn't feel right though.  I have no idea why....

[MysterD]

Gamespot review.
7.0 from GS
Video review
Written review

F.E.A.R. 2's multiplayer component also feels like filler, and though we've come to expect online play from most of our shooters, there's nothing special about this suite of lackluster options. For fans of the original, the most notable omission is that of the slow-motion modes, which brought reflex time into an online arena and made for some clever and enjoyable showdowns. Without these modes, F.E.A.R. 2 feels a bit hollow online, serving up helpings of Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch, a couple of Conquest variants, Capture the Flag, and a mode called Failsafe that owes a large debt to Counter-Strike.

Why did they remove Slow-Motion Multiplayer modes? That was one of the great enjoyments I had out of FEAR 1's MP. 

Hopefully, gamers will complain enough and in some DLC, Expansion, or a free patch, they'll add the Slow-Motion MP Modes into FEAR 2.

The best of these is Armored Front, in which a player on each team can hop into one of those robotic exoskeletons while his or her teammates capture control points.

That just sounds freakin' awesome.

[Xessive]

I don't know why Slomo DM was knocked off.. Weird.

With the rest of FEAR2 it really does seem like Monolith have ben paying close attention to the community. A lot of the changes and additions were based on requests and comments from their boards. Plus there's a sniper rifle now!

[MysterD]

I don't know why Slomo DM was knocked off.. Weird.

Same here.
I mean, I thought having that Slo-Mo DM Mode from FEAR 1 was one of the coolest and selling points of FEAR's MP.

[Xessive]

Just tried out the PC demo. Looks good, feels good, and seems to have better fps than the PS3 demo, all settings on Max (except water effects which default to medium), although I could chock that up to HDTV response time; my monitor has a 2ms response time and I believe the TV has 5ms.

The demo has already crashed on me so I expect the final product will likely need a bit of patching. Despite that, it was running really well.

Also I am confirming that the slide kick is still in, it's just performed differently now that you can sprint! Basically it's sprint and melee. The flying kick is sorta like a triple air kick now, more flashy. So they haven't actually removed any of the melee moves. Including the static jump kick. Being able to sprint (though it's limited) makes it a lot easier to dash toward an enemy and bash him. It makes it a viable option when ammo is low too.

I expect FEAR2 to be a lot of fun if not necessarily spooky. I'm gonna pick up a copy when it arrives here.

[W7RE]

The demo hangs for me all the time. I think it's when stuff is loading on the fly, because if I've moved around in an area a bit, it doesn't do it. Like I'll go around a corner to a new area (even a small hallway) and it'll hang for a second or two.

The 360 demo was fine though, and looked good enough that I couldn't see any differences from the PC demo.

[Xessive]

The only advantage in the PC version (obviously besides the mouse+kb controls) is the higher resolution. Not a biggie though.

I noticed it hanging too but it was in the outdoor area right before it crashed.. I just assumed it was all the same problem.

[W7RE]

Xessive, did you pick it up for PC? I'm curious if the hanging issue is present in the retail verson of the game also, or just the demo.

[Xessive]

Xessive, did you pick it up for PC? I'm curious if the hanging issue is present in the retail verson of the game also, or just the demo.

I only played the demo so far. I will be picking it up soon though, when it arrives here.

According to the official forums I think there is a patch in the works.

[Xessive]

I just picked it up and now installing. My first surprise: Son of a whore it's on Steam.

It uses Steam for some odd reason. Exclusively. It's not an option or anything.

My second surprise: it takes just over 20 minutes to install. Whoopiddy doo.

[Pugnate]

My first surprise: Son of a whore it's on Steam.

hahaha... I don't care about the Steam bit, I just found the insult so funny. It is like out of an old Bioware game.

Human: That dagger must be a like a sword to you, dwarf.

Dwarf: WHY YOU SON OF A WHORE!

[Xessive]

Hehe I guess it does it was just my first reaction to the installation.

[MysterD]

I just picked it up and now installing. My first surprise: Son of a whore it's on Steam.

Is the SSA on the box?

A lot of the newer 3rd party games requiring Steam got the SSA on the box somewhere, as a sticker are on the gamebox itself -- like Saints Row 2 PC.

It uses Steam for some odd reason. Exclusively. It's not an option or anything.

Wow, I didn't know that...

[Xessive]

Nope.. In this case I looked carefully at the box and just now I noticed a tiny "STEAMWORKS" logo listed among the publisher and developer logos on the back at the bottom.

It's like:
WB MONOLITH STEAMWORKS Powered by Gamespy Scaleform HaVoK DOLBY Digital Plays Best on ALIENWARE NVIDIA BINK Video

And underneath it tiny font it says: www.gamesforwindows.com

Not the most noticeable.

I have yet to launch the game since it keep saying it's "currently unavailable" until it's done whatever it needs to do on-frickin'-line.

At no point does it actually say "requires online activation with Steam" like it does on the Dawn of War II cover.

EDIT:
Here's what my front cover looks like:


I just went through the IGN and Gamespot reviews, just to double-check, and neither of them mentioned anything about Steam at all.

[MysterD]

That's completely wrong that the game doesn't have the SSA agreement sticker right on the box somewhere itself -- Saints Row 2 PC has this on the box and makes it very clear that by purchasing this game, you will have to use Steam period.

Thanks for informing me about this, Xessive. I wish I knew further ahead of time so people knew of this Steam requirement -- it's very odd that I heard nothing about it requiring Steam until you mentioned this, finding out the hard way that it requires Steam AND after the game's already been available for a bit of time.

Is the game locked out of your country right now or something, X?

[Pugnate]

It is ironic that you were probably the least impressed (at least initially) with F.E.A.R. out of all us, yet are the first one to buy the sequel.

I too will buy it, though will wait for a price drop. From what I understand, it is a good sequel, though essentially follows the same formula. Having played the first two expansions, I guess I am in no hurry. I do miss the unique gunplay F.E.A.R. offered.

From what I understand, the game feels a bit consolized, at least in terms of menu and interface. You get that vibe at all?

Thanks for informing me about this, Xessive. I wish I knew further ahead of time so people knew of this Steam requirement -- it's very odd that I heard nothing about it requiring Steam until you mentioned this, finding out the hard way that it requires Steam AND after the game's already been available for a bit of time.

Really? I heard it mentioned on a couple of podcasts. Terrible that it isn't mentioned on the box though.

[W7RE]

From what I understand, the game feels a bit consolized, at least in terms of menu and interface. You get that vibe at all?

I felt that from the demo. Just the way so many things are controlled through menus you scroll through and such. Instead of "click continue" spots you have "press space bar" spots (like when a level has just loaded). When you go to switch weapons, you bing up a menu that lets you select your weapon by holdign the key and moving your mouse to the weapon you want. You don't have a cursor here, it's a direct port of the "hold a button and press the dpad to the weapon you want" interface that the 360 demo has. I'm not even sure if the game gives you the option to use the number keys to switch weapons. Also the interface and menu system has a bold font that sort of seems like it was chosen so it would be readable on a non HD screen.

[MysterD]

From what I understand, the game feels a bit consolized, at least in terms of menu and interface. You get that vibe at all?

Here's some GasBandit Blog talking about how the PC version feels "consolized."

The only bad thing I have to say about it really is you can tell it's a "console FPS." It's difficult to put into words, but a dedicated PC gamer can tell, can just sense when a game was developed with a console in mind. It just feels different to play it, like it's on a leash. This feeling is also sharpened by other game devices - the game saves exclusively on a checkpoint system completely removing the player's ability to save (which also has the side effect of ratcheting up the tension, but I still don't like this dynamic), there's more weapons and armor lying around than in the inside of most military armories as well as enough first aid to heal you 5 times over what is necessary, and the game relies too much on fast-clicking quicktime events. It made me think of the "test your might" interstitial minigames from Mortal Kombat.

I too will buy it, though will wait for a price drop.

Same.

Even more so now, knowing you are required to use Steam -- and especially since it really ain't plastered on the box.

From what I understand, it is a good sequel, though essentially follows the same formula. Having played the first two expansions, I guess I am in no hurry.

Same.

Really? I heard it mentioned on a couple of podcasts. Terrible that it isn't mentioned on the box though.

Yeah, it should be mentioned on the box.

I like to at least *know* I'm spending money on a game that requires Steam and an Internet connection to activate.

Hey X -- does the retail box version of FEAR 2 come w/ a nice game manual? Anything else in there special in the retail box?

B/c really, only advantage to getting it on disc -- if there's not much in the box and all -- is not taking tons of time to downloading well-over 10 GB worth of info.

[Xessive]

Well, it only cost around $40 here so it was a pretty good deal. Honestly I went in to pick up Dawn of War II but they didn't have it yet. Frickin' bastards. For some reason their PC imports have been severely delayed (around 1~2 months) for the last 7 months. I don't really know what's going on. They didn't get Left 4 Dead here until early Feb.

I remember how I felt about FEAR when I first played it. Overall I wasn't impressed with the graphics or anything, it didn't really stand out technically. What I did like however was the atmosphere it created and the gameplay. Everything else though was nothing special, including the rudimentary level design. The multiplayer was pretty fun too. So fun apparently that Sierra made available for free with FEAR Combat. My other disappointement was the stupid 5 CDs in leaflets crap while the European version was in DVD format. I ended up making my own DVD later anyway.

While I was disappointed with the whole sneaky Steam thing, FEAR2 is pretty decent so far. The DVD case is basic but it does hold 2 discs inside and a standard manual. Nothing spectacular but it serves its purpose.

FEAR2 does feel somewhat 'consolized' but at least it's not somehow impaired for PC players (like certain other titles), but it does definitely seem to have been prioritized for consoles though. The menu UI, the HUD, everything has a sort of big and "Duplo" feel to it but clearly for the HD age. The advanced menus (performance or key bindings) have a lot of scrolling, which is pretty annoying, then again Microsoft made the same mistake with the Vista start menu, it could just be me.. I don't like scrolling. Anyway, FEAR2 on PC looks identical to the PS3 demo I tried before (I had also compared the demo on both PC and PS3) with one exception of a seemingly smoother framerate on PC.

I disabled Vsync on the PC version, it seems to be a little broken, with Vsync on the framerate is very inconsistent and I get a lot of slowdowns, when it's off I have to bear with a tiny bit of tearing but the performance boost is worth it. It's not nearly as bad as the Vsync problem Dead Space though.

It goes without saying that my preference is the PC for the sole reason that I can use a mouse to aim, as God intended. While FEAR2 does feel optimized for consoles it retains the same basic controls as the original FEAR. It is visually more impressive than its predecessor but it's not groundbreaking. It doesn't look or feel dated but we've seen these sorts of graphics (and better) in 2007. It's not winning any graphics achievement awards. I did notice some bugs with shadows though. They seem to be inconsistent throughout the game. Somethings cast shadows while other right beside them don't etc.

One more thing that adds to the consolized feel is the fact that it only displays in 16:9 ratio. I have it on 1680x1050 and it's letterboxed. You see the black strips across the top and bottom. Just as in Assassin's Creed. It's not a big issue but you'd think it would have been covered for the PC version at least. My monitor's bevel is black so it doesn't really show, and I can easily ignore it. Speaking of which, I was actually thinking of buying a 16:9 ratio 22" LG monitor which can hit up to 1920x1080. I'm still thinking about it though.

The save system is solely checkpoints. There are no manual saves or quicksaves. It's tolerable but clearly not a feature it inheritted from the PC crowd. As the quote MyD posted suggests, it is a lot more about the ACTION than story or thrilling horror. Guns, guns, guns.

Despite some visual and technical bugs overall FEAR2 is worth a try. I'm sure most of the issues will be resolved in upcoming patches. Which I will be so graciously endowed with through Steam. Frakin' Steam. Nothing more blunt than naming such a product so blatantly.

[W7RE]

I was noticing the letterbox thing the other day when I booted up Assassin's creed for the first time in a while. Actually I think it was the first time since getting my widescreen monitor. It's not really bothersome, but it seems sort of a lazy thing to do.

[scottws]

It goes without saying that my preference is the PC for the sole reason that I can use a mouse to aim, as God intended. While FEAR2 does feel optimized for consoles it retains the same basic controls as the original FEAR. It is visually more impressive than its predecessor but it's not groundbreaking. It doesn't look or feel dated but we've seen these sorts of graphics (and better) in 2007. It's not winning any graphics achievement awards. I did notice some bugs with shadows though. They seem to be inconsistent throughout the game. Somethings cast shadows while other right beside them don't etc.

To be fair, there are plenty of objects in Doom III that don't cast shadows either.

[W7RE]

Remember Diablo 2? The torches cast shadows in the shape of the flame. Awesome stuff.

[Pugnate]

One more thing that adds to the consolized feel is the fact that it only displays in 16:9 ratio. I have it on 1680x1050 and it's letterboxed. You see the black strips across the top and bottom. Just as in Assassin's Creed. It's not a big issue but you'd think it would have been covered for the PC version at least. My monitor's bevel is black so it doesn't really show, and I can easily ignore it. Speaking of which, I was actually thinking of buying a 16:9 ratio 22" LG monitor which can hit up to 1920x1080. I'm still thinking about it though.

After everything you said, and then this, I've decided this game isn't getting my money. While it doesn't sound nearly as bad as Invisible War, obviously, it just reeks of lazyness. How much effort would it have take to adapt the menus and the aspect ratio to the PC? Not much. Certainly not much if they expected us to pay $40 for it. I know this sounds like an overreaction, but they should have been more respectful with this.

[Xessive]

To be fair, there are plenty of objects in Doom III that don't cast shadows either.

Yeah but how long ago was that?

I've been noticing all sorts of minor visual bugs scattered throughout the game. Occasionally I'll find a bloodtsained window and shatter it only to have the blood texture remain on an open space. Most of the bugs in FEAR2 are like that, they're not gamestopping or anything.

As I said, I'm hoping that the upcoming patches will address bugs as well some amendments for the PC players.

[Pugnate]

Is it strange that as I was reading through your post, I was thinking of new ways to kick ass in Street Fighter?

edit:

To keep this on topic, have you come across Alma yet? I heard she is grown up. Also, it is a pity the game doesn't continue the first game's character's story.

[Xessive]

Haha I was constantly thinking of how obnoxious the unblockable/unstoppable throws are in SF4!

Back to FEAR2:
You actually see Alma from the get-go, as a young girl as well as a grown, soggy woman.

Yeah, I really wanted to know more about the protagonist from the original and his link with Alma.

(click to show/hide)

We discover by the end of FEAR that he is Alma's son and Fettel's brother, but I was hoping they'd expand on that in FEAR2.

I'm only at the 3rd chapter (out of 12 I think), so there is a possibility of some link.

EDIT:
I explored the official site and there's nothing there about Steam at all. They've got Games For Windows plastered here and there but nothing at all about Steam. Which is kinda odd coz the game has nothing to do with Games For Windows, not even the X360 pad support, which according to GFW is one of the standards for a game to get the GFW label.

[Xessive]

Now that I've gotten to experience the game a little more and got a better handle on the weapons I gotta say there is a problem with the weapon balancing!

In the first 4 intervals the weapons you'll come across are:
-Pistol
-SMG (Submachinegun)
-Combat Shotgun
-Assault Rifle
-Flamethrower
-Automatic Shotgun

The pistol is your traditional sidearm. It's basic and comes in handy in a pinch. It's very similar to the original pistol, though it looks nothing like it. It actually like something out of lasertag. Sadly there is no akimbo pistol mode. So no more John Woo moments. Sucks.

For some odd the SMG is hands-down the deadliest weapon so far. Not sure why but it makes the Assault Rifle look like a pea-shooter. Its 50-round clip makes short work of enemy waves, it has two firing modes burst and auto, and its range is pretty good. How good? I've been sniping with it. I don't think I should be able to do that but it seems to work.

The Assault Rifle is limited to a 30-round clip with only burst and single fire. It has an ACOG scope on, making it easier to snipe on the go with it but it's just not quite as lethal as the SMG. I'm hoping this will be addressed in the patch.

The Combat Shotgun is next to useless. It's best reserved for seriously tight situations when your enemies will be at melee range, in which case melee makes more sense. It's got a 8-shell cap. This C.shotgun is impotent compared to the shotgun from FEAR1, which could kill a standard soldier with a single shot at a medium range if aimed just right. The C.shotgun in FEAR2 takes 2-3 shots (sometimes even 4) to take out the puniest of foes at medium range. If they're in your face you might be able to kill them in 1 or 2 shots. Anothering that makes it less favourable is its really long reload time.

The Auto Shotgun is basically the same but with a 12-shell cap and rapid fire. Slightly more useful, makes a good fallback weapon when reloading is not a good idea.

The Flamethrower is utter crap. It doesn't work like you'd expect it to. When I first got it I figured I could go pyro and engulf my enemies in flame! I held down the mouse button anticipating the torrent of flames to swallow the poor saps. The flame started and just suddenly stopped. I held down the button again and it stopped instantly again. For a sec I thought the game had a gun-jamming system but no.. Apparently that's how the flamethrower works here. When you click it's one shot of fire in that direction. Really weird. It stocks up 10 shots before you have to reload.

That's all the weapons I've experienced so far. Will post again when I try out the next bunch.

One more note about the weapons. FEAR2 is set near the end of FEAR1. It's not years into the future or anything. So I'm not entirely sure why their design is so radically different (besides the obvious reason of pandering to the consoles). Like I mentioned above the pistol has these green glowing streaks on it, like it's something out of TRON, the Shotgun has these glowing bright orange targetting aids, while the auto shotgun, SMG, and assault rifle look more 'normal.' Actually the pistol and shotgun look like they would totally fit into a new Shogo rather than FEAR2. Just thought it was an odd design choice.

EDIT:
Something kinda weird happened when I got to Interval 4. The assault rifles fire modes are now full-auto and single fire and the SMG is burst and and full-auto.. I checked on the forums and apparently it's a minor glitch. With some people one of their weapons gets changed altogether. Weird. Suppsoedly it will be addressed in the upcoming update.

Anyway, the action is pretty good in FEAR2. The AI is so-so though. They kinda run for cover but in a hallway they'll just kinda line up and get picked off fairly easily.

SloMo this time around is virtually abundant. You start off with a good chunk, unlike in FEAR1, and it lasts!

[Pugnate]

Yea I heard the AI isn't as impressive as it was in the first game, which is a shame.

[Quemaqua]

I'm still curious.  Saw some nice clips on TV last night, looked pretty cool.  Unfortunately, I just can't afford the expenditure.

[Xessive]

I'm still curious.  Saw some nice clips on TV last night, looked pretty cool.  Unfortunately, I just can't afford the expenditure.

Yeah, wait for it drop in price. It's an alright game but probably more worthwhile on a discount or from a bargain bin.

The sad reality is since it uses Steam you can never really get a used copy. And of course Steam won't let you gift items you own unless you have a duplicate copy.

[MysterD]

Reviews
88 from Games32 (out of 100)
80 from LGR Nexus (out of 100)


ZERO PUNCTUATION Review
Yahtzee with his comical review of FEAR 2.

[Xessive]

I just switched back to my old 17" monitor (5:4), mainly coz since my dad got back the TV is pretty much out of commission so I hooked the PS3 to my 22" Samsung (16:10). It's got a special corner set up in my room now.

In relation to FEAR2, since the game is 16:9 only, for some retarded reason, it not so distracting on a 16:10 monitor, but on a 4:3 or 5:4 monitor it's a hard hit! It's really distracting to have it only use about 2/3 of the monitor.

While the game certainly doesn't come off as just another port the screen ratio problem comes off as lazy. Kinda shitty of Monolith to screw people over like this.

I mentioned earlier I was thinking about a 16:9 monitor so it won't be a problem much longer for me, still it would be prudent of them to address this issue.

[Quemaqua]

Hardly exclusive to Monolith.  Nearly every 360 game I own forces letterbox on non-widescreen displays.  Lot of lazy developers out there.

[Xessive]

Hardly exclusive to Monolith.  Nearly every 360 game I own forces letterbox on non-widescreen displays.  Lot of lazy developers out there.

Yeah, I know, but you expect more from Monolith.

[Quemaqua]

Eh, not really.  I like Monolith, don't get me wrong, but that choice doesn't strike me as that odd.  In fact, I think I only own 2 360 games that actually do a full, non-letterboxed picture on an SD display, and one of them is Viva Pinata.

[Pugnate]

No I don't think Xessive is surprised by any limitations on the 360 version.

I think what Xessive means is that the game forces the 16:9 resolution only ON THE GODDAMN PC. While that is quite retarded even for widescreen PC users (how difficult would it have been to have worked a 16:10 version), he is even more frustrated because the game's locked resolution looks even more limiting on old school CRT monitors. I think he is probably having to deal with black rectangular boxes.

While it wouldn't be too surprising on the 360, like Que says, it is a bit shocking on the PC, considering the sort of PC pedigree that Monolith carry.

[Quemaqua]

OH oh oh, this is on PC?  Oh, that's fucking infuriating.  Somehow I completely missed that.  Sorry.  I'm having a really bad week, I'm thinking Alzheimer's.  I actually went back and reread it before I first responded and still got the impression he was just talking about the console versions.

Yeah, that's completely and utterly unforgivable.  And yes, I would certainly expect more from Monolith.

[idolminds]

Kind of like what they did with Assassins Creed, huh? After a while it didn't really bother me, but its still pretty dumb.