THEY’RE BACK
Horror is a family affair in FEAR
First Encounter Assault Recon is an example of one my favourite videogame tropes: the laughably functional acronym. Instead of sounding cool, FEAR makes you imagine a team of dull military minds sat around a secret table in the Pentagon, trying to think of the perfect name for soldiers who shoot ghosts. Special Operations Occult Kill Initiative was almost certainly an option. Forget everything and remember.
Arare example of enemy units in games getting smarter
It’s one of many conceits which, upon return, make FEAR harder to take seriously. But this is largely unfair. It’s deeply atmospheric, full of interactive environmental touches such as clanking cans, flapping birds, and flickering lights, which feel surprising even by modern standards. There’s even an overhead projector which actually projects; something I’m apparently far more excited about than I should be. Sound design, too, does a brilliant job of setting the scene. It’s hard to feel like a military badass when you’re creeping around to the sound of throbbing background noises, sobbing babies and slamming doors.
Mechanically, there’s something crisp and visible about FEAR’s systems. Read the current Steam reviews and almost all of them reference the nuance and reactivity of the enemy AI, usually while bemoaning how simplistic modern games are. There’s some truth in this.
The cloned troopers you fight outflank you, lay down suppressing fire, work as a team, and even retreat when outgunned. It’s a rare example of enemy units in games getting smarter when the difficulty is increased.
FINE FETTEL
A thing that’s aged less well in FEAR is the plot itself. It’s not that it’s bad; more that so many of its tropes have been leveraged in other, more deftly handled stories. The narrative involves privat
