F.E.A.R. 3 hast just been released yesterday. The third part of the horror shooter was promising and very good looking. But did the developers hold their promises and connected to the good characteristics of the previous releases of the series or did they make F.E.A.R. 3 to be just another standard ego-shooter?
Day 1 Studios did not create a new video game genre. Horror Shooters have been known before. Like the Doom series, for example. But they have set the term "horror" to a new standard. F.E.A.R. was not just the name of the game, but the feeling the developers wanted the player to really feel while playing the game. Sadly exactly this characteristic which has made the series this popular and fascinating is lacking a little. The paranormal incidents have become fewer, the scary cutscenes have become less scary and the heart-stopping moments seem way too predictable. It just just appears that the scary factor of the game has decreased a lot.
But that's not the only criticism that this game deserves. The implemented graphic engine of the game is unfortunately behind today's standards. This lets creepy places like streets, underground stations and dark buildings not look as scary as they are supposed to. Additionally the A.I. seems to have stayed the same since F.E.A.R. 2. Stuck NPCs behind fences, barrels and even on stairs do not push the feeling of the game, at all.
But F.E.A.R. 3 does not only have bad things to offer. The weaponry for example has been expanded with many new and exciting weapons that make fights with enemies really exciting. And even if the A.I. may seem to be born without a brain, because of all the stuck moments, they really show their best at gun battles. Intelligent moves and diversionary tactics can make it really hard to survive sometimes.
Also the fact that Point Man has gotten a permanent shooting buddy is pretty interesting. It's really interesting to see how both characters have individual abilities and work together as a team. While Point Man has several paranormal abilities in his arsenal Paxton rather relies on pure weapon power. Also a very nice feature is that every level is playable as Point Man or as Paxton. This also lets you experience every mission completely different, depending on which character you choose.
So in conclusion you can say that F.E.A.R. 3 is a real pleasure if you just want to play a good shooter. The teamworking with your mate and developping strategies to take down your enemies combined with a really strong A.I. makes you want more and more of the gun fights. If you expected a complex story line and were hoping for some shocking revelations or if you only liked the game for its scary moments and the creepy atmosphere, you might be very disappointed. F.E.A.R. 3 is a very satisfying shooter, but does not quite fulfill the "horror" part. I give F.E.A.R. 3 a solid 6.5/10 score due to the fact that I like shooters, but what made the game really interesting to me was the atmosphere and the heart-stopping moments, which are really lacking here.
What do you think about the review? Let me know your thoughts about the game and whether you will buy it or not.
