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Scary? Of course it is!

» Pros

Visually stunning. Excellent lighing effects. Smooth movement. Useful implementation of slo-mo. An array of weapons. Frequent checkpoints. Superb sound effects. Fairly easy controls. Fairly linnear levels.

» Cons

Poor trigger response time. Lack of interaction with squad (when there is one). Repetitive gameplay.

» Review

Regardless of of the "games aren't scary" lead in to FS's review of the game, do not enter this game with the notion that you will not be scared. You will be. Granted, I seriously doubt FEAR will spark any nightmares. Still, there's an eeriness that follows you throughout the game. You'll find yourself reluctant to enter the next corridor or open the next door in fear of what lies around the next corner. So yes, the game earns its name.

Despite all the hype we've experienced about FEAR over the months leading up to its release, I'm sad to say that this is not a groundbreaking experience. Although the graphics suggest otherwise, the gameplay lacks the shear quality we experienced in Half-Life 2. FEAR gives you one overall feel and sticks with it. Prepare yourself to enter repetitive dark and dreary environments throughout. Scares and creep-out scenes aside, you travel though the same levels and experience the same enemies over and over. Luckily, options like slo-mo and the never seen before jump kick as an alternate melee attack lends themselves to some variation that the forces you're up against do not.

FEAR is still a really enjoyable game and provides enemy AI intelligence that will really have you putting up a fight. In this area, Monolith absolutely shines, as do they in the realm of graphics. Prepare to be challenged and most importantly, prepare to be scared!