Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3018 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Sierra
• Released on: 2006-11-10
• Rating: To Be Announced
• ESRB Rating: Adults Only
• Platform: Xbox 360
• Dimensions: .24 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review

In a nutshell:
Known for its intense cinematic atmosphere and highly sophisticated artificial intelligence, the original PC version of F.E.A.R. also became infamous for the hugely powerful PC need to run the game’s graphics on their top settings. Which makes the closeness of this Xbox conversion all the more impressive…

The lowdown:
F.E.A.R. (First Encounter Assault Recon) isn’t your run of the mill first person shooter, with ghostly encounters and hellish visions straight from the likes of The Ring and Silent Hill. When you’re not being scared to death by spooks though you’re being shoot at by some of the most advanced artificial intelligence ever, which actually tracks you across the game world and ambushes you when you least expect it. As well as new Xbox Live options the 360 version of the game includes a new instant action single player mode where you can battle opponents in specially modified arenas taken from the story mode.

Most exciting moment:
Considering everything you’re up against it’s a good job you’ve got a few psychic powers of you own, primarily the ability to slow down time for a few seconds and quickly gain the initiative – and look cool while you’re doing it.

Since you ask:
Developer Monolith has already confirmed that work on a sequel to the PC original is underway, but the first new PC title will be an expansion pack subtitled Extraction Point.

The bottom line:
A near perfect conversion of one of the most technically advanced PC games ever made.
HARRISON DENT

Manufacturer's Description
You are not a soldier. You are a weapon.
A mysterious paramilitary force infiltrates a multi-billion dollar aerospace compound, taking hostages but issuing no demands.  A Special Forces team is sent in by the government to contain the situation, but contact is severed as an eerie signal interrupts radio communications.  When the interference subsides moments later, the team has been obliterated.  Live footage of the massacre shows an inexplicable wave of destruction tearing the soldiers apart before they can even react.

In light of the desperate situation the F.E.A.R. team is assembled.  As part of this elite classified strike force created to deal with the most unusual and shocking of threats, your mission is simple: Eliminate the intruders at any cost.  Determine the origin of the signal and contain this crisis before it spirals out of control.

Customer Reviews

It gave me the F.E.A.R..............
Ok, kind of short and fairly sweet. This game oozes class. As a member of a specialist SWAT-style team, you are sent in to hunt the bad guys. Easy, huh? NO! The enemy A.I. is very responsive, and intelligent too. They will dive for cover, or try to flush you out with grenades, or hide in the shadows and jump out behind you whilst you are attacking their teammates. Also, they can take a good dose of pain before they fall. So, how do you beat them? With your own selection of guns, added to kung-fu style moves(seriously!), and your "heightened reflexes". This literally translates as "matrix-style bullet time". Press a button, and everything slows down, except the speed at which you aim. Yes, its been done to death recently, but it is actually useful, and stylishly executed too. Anyone who has played Max Payne will appreciate how good it is.
So, far, so good. But what sets F.E.A.R. apart from other FPS games? Two major things come to mind. The cinematic style gunplay is the first. You really feel like John McClane/ Arnie / insert-your favourite-action-hero. The set pieces (of which there are many) are fantastically executed, and very tense. Your heart will race as you enter an open area, waiting for the (not always) inevitable skirmish. And secondly, THE HORROR. Yes, this is a horror game too. I can't detail much without giving away some plot, and this is best enjoyed without any spoilers. But, if you liked The Ring, or House on Haunted Hill, or any other mind-messing horror film, you will surely be in your element.
So, great guns, great gameplay, so whats not so good? Well, not much. The only things I can think of are: 1) The levels look quite repetitive, but you don't really notice too much as you are trying to see whats up ahead, 2), I think the "heightened reflexes" is over used, making some sequences a little easier than they could be, and 3) The story is a throwaway effort used solely to put in all the set pieces. But, to be fair, none of these is adverse enough to be a problem, and overall this game does stand head and shoulders above the bulk of the huge FPS market. If you like shooters, don't miss this one.
Lastly, plase notice: THIS GAME IS AN 18 CERTIFICATE. It is NOT a kids game. There is a worrying trend towards trying to restrict or ban these kinds of games at the moment, so I will always put this kind of message in my reviews. Unless you want your kids to (potentially) pull a Columbine one day, or have serious nightmares, DO NOT buy it for them.
And one last thing: Could we please see less of reviewers like David Lim? This is a space for reviews, not PC-vs-console debate. I appreciate good reviews, not some fools opinion on which is better. Mr. Lim, keep it to the forums on games sites please. Whilst you are correct, this is a PC port, it has been graphically enhanced for the 360, and allows this game to be brought to even bigger audiences. And bigger audiences=more money=better game development in the future. And surely thats a good thing?

Outstanding
This is the game I've been waiting for. I've played most of the top-rated 360 games and I've been disappointed with most of them. But F.E.A.R is probably the best FPS I've ever played, even better than Half-Life 2.

Forget the storyline and characters, F.E.A.R is all about visuals and game-play. It's a serious, no-nonsense game. The graphics are the best I've seen, the 10 levels mainly consist of dimly lit industrial sites and office blocks, and all are ultra-realistic with great lighting and shadow effects. Enemies are well animated and react intelligently e.g. when cornered they will dive through a window to escape, or hit the deck and crawl under something. These little touches continued to impress me throughout the game. There are also numerous set pieces, including armoured vehicles bursting through walls and releasing scores of enemy troops, helicopters appearing and lowering ED209-style robots into battle.

The weapons are all useful and sound great. The heavy machine gun and shotgun are my favourites, but there's also the Penetrator which fires metal spikes that pin enemies to the walls, and the long-range Particle Gun, one blast of which reduces enemies to a steaming skeleton. Awesome. All of these guns can be use in conjunction with the slow-mo effect triggered at any time by pressing LB. Blowing someone's head off in slow motion never gets old. Its even possible to shoot someone in the chest a couple of times at close range and then finish him off with a flying kick to the head, every impact and drop of blood captured perfectly in slow motion. (And you can't do that in Call of Duty 3!!)

Despite some people saying it gets repetitive, I never got bored - in fact it's the only game I've wanted play again after completing it. I honestly can't fault it, but I've a feeling it will be over-looked and not get the credit it deserves. Its annoying that rubbish like FIFA or Need for Speed will sell more units, when F.E.A.R is a truly innovative game and easily the best thing on the 360 so far. Any self-respecting 360 owner should own this game.

Intense, thrilling and over too soon
While it lasts, this is as immersive, exciting, spooky a shooter as you will find. The action is measured and the game works to create a great level of suspense between firefights; this is not simply 'run and gun'. The sense of being under fire is excellent: the sound effects are perfect and visually, the dust created by your enemies bullets, obscuring your view, adds to the realism. It won't take long to finish though and the ending is a little anti-climactic, with no real final boss pay-off (although it does have the mandatory twist at the end of the credits). An excellent FPS.