F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Comments by Jon Blyth

Lets just hope they don't cock it up like they did with the Condemned sequel eh?

Yes, looking forward to this even if I'm not sure I'll be through Fallout 3 by then :)

its nice to see EG brings up the super boring level design in the first one. FEAR 2 must fix that problem before I consider buying.

Anyone still whining about level design in the first one needs to stop looking at the architecture and focus on actually playing the game. I've played it through three times, and I've never gotten bored of the levels (with the obvious exception of the turrets levels) - they may not look eyepoppingly beautiful, offices after all do not, but they are very well designed as settings for gunfights while still seeming realistic places. That is what FEAR was for. Want pretty? Play a game without a shotgun in.

Now it's influenced by Saw? Fuck. The actual story and attempts to be scary in the first one were good tries, especially towards the beginning, but became the most boring part of the game. I can see where this is headed - now we're going to be faced with a necessity to do something the designers think is nasty but actually isn't, and have to put up with NPCs whinging about it for ages afterwards, aren't we?

Also, Monolith, if you're reading this, feel free to reset the story and rubbish the expansion storylines all you like, but make sure you retain the laser from the expansions. That is the single greatest ranged energy weapon in a game to date.

"Anyone still whining about level design in the first one needs to stop looking at the architecture and focus on actually playing the game. I've played it through three times, and I've never gotten bored of the levels (with the obvious exception of the turrets levels) - they may not look eyepoppingly beautiful, offices after all do not, but they are very well designed as settings for gunfights while still seeming realistic places."

Totally agree.

"In FEAR we explored the little girl"

What?

I play Fear 1 every few weeks. Not because it is a great game. Quite the opposite.

I always finish my FPS games but this one really is so lacklustre. I probably started this game over a year ago, and hopefully when I can stir myself to play it again the end will start to come in sight and I can trade it in for something that was designed with a bit more creative thought.

i am disappointed to see that the change of the "point man" ( you) is never commented. in the first one it was SPOILER [ the son of Alma] END SPOILER...

it seems now that we have a unknown guinea pig instead with no close connection whatsoever with alma.

a big change, or is it not? i really would like to know what happened to the first point man, if he died or what.

they just can let this tie loose.

next time you speak to them , euroG.....

Yeah, as YourMessageHere said, the reason the original was so good was because of the gunplay, and the excellent design of the levels, which only look boring. It's one of the very shooters (Halo/2/3, Left 4 Dead, Crysis/Warhead, Far Cry/2 spring to mind) that tries to be more dynamic than the rollercoaster-cum-shooting-galleries which usually receive higher marks (Call of Duty games and their ilk) by focusing on the second to second combat, and more importantly on AI (and in the case of F.E.A.R., level design which complements the AI). Which is why it's one of the very few shooters (see same list above) that is worth playing more than once.

Anyone still whining about level design in the first one needs to stop looking at the architecture and focus on actually playing the game.

Exactly. FEAR's level design was awesome. It just wasn't very attractive or had a lot of variety visually, which is what people mean. Couldn't care less, myself - if the AI and guns are as terrific as in the first one, it can take place between texture-less grey objects for all I care.

But frankblack, the combat is its own reward.

Someday I'm going to write a lengthy rant about what I see as an ideological war between dynamic and scripted shooters, and how the latter are winning, and how that's a disaster.

The office levels are more interesting, whole swathes of action take place in the broken streets, and you'll be fighting through laboratories, post-Blitz streets and an elementary school in the game's much fuller, varied and impressive world.

Expect more school shoot outs in the land of idiots after this game is released.

The important thing for me is has it got a true ironsight view on the left trigger? You've had a look at the game so can you tell us? If an FPS hasn't got a true ironsight view then a can't be bothered with it, the first game didn't have one.

All fair and square, but after fighting through the umpteenth non-descript office room you somehow start to lack the initiative to go any further when your only reward is to clear ANOTHER non-descript office room.

The reward is the fun and richness of combat itself, just like in Halo: CE which also had awfully repetitive levels.

So we're a new guy instead of the old Pointman? Well, that's fine, but we were yet another guy with slow-mo matrix powers in the expansions, too. So what happened to that guy?

And is there anyone in this gameworld that hasn't been cloned from Neo?

The point in FEAR 1 wasn't about level desing, it was all about dark atmosphere and incredible enemy A.I... every battle felt fresh because the enemy could flank you, take cover and change stance to passive/agressive in a very realistic way, i loved the gameplay because of that, and loved the tense atmosphere... thouse empty corridors where pretty much essencial to give you the sense of constant danger, the pace was really good, well balanced between scary moments, gun battles and suspence.

Ill buy FEAR 2 for sure... i really enjoyed the 1st one, and the story is pretty good too.

Point-man, Alma, Vettel, ending, ... , the story was a foul-tasting hotch-potch of scenes and images from movies and other games.
I doubt there is a way of correcting that and fear it will get worse in the sequel.

The gameplay was great, though, and I hope the sequel's will be as intense.
However, in contrast to Apologie, I found the pacing got very see-throughable with its pause-action-pause-action design and it was very clear when and where the enemies will attack.
Let's see.

Monolith, king of the scripted, king of the contrived...king shit of turd hill...meh.

So we're a new guy instead of the old Pointman? Well, that's fine, but we were yet another guy with slow-mo matrix powers in the expansions, too. So what happened to that guy?

Expansions were not made by Monollith and they are not canon. You can forget the other guy ever existed. Because, you know, he didn't.

Monolith, king of the scripted, king of the contrived...king shit of turd hill...meh.

Um, what? :)

They are only one of the best FPS developers in the business. It wouldn't surprise me at all if F.E.A.R. 2 turned out to be the best FPS of the first half of 2009 (Riddick is not coming out until the second half, right?). And no, I haven't forgotten about that other game. I said the best, not the best looking.

I play Fear 1 every few weeks. Not because it is a great game. Quite the opposite.

I always finish my FPS games but this one really is so lacklustre. I probably started this game over a year ago, and hopefully when I can stir myself to play it again the end will start to come in sight and I can trade it in for something that was designed with a bit more creative thought.

Just what I do too.

I wanted to love this game and really don't mind the level design too much, but the gameplay is not impressing, still all right. I also always play single-player games on hardest, and this one on everything maxed with widescreen fix. The beginning was promising, but now I just jump into some action to finish it... I can barely remember any amazing AI, they pop predictably in and out from corners and also chat to each other what they are going to do... some of the guns were fun though, the first ones were quickly useless. The bullettime-stuff got boring and I missed the ability fling my self sideways like in max payne... close combat was allright but felt cooler in Chronicles of riddick. also HATED the 30sek self-cleaning rooms, I also had a weird feeling of everything being a bit out of proportion, cups and a few other small things that could be moved in game looked so big and blocky... probably just me.

Still an allright game, but for me a 6/10 or something.

People obviously had different expectations, but the original for me ended up to be closer to games like painkiller than a horrorFPS. Although having played the game only in short sessions over a long time span probably makes me miss a bit of the whole picture and the game isn't getting any younger, I guess it was close to a year old when I started playing it.

The addons weren't that shabby either imo (not what Monolith thinks, even though they helped Timegate with it), especially the ability to kick doors in is a must-have in every shooter now. And pls, can someone tell me if they removed slow-mo from multiplayer or not because that was easily one of the best things about the mp. Still having some doubts about this game.

I loved the combat in FEAR. The AI is unmatched until today, imo.

I hope they don't focus too much on supernatural enemies in the sequel.

It's the opposite of scary, we suggest. "Sure, and you won't be doing this all the time - this is just one of the things we've got on our palette. This is just tossing you a bone, after you've worked hard for a while. We're letting you be a badass." If you're completely against all forms of badassery, you'll be pleased to hear that using the EPA suit is optional.

Silly boys - they evidently know how to scare us, so how comes they've got this wrong? Here's whatshould happen: You use the EPA once in the game and yes, you feel like a badass. Later on in the game you get the opportunity to use it again, but you're faced with enemies against whom the EPA is worse than useless, and you end up trapped inside, lying on your side, tricked by your own lust for firepower, while they prise the suit open...

"The reward is the fun and richness of combat itself, just like in Halo: CE which also had awfully repetitive levels. "

But I think the difference is that in Halo the outdoor sections *did* feel epic, and really cultivated a sense of exploration. For example, Assault on the Control Room remains (IMO) one of the most iconic levels the series has ever produced, as does the second level, Halo. These sections at least served to cleanse your palette after the endless corridor crawling.

While F.E.A.R on the other hand alternates between combat and exploration without any change of scenery: you simply move through the same office buildings and ventilation systems, only without enemies to fight.

Independently of the greatness of F.E.A.R's combat, I wish moving through the world had been more satisfying, because part of the fun of playing a video game is being able to explore a fictional universe.

Sorry guys but it is utterly reasonable to expect something better than the truly _boring_ level design that was in the first FEAR. Set your standards a little higher perhaps?

Fear and Halo had nice repetitive combat, halo somehow got the flow of the game more right than FEAR imo

"Oh dear... Someone citing Halo as an example of good level design. "

Good OUTDOOR level design, yes.

FEAR was amazing. The expansions less so. But the footage of FEAR 2 looks amazing. Killzone what?

Fingers crossed for even more realistically modelled binbags this time.

To answer to STKD, no i don't wish them to spoil everything, but some hints about how the two connect to each other would be appreciated.

frankly, right now i don't expect too much from the story, and the fact that they seem to have dumped the first point man for an other with exact same powers encourages me to think so.

let me sum it up: you have your self, the good guy , then there is the corpo, who wants to cover her ass, then the girl who wants to destroy everything...

in the end: action movie, short dialogues.

but i guess i can trust them for ambiance, fear factor etc. i just F.E.A.R that the story wont have much of a point.

at least the first let you discover the whole mystery. here it is already laid bare.

that said, if their main influence source is japenese horror, then any exigence for a coherent story....you know what i mean.
( still love them though)

Was looking forward to FEAR 1 on the 360 - and was let down a bagfull by poor controls,

WHO THE HELL thought it'd be a good idea to have the button for melee, to double as the button for holster weapon (and why did that not get caught in playtesting)?

Anytime i held the melee button a little too long after a dropkick I came out of the jump with no weapon. Useless.

I would be less angry if there was any part of the game that required you to holster your weapon, but as far as I know, there wasn't (never bothered finishing FEAR1 on 360 cos of this control issue).

Just played the PS3 demo and it is WICKED AWESOME!

The demo is good but surely Killzone has to be the game to buy in February.