F.E.A.R. is late 2000's slop. It's grey-and-orange mush that wastes your time almost as much as it insults your intelligence. It's not a good game, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you're dead-set on a F.E.A.R. series playthrough.
Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin fails as a sequel in nearly every way. F.E.A.R. isn't a perfect game, but it's a fun, impressive little romp that's charming in it's own right. With memorable locations and fun AI, it makes a great impression. F.E.A.R. 2 removes most of the complexity, turns the game into a brain-dead shooter, and fails to tell you why you're doing half the stuff you do.
Leaning is gone, and you've been made into a tank to compensate for it. A few solid shots would kill you in F.E.A.R., meanwhile you can take a dozen bullets and not even lose a third of your health. Enemy AI has also been toned-down. Instead of waiting in cover, trying to flank, or doing anything smart, nine times out of ten they simply charge at you, spraying and praying. As a result, the gun-play feels limp and shallow.
The bad horror is back, and now it's even worse. Bloody skeletons, bloody hallways, and quicktime horror sequences abound. None of it got me a single time. And there's zero horror ambience to make up for it this time. F.E.A.R. 2 cannot keep a tone, and it's frankly embarrassingly shoddy at times.
Also, I'm not sure where to put this, but this game feels bizarrely misogynistic all throughout. I know it's a 360 era game and shit writing was the norm, but it really stood out in comparison to the original game's seriousness. The way Alma is sexualized and portrayed as a whole feels really gross, and not in the intended way. The ending especially is just...uncomfortable.
Overall, I have nothing nice to say about F.E.A.R. 2. It's just bad. Don't play it unless you're (somehow) nostalgic for it, or you're on the F.E.A.R. series playthrough like I am (in which case, good luck).
Sorry, I had to get that out of my system.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin fails as a sequel in nearly every way. F.E.A.R. isn't a perfect game, but it's a fun, impressive little romp that's charming in it's own right. With memorable locations and fun AI, it makes a great impression. F.E.A.R. 2 removes most of the complexity, turns the game into a brain-dead shooter, and fails to tell you why you're doing half the stuff you do.
Leaning is gone, and you've been made into a tank to compensate for it. A few solid shots would kill you in F.E.A.R., meanwhile you can take a dozen bullets and not even lose a third of your health. Enemy AI has also been toned-down. Instead of waiting in cover, trying to flank, or doing anything smart, nine times out of ten they simply charge at you, spraying and praying. As a result, the gun-play feels limp and shallow.
The bad horror is back, and now it's even worse. Bloody skeletons, bloody hallways, and quicktime horror sequences abound. None of it got me a single time. And there's zero horror ambience to make up for it this time. F.E.A.R. 2 cannot keep a tone, and it's frankly embarrassingly shoddy at times.
Also, I'm not sure where to put this, but this game feels bizarrely misogynistic all throughout. I know it's a 360 era game and shit writing was the norm, but it really stood out in comparison to the original game's seriousness. The way Alma is sexualized and portrayed as a whole feels really gross, and not in the intended way. The ending especially is just...uncomfortable.
Overall, I have nothing nice to say about F.E.A.R. 2. It's just bad. Don't play it unless you're (somehow) nostalgic for it, or you're on the F.E.A.R. series playthrough like I am (in which case, good luck).