My initial optimism going into F.E.A.R. 2 was quickly deflated when I realized just how different it was from the first game and Extraction Point. In its own little vacuum it's pretty good, there's a lot more locale variation than the first game, and I found the story to be slightly more interesting too. My problem was that I had thought it would still be like the first game, just with HD models and while some of that is true, there's a lot more of an emphasis on high octane action, the kind of action I'm sure I would have really enjoyed more had I not gone in with high expectations after 2 very solid shooters.
Health and armor pickups litter the maps meaning you can play a lot more loosely than you could before, both helped and hurt by the inclusion of stimpacks that serve as instant health recovery. There were a lot of moments I had a full inventory of health kits because I just never needed to use them. To be fair though, the limit is only 3 so you reach that cap very quickly.
To give the game a bit of credit though, there are 2 instances of turret sections, and 2 instances of mech piloting. This goes back to what I said about the emphasis being placed on action rather than slower methodical combat moments. I thought these moments were great and I sort of wish they'd have done more of them to really differentiate it from 1. I also really enjoyed seeing props from the first game make a reappearance, as well as higher detailed versions of enemy designs. It helped ground this in the series and make it still feel like a follow-up even if the gameplay was altered.
This is definitely the 6/10 kind of game I'm looking for in my 7th gen shooters, it's just a shame it's a follow-up to a completely different and much better shooter.
Health and armor pickups litter the maps meaning you can play a lot more loosely than you could before, both helped and hurt by the inclusion of stimpacks that serve as instant health recovery. There were a lot of moments I had a full inventory of health kits because I just never needed to use them. To be fair though, the limit is only 3 so you reach that cap very quickly.
To give the game a bit of credit though, there are 2 instances of turret sections, and 2 instances of mech piloting. This goes back to what I said about the emphasis being placed on action rather than slower methodical combat moments. I thought these moments were great and I sort of wish they'd have done more of them to really differentiate it from 1. I also really enjoyed seeing props from the first game make a reappearance, as well as higher detailed versions of enemy designs. It helped ground this in the series and make it still feel like a follow-up even if the gameplay was altered.
This is definitely the 6/10 kind of game I'm looking for in my 7th gen shooters, it's just a shame it's a follow-up to a completely different and much better shooter.