F.E.A.R. earns its 4.5/5 on the combat alone. The physics engine and particle effects combined with the intelligent AI makes this easily one of the best games i've ever played purely from a gameplay standpoint. I played this game, ps3 version streamed on PS Now. The absolute least optimal way to play this with not the most intuitive controls and goddamn was it still awesome as fuck.

Unfortunately, not everything about this game is up to par. The biggest problems are two that go hand in hand and kind of exacerbate the problem. Now im pretty good at shooters for the most part, so my playtime being around 12-13 hours seems to be about the standard. For me, a game like this. Thats just too long. If it was just a couple hours shorter I think this game would of been a lot stronger overall. But the other issue is the location variety. There are a few moments where the game gets creative, but you're basically in the industrial building/abandoned building setting the entire game. That means 90% of the game is just grey and brown. Its a common issue with games from this era and it really hurts this one. The playtime doesnt seem like much of a big deal and I know most people prefer their games to be long, but when you see the same asset reused a million times or go down a corridor that is like 10% different from the one you just went down, it makes the game feel even longer than it is and in turn makes it feel like its dragging on. Thankfully the combat still remains fun throughout, so its not too much of a detriment but its the biggest flaw.

On to a few more minor complaints. Im not sure if this is an issue with the PS3 version but the audio is just terrible. The sound design itself is good but a lot of the guns sound muted, even with the volume settings turned up. This is even worse with the dialogue. Full settings and I could not make out more than one sentence total from the character thats speaking in your ear most of the game and, yknow, giving you your objective. And there isnt an option for subtitles either so you're shit out of luck. This in turn made navigating the very dull environment a little difficult at times but it also made it so I genuinely could not tell you anything about the story. Thankfully for this game it doesnt really matter but It was pretty dissapointing to not be able to hear what was happening without assaulting my ears by cranking up the tv volume to egregious levels. Also, the game really just isnt that scary. A good jumpscare or two got me and the atmosphere is really good, but the only time i was close to scared was during the most intense fights. Those were awesome and left me on the edge of my seat, but the actual moments where the game goes into "scary mode" didnt do a whole lot for me.

Now in what seems to be a common occurence in my reviews, despite all the shit i talked this game was still goddamn great. The combat absolutely 100% trumps all of the negatives and Im ashamed no game has come close to something as stellar as the shooting in this one.

Time Played - 12 hours 25 minutes
Nancymeter - 88/100
Game Completion #68 of 2022
June Completion #3