Since I revisited F.E.A.R., which is one of my favorite horror games of all time, I decided to do the same with its only good sequel. While not in the same level as its predecessor, F.E.A.R. 2 managed to address some issues, while carving its own action-packed path.
Before I say anything else, F.E.A.R. 2 is very pretty to look at. It's not groundbreaking and the screen can be quite blurry sometimes, but I'd definitely put it on a list of graphics that still holds up. Also, in comparison with the first one, this is miles ahead.
Project Origin continues to blend horror and action very well. I did find this one way more frantic in its shooter roots than the first entry, but I think this helped the game to become its own thing, not "only a sequel." There are a lot more things to shoot at, more enemy types, decent mech sequences, more guns and dangers to tackle. The best thing is that, while not as groundbreaking as the first F.E.A.R., it all just works with ease. The spooky parts did feel a little less impactful, but there are still some very freaky moments. One HUGE improvement was the level design. Sure, it's still very linear and "corridor-oriented", but it's not as repetitive as before, areas are larger, more apocalyptic, features some memorable environments (especially towards the ending), has a better pacing and it's overall a LITTLE more dynamic. This is one of the things that bothered me A LOT in the past and I'm glad that they tried to fix it here. As for the story, It's still nice. I'm glad they expanded on what happened in the first F.E.A.R., answered some unanswered questions and actually created an interesting lore to follow. I do prefer the first one, since it's a lot more mysterious and told through a very bizzare writing, but it's cool to see that they did not stray from their weird path.
But I also felt that Project Origins faltered in many ways. Much more than the first game.
For starters, if you loved the soundtrack/sound design of the first F.E.A.R., you'll see none of it here. I do not know how they managed to fuck it up so much. While the story is good and can stand on its own, if compared to the first one, it feels weaker. Monolith explore themes and events a lot more here, but fails to make it in the quiet, ominous and very menacing way that the first one did. I liked the action, but, sometimes, it feels like they forgot the horror. Also, the audio message and audio logs are gone. Now you'll find files and you have to stop the action to read them. If you want to do that, you'll read A LOT! F.E.A.R. 2 feels a lot easier than its predecessor and, while that's not an objectively bad thing, I miss the tactical and mindful shooting system. The speed of duels and number of enemies hinder this feeling. Especially since their A.I. is very dumb. New enemy types like ghosts and the "undead" are not fun at all to fight against. In fact, they're even more annoying than the INVISIBLE enemies. Also, the 5th and 6th are not good. The school has some of the worst level designs of the game and the subways are just very uninspiring. I loved the final interval, but MAN! The game DRAGS a lot before you can reach it.
F.E.A.R. 2 is not as good as its incredible first game. That much is true. But it doesn't make it less enjoyable.
I definitely recommend this for fans of the first game and, if you're a fan of horror games, you should try it too. Now, if you do not fit into these two categories, you might find it forgettable and a bit generic.
Before I say anything else, F.E.A.R. 2 is very pretty to look at. It's not groundbreaking and the screen can be quite blurry sometimes, but I'd definitely put it on a list of graphics that still holds up. Also, in comparison with the first one, this is miles ahead.
Project Origin continues to blend horror and action very well. I did find this one way more frantic in its shooter roots than the first entry, but I think this helped the game to become its own thing, not "only a sequel." There are a lot more things to shoot at, more enemy types, decent mech sequences, more guns and dangers to tackle. The best thing is that, while not as groundbreaking as the first F.E.A.R., it all just works with ease. The spooky parts did feel a little less impactful, but there are still some very freaky moments. One HUGE improvement was the level design. Sure, it's still very linear and "corridor-oriented", but it's not as repetitive as before, areas are larger, more apocalyptic, features some memorable environments (especially towards the ending), has a better pacing and it's overall a LITTLE more dynamic. This is one of the things that bothered me A LOT in the past and I'm glad that they tried to fix it here. As for the story, It's still nice. I'm glad they expanded on what happened in the first F.E.A.R., answered some unanswered questions and actually created an interesting lore to follow. I do prefer the first one, since it's a lot more mysterious and told through a very bizzare writing, but it's cool to see that they did not stray from their weird path.
But I also felt that Project Origins faltered in many ways. Much more than the first game.
For starters, if you loved the soundtrack/sound design of the first F.E.A.R., you'll see none of it here. I do not know how they managed to fuck it up so much. While the story is good and can stand on its own, if compared to the first one, it feels weaker. Monolith explore themes and events a lot more here, but fails to make it in the quiet, ominous and very menacing way that the first one did. I liked the action, but, sometimes, it feels like they forgot the horror. Also, the audio message and audio logs are gone. Now you'll find files and you have to stop the action to read them. If you want to do that, you'll read A LOT! F.E.A.R. 2 feels a lot easier than its predecessor and, while that's not an objectively bad thing, I miss the tactical and mindful shooting system. The speed of duels and number of enemies hinder this feeling. Especially since their A.I. is very dumb. New enemy types like ghosts and the "undead" are not fun at all to fight against. In fact, they're even more annoying than the INVISIBLE enemies. Also, the 5th and 6th are not good. The school has some of the worst level designs of the game and the subways are just very uninspiring. I loved the final interval, but MAN! The game DRAGS a lot before you can reach it.
F.E.A.R. 2 is not as good as its incredible first game. That much is true. But it doesn't make it less enjoyable.
I definitely recommend this for fans of the first game and, if you're a fan of horror games, you should try it too. Now, if you do not fit into these two categories, you might find it forgettable and a bit generic.