F.E.A.R. Review | FPS Horror Excellence

F.E.A.R. still stands head and shoulders above most FPS titles, past and present.

Released for PC in late 2005, F.E.A.R. has an incredibly satisfying combat system that meshes beautifully with its enemy AI that is still mostly unmatched nearly 17 years later as of writing.

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• Get F.E.A.R. on GOG (affiliate): https://bit.ly/bouldergogfear

Other Boulder Punch videos to watch:
• Condemned: Criminal Origins Review: https://youtu.be/dmzfLZlx4yg
• Condemned 2: Bloodshot Review: https://youtu.be/H2UoXe7pbM0
• F.E.A.R. 2: https://youtu.be/uRhOmDHFX14
• No One Lives Forever Review: https://youtu.be/ekaatlbWors

Monolith Games Playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9iyzUyf92M81HK6ZXE8C8_rX-QHQXqa8

While not quite to the level of its combat, F.E.A.R.'s approach to horror is used to great effect to pace the game and build an excellent atmosphere.

F.E.A.R. is a style of shooter that I wish more would look to for inspiration - because it still stands mostly on its own in its approach. Big-budget shooters have mostly gone down the way of the Call of Duty formula.

The indies have mostly focused on the "boomer shooter" style. There are exceptions, like the upcoming Trepang2, but FEAR scratches an itch that most shooters simply don't focus on.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Prelude
01:17 - The Combat of F.E.A.R.
04:06 - The AI of F.E.A.R.
07:03 - The Horror of F.E.A.R.
09:19 - Highlights of the Base F.E.A.R. (spoilers ahead)
16:42 - F.E.A.R. Extraction Point
22:09 - F.E.A.R. Perseus Mandate
25:48 - On F.E.A.R. Canon & IP Rights

Thanks to Usefuldonkey for sending me this handy infographic: https://venngage.net/ps/zvPKYH9UVhA/monolith-fear-timeline

More on the AI in F.E.A.R.
• AI and Games on the AI of F.E.A.R. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaOLBOuyswI
• Three States and a Plan: The A.I. of F.E.A.R. (Paper): https://alumni.media.mit.edu/~jorkin/gdc2006_orkin_jeff_fear.pdf

Additional Footage:
• Aliens: Colonial Marines - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EW2PsCGA7g
• Jurassic Park
• Trepang2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CheK9gVYDv8
• The Ring

#feargame #fearreview #boulderpunch #fear