Feature Review: F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

The action in Project Origin is as cinematic and chaotic as we all remember from the first title. The action-movie feel makes a return: sparks fly, scenery is ripped to shreds, and dust clouds fill the air as fights rage on. Slow-mo is back, and it’s explained during the course of the game how Becket obtains his heightened agility and reflexes. Turning on Slow-mo by hitting triangle on the PS3 controller turns you into the ultimate bad-ass, something which some gamers may feel makes the game too easy. This isn’t the case, in my opinion. I think that feeling all-powerful when you’re fighting normal enemies just serves to build you up, only to make the fall all the more prominent when Alma shows up and makes you feel utterly helpless and ineffective. Melee combat is back, making combat all the more chaotic. The enemy A.I. can be pretty inconsistent at times. Whereas the A.I. in the first game was top-notch and was held in high regard by critics and gamers alike, the A.I. sometimes falls flat in Project Origin. There are times when the A.I. is absolutely brilliant, attempting to flank you and flush you out of hiding using grenades, but there are also moments when it has some issues. The enemy types are slightly more varied this time around, and you’ll occasionally battle against mechs that prove to be quite a challenge. Thankfully, at certain points in the game, you’ll get the chance to pilot one of these mechs (officially called EPA, or Elite Powered Armour) yourself, using its dual chain guns and rocket launchers to tear through enemies.

The horror and action elements blend together seamlessly in Project Origin, and the pacing of the game is solid. The story is enhanced by collecting intel documents scattered around the game world, which you can read if you want to learn more about the back story behind Alma’s psychic rampage. The controls of the PS3 version take some getting used to, which is to be expected from a console FPS, but they work well for the most part. The game looks incredible, and even though it’s not groundbreaking in terms of visuals, since there are a lot of games out there that are better looking, the visuals are crisp and suit the game perfectly. The audio does its job perfectly, with recognisable sound effects all around and music that greatly enhances the game’s eerie atmosphere.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to spend much time with the game’s multiplayer component, but from what I have played of Project Origin’s multiplayer, it seems like it’ll provide a fun distraction. Multiplayer game modes include the usual Deathmatch and Team Deathmatch modes, together with Blitz (a variant on Capture the Flag), Control (a capture-and-hold-the-point style game mode), Failsafe (one team attempts to plant a bomb at a specific target while the other team defends it) and Armoured Front, which is a variation on the Control game mode that adds more control points and EPAs to the mix.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a worthy successor to the first title. This sequel doesn’t change the series’s formula much, but that’s not a bad thing. It’s an entertaining and often terrifying romp through a world where little girls are scarier than a pack of hungry lions, and we can’t get enough of it.