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

Immediately by information: in Monolith Bad games are simply not done – never. If something prevents the highest aerobatics to demonstrate, it is a greedy publisher, who is categorically non -terminated. It didn’t work out with the first part – many of the declared goodies did not survive before sending to print. Nevertheless F.E.A.R. Warmly accepted by both players and journalists. Of course, they complained about the uniformity of levels and a torn plot, but it was simply impossible to watch the incomparable fights without enthusiasm – there was nothing more spectacular in the first -person shooter genre. No tasks for physics and RPG elements, everything is extremely simple and beautiful-unlike many of their competitors, Monolith They did not forget that FPS is FPS: here at the head of the shooting parade.

Following the release was followed by a conflict with the publisher Vivendi Universal Games and the rapid cessation of cooperation, which entailed the deprivation of the developers of the right to call something “f.E.A.R.”. This, however, did not stop them from taking up the second part, otherwise it was angry with it (according to the results of the contest “Name your fear” – chosen Project Origin), while the former publisher hurried to equip Timegate Studios To create addons of obviously average lousy. The crisis helped to save the situation, forcing Vivendi urgently sell everything in a row, which helped Monolith Shortly before the release, christen the second part by right – F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin.

The plot of the continuation point blank ignores the events of two “left” addons Timegate and originates half an hour before the end of the original. The Delta detachment has a new main character Michael Beckett sets off on a mission with an order to take under arrest Genevieve Aristide, Vice President of the Corporation “Armamm Technology”, which is responsible for the riot of a small Alma. The monstrous explosion in Overn occurs just when we get to the goal: the affected Beckett is taken by people of Aristide and put on the operating table, after which they create some kind of outrage in the inside of the hero and disappear without a trace. The result of surgical intervention is a fantastic reaction – this is the ordinary Delta operative acquires the opportunity to slow down the course of time. All further is quite vague. Probably due to the lack of a coordinator Betters, which would chew on what is happening on the radio.

Not everyone knows that the “full -fledged” plot https://spinland.uk/ of the first part of the game is buried in its archives and is available to everyone. Armed with something for unpacking (Dragon Unpacker, for example), you can extract a lot of pleasure by detecting and listening to the dialogs that have not been included in the final version of dialogs, which would be enough for three and a half an addon, but Timegate They disdain. Training mission, automobile pursuit, an investigation of the origin of the Armed Forces of the Armmam, Black Humor – all this and very much more remained behind the scenes. How do you, for example, have such a detail: Picston Vettel I was looking for Alma to … eat it … This, if that, is not from the category of black humor. Although, who will understand them now. By the way, in the Russian version from “Soft Club” This wealth for the fan is honestly translated and voiced.

While the beast is angry and rampant, the board of directors of Armamem hires a frostbitten colonel Wanek In order to cover traces and eliminate all the strings, which one way or another connecting all this bedroom with the corporation. Our task is to press and blame them for all, to save the still breathing employees and almu to calm down as soon as possible. No sudden resurrectings, old heroes are generally a minimum: Alma herself, Genevieve, some slurred brother Yankovsky And that’s it. Story F.E.A.R. 2 It does not develop before our eyes, the developers went to the players and just more widely revealed the theme of the cruel project “Source”, having forgotten really about the need to somehow justify everything that is happening. Every now and then we find discs with various secret and not very information, the reading of which in PDA (no laptops with comments, yes) sheds light on events from the past, but we couldn’t really weave the newest hero – even the character is not completely disclosed. Beccket knows how to speak, but laconic, throughout the game he pronounces hardly a few phrases. To identify itself with a protagonist, it may be for the better, but somehow this time the effect of presence loses, including because the developers mercilessly cut off some structural elements of a unique atmosphere F.E.A.R. – Authenticians are the same. Fortunately the sound is still on top.

Mindful of the claims of players to the scarcity of the decoration of premises and levels in general, as well as the discontent of cloned (in every sense) opponents, Monolith laid out to the full, so that it does not seem a little to anyone. Empty rooms? Now everywhere Yar The mass of all trash, ready to fly around in the event of an armed clash. Clones are the same type? Take ghosts, mutants, mercenaries. Boring for your two? Elite stepping attack aircraft at your disposal! The number of gloomy corridors and “pauses for fright” decreased markedly, which is not surprising: almost all the cards have been disclosed for a long time, the veil of secrets over the origin of the ghost girl has no place to be.

Having come to the conclusion that the hopeless gloom of the first part was unnecessary, the developers diluted the general mood of a bit of humor and shades brighter than a dark cash, which somehow did not fit into the overall picture very well. Dazzling blood acid, the backlighting of enemies in Slo-Mo, in some places the enclosing environment-all this “with.T.P.A.X.U.»Not to face. On the other hand, the game is also perceived now a little differently, and who knows how successful the “one” would be F.E.A.R. Today. The gameplay itself has also undergone a lot of changes: three first -aid kits in his pocket instead of ten, the opportunity to shoot single, which was so lacking in the original, the creation of shelters from improvised environment elements (overturning tables and shelves) and military operations with the support of associates. The surroundings are now more often replaced by each other, and closed spaces alternate with the streets of the destroyed city, where it is many times more difficult to move due to the fact that you never know where to wait for a shot. Plus, almost every level is a small masterpiece of gaming design: nothing superfluous with many details.

The notorious artificial intelligence of the local special forces to a new level, contrary to the expectations of the players, did not come out. If in 2005 such tricks of bots as the ability to reasonably divide, get around the flank and smoke the enemy with a grenade sincerely impressed, today they look familiar today, and they have not been prepared for us for nothing for us. Moreover, it became even easier to fight – the console orientation makes itself felt. No cunning maneuvers and captures into the ring, even long shootouts rarely happen, because most often rivals appear at the script of the script under our nose, in order to suddenly catch a charge of fractions in the “attic” and go to the next world with a traditional-historical cry. In other words, in every possible way to entertain the player, now and then playing enchanting attacks, it was clearly fed up to the enemies – they even overturning the tables to create shelters on their own, so that the degree of entertainment of battal scenes now depends only on the player, at the disposal of which all previous funds including hand -to -hand combat. True, he is again animated and, paradoxically, worse than the previous. Either the forced wide -screen mode interferes, or something else, but before, extremely spectacular tackles and foot strokes in the jump here do not fall into the frame at all, and they are not required – there is no need to approach the enemies or really the opportunity.

The assortment of weapons has significantly expanded, and some samples are available only in multiplayer. Flamethrower, laser, prototype in the style of the notorious BFG, as well as a wide selection of grenades allow you to noticeably diversify numerous battles. The enemies obediently light up from the fire, drop the weapon, the associates try to extinguish them: the commotion can be arranged with the help of an igniting grenade, but there are still electric and explosive. The latter, however, lost their contact shell, thereby losing all the former attractiveness, but in the case of the immediate destruction of the suddenly arising group of enemies, mines took their place – a throw and achieving a goal in slowing down more effectively.

It is worth immediately to come to terms with the fact that F.E.A.R. 2 – This is another, new game. As a result, the fact that most of the time could not affect the fact that it was an independent project without a cunning abbreviation in the title could not affect. The second part is felt differently, behaves differently, in many ways even radically differs from the predecessor, but, I repeat, bad games in Monolith never do it, and F.E.A.R. 2 Not an exception. Peppy, spectacular, thoughtful horror-player with an excellent design and a reference action-component.

Pros: impressive special effects;full details of locations;Sound and music;system requirements;The previous concept of “call” + “matrix”: a chilling story in a wrap from an incomparable action element.
Cons: unsuccessful evolution of some features of the original.