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[Sinatar]

Spoiler

Isn't she the one controlling the replicas? And what about the various times you meet up and has to button mash to survive?

Also,

Spoiler

who were the ghosts you were fighting in the end fight? Obviously, Keegan was the one up front between each panel, but were the others the rest of your squad?

Spoiler

Think back to your first encounter with the replicas in the training arena. Who saved you? The replicas are active because of her, but they are after you due to your psychic mojo, they are just attracted to you. All the times you have to mash her off of you, she's pushing you back from something that would have killed you like the falling elevator or the collapsing crates etc...

 

[zombieshavebrains]

Anyone see this?

 

[Mr. Durden]

You really think so? I'm playing on the PC on max settings at 1080p with a rock solid 60 fps and I think it's a pretty average looking game. It's nice to have the high resolution and framerate, but I don't think it looks anywhere near as impressive as Killzone 2. The environments are very boxy and unnatural, the shadows are very hard edged, the animation is nowhere near as good, and the scale of the environment is very small.

Hmm that's strange. It's a matter of taste if you think Killzone 2 looks better, but saying this game looks average in the graphical department really makes me wonder if you're playing it on max settings.

 

[dark10x]

Hmm that's strange. It's a matter of taste if you think Killzone 2 looks better, but saying this game looks average in the graphical department really makes me wonder if you're playing it on max settings.

Of course I'm playing it on max settings. Highest settings + 1920x1080 + 4x AA + 16x AF at rock solid 60 fps on a Pioneer 5020fd plasma. I don't think it's possible for the game to look much better than it does on my setup.

Again, just look around. The game world is boxy in design with a lot of hard edges where the floors and walls meet, limited shadows (all objects do NOT cast shadows), and what shadows are there look like stencil shadows (ala Doom 3).

I don't think it looks bad by any means, but it certainly isn't that impressive.

Whether or not you prefer the art style of FEAR 2 to Killzone 2 is indeed a matter of taste, but KZ2 has the edge from a technical standpoint.

 

[Nikorasu]

Of course I'm playing it on max settings. Highest settings + 1920x1080 + 4x AA + 16x AF at rock solid 60 fps on a Pioneer 5020fd plasma. I don't think it's possible for the game to look much better than it does on my setup.

Again, just look around. The game world is boxy in design with a lot of hard edges where the floors and walls meet, limited shadows (all objects do NOT cast shadows), and what shadows are there look like stencil shadows (ala Doom 3).

I don't think it looks bad by any means, but it certainly isn't that impressive.

Whether or not you prefer the art style of FEAR 2 to Killzone 2 is indeed a matter of taste, but KZ2 has the edge from a technical standpoint.

There is more to a games attractiveness than just the shadow tech. "hard edges where the floors and walls meet" like most buildings in real life you mean. :|
The textures on the pc version are far better than anything in killzone 2. I mean the game is nearly 12 gigs. If you compare the console versions of f2 with kz2 that advantage disappears, of course. Texture work in the game goes a long way. Some areas are just stunning because of the artistry and detail (like the atmospheric subway tunnel I mentioned).
The lack of shadows in several areas is due to the performance budget. They opted for a hybrid dynamic/pre-baked system so they could have many more lights in an area. FEAR couldn't have more than 1 or 2 of these lights and even then it was manageable because it was a very confined game. It's all in the name of performance and given how well it runs I think it's a pretty good tradeoff. It wouldn't hurt the game to have more uniform lighting but I also don't think it hurts not to have it either.

 

[VibratingDonkey]

I'm at the first level and am wondering something.

When you hook up with black guy he asks what took you so long, and white guy says "Bucket decided to take a bath in the fountain." And I was like "Whaaa?", because I actually did do that. Is the dialog a bit contextual?

And why doesn't it render at a 4:3 aspect ratio? Black bars in this day and age is just dumb.

Another thing I've noticed is that rather than removing all of them, they've actually added a new melee attack. Or rather a combination of two existing ones. Sprint, jump, melee, he'll do a quick swipe with the weapon before performing the usual jump kick. Stupid Eurogamespot.

 

[Varna]

I'm at the first level and am wondering something.

When you hook up with black guy he asks what took you so long, and white guy says "Bucket decided to take a bath in the fountain." And I was like "Whaaa?", because I actually did do that. Is the dialog a bit contextual?

And why doesn't it render at a 4:3 aspect ratio? Black bars in this day and age is just dumb.

It was just a coincidence in your case.

It's not rendering at 4:30... It only supports 16:9 though, so if you are on a 4:3 or 16:10 you are going to get black bars. Yes, it's a fucken stupid decision, it better be fixed. I played on a 4:3 and I basically had only half the screen the whole time.

 

[dark10x]

There is more to a games attractiveness than just the shadow tech. "hard edges where the floors and walls meet" like most buildings in real life you mean. :|
The textures on the pc version are far better than anything in killzone 2. I mean the game is nearly 12 gigs. If you compare the console versions of f2 with kz2 that advantage disappears, of course. Texture work in the game goes a long way. Some areas are just stunning because of the artistry and detail (like the atmospheric subway tunnel I mentioned).
The lack of shadows in several areas is due to the performance budget. They opted for a hybrid dynamic/pre-baked system so they could have many more lights in an area. FEAR couldn't have more than 1 or 2 of these lights and even then it was manageable because it was a very confined game. It's all in the name of performance and given how well it runs I think it's a pretty good tradeoff. It wouldn't hurt the game to have more uniform lighting but I also don't think it hurts not to have it either.

I'm not praising the textures because their method of texturing seems rather simplistic and dated. They rely on extremely large, repeating surfaces. Tiles, bricks, etc are all finely detailed, but highly repetitive textures. A lot of newer games focus instead on creating surfaces using several layers of textures to create a more realistic image.

There's more to a games attractiveness than the clarity of its textures up close. High-resolution repeating surfaces has been common on the PC for a while. It should be noted that, by and large, the textures in the console versions (at least the demos) are equally detailed. Only minor textures (such as signs) took any sort of a hit. Major surfaces all appear exactly the same as the PC version on the highest settings.

 

[Combine]

Damn, some of you people are really so spoiled if you think this is an "average" looking game. Or you're being snobs. The game looks perfectly fine and the graphics are definitely top notch and run with very good performance.

 

[TheBlackQueen]

Spoiler

Think back to your first encounter with the replicas in the training arena. Who saved you? The replicas are active because of her, but they are after you due to your psychic mojo, they are just attracted to you. All the times you have to mash her off of you, she's pushing you back from something that would have killed you like the falling elevator or the collapsing crates etc...

Spoiler

I can see what you're saying, but it just isn't the case. Halford makes it perfectly clear that Alma wants to absorb you and is drawn to you because of the psychic fortitude you have. While it can be argued that she wanted to "save" you to impregnate her, this is just an alternate mechanization of her plan. In truth though, the exact motivations of the replicas are sort of mushy. They are reanimated BY Alma after Paxton’s death and are drawn to your telesthetic signature. But are we to believe that Alma couldn't have wiped out everyone in Becket's way if she wanted to kill him?

 

[VibratingDonkey]

Found another melee combo. Press melee, then jump. I don't think you could do these in Fear.

Crate Enthusiast magazine. Ha.

It was just a coincidence in your case.

It's not rendering at 4:30... It only supports 16:9 though, so if you are on a 4:3 or 16:10 you are going to get black bars. Yes, it's a fucken stupid decision, it better be fixed. I played on a 4:3 and I basically had only half the screen the whole time.

Contextual dialog like that would've been cool though.

Black Guy: "What took you so long?"
White Guy: "Bucket decided to take a bath in the fountain, try to stand on my head, run around and kick windows in and shoot a pressurized canister, nearly killing us. He's fucking crazy!"
Black Guy: "Hey! Stop kicking that painting!"

 

[VeritasVierge]

Ok, question about the ending which I found confusing.

Spoiler

Is Alma a rapist?

 

[TheBlackQueen]

Ok, question about the ending which I found confusing.

Spoiler

Is Alma a rapist?

Technically yes lol

Spoiler

Alma was essentially deploying a contingency plan in the name of self preservation. Since Genevieve locked you into the chair, you were powerless to defend against a physical assault lol

 

[Swifty]

After playing through a bit of the game, the I've found the AI to be quite decent and sometimes, as good as the AI in the first FEAR. I still miss the dusty firefights though.

What bugs me a lot now is that the game's titular organization is no where to be found in this sequel. Where is the First Encounter Assault Recon Team? I want to find out what happened to the Point Man, Jin Sun Kwon, and Lt. Betters.

And why is it that your Delta Force team never reports back to their commanding officer? Do they explain that in the game? If I was Sergeant Becket, I'd be screaming at my CO to send in the Marines, more Delta Force, and the F.E.A.R. dudes that should be dealing with this shit instead. D:

 

[Akai]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but I find the

Spoiler

relationship between Alma and Becket to be eerily like that of Aphrodite and Ares...Alma herself portrays an Aphrodite presence in her physical appearance as well as her effect on Becket's team members (who became violent and "wouldn't let you have her") and Becket being considered the "god of war" surely isn't out of the question...The relationship between Ares and Aphrodite also has always been considered to be one that Aphrodite sought out herself, and when this affair was discovered by her husband Hephaestus (who happens to be the god of technology and craftsmen, etc), he trapped them both in an unbreakable net in their bed (sound familiar?) Lastly, one of their children, Phobos, was taken in Greek mythology to be THE EMBODIMENT OF FEAR

...I'd be shocked if this was only a coincidence...

 

[Ricker]

Finished the game last night,pretty awesome stuff all around...the game was easy on normal if you use slo-mo a lot but a few of the last chapters where challenging for sure,not sure I could make it easily on hard(especially the sniping part near the end,where you have to move the crate)...the ending was kinda strange

Spoiler

and I whish Stokes wouldn't of died but I saw that coming

...missed a few intels I guess(probably at 85%),wound up with 305 achievements(didn't touch online and probably won't)...might restart on hard to see how different the A.I. reacts.

 

[Doc Evils]

I just finished the game in 1 sit down and I have a question about the ending:

Spoiler

I realise the guy I was playing was the second twin from alma from the first game, but who do I kill in the end? is it the guy or do I break the illusion.

Also when you see alma pregnant is it to show you are her son or does she get pregnant from you?

 

[Nikorasu]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but I find the

Spoiler

relationship between Alma and Becket to be eerily like that of Aphrodite and Ares...Alma herself portrays an Aphrodite presence in her physical appearance as well as her effect on Becket's team members (who became violent and "wouldn't let you have her") and Becket being considered the "god of war" surely isn't out of the question...The relationship between Ares and Aphrodite also has always been considered to be one that Aphrodite sought out herself, and when this affair was discovered by her husband Hephaestus (who happens to be the god of technology and craftsmen, etc), he trapped them both in an unbreakable net in their bed (sound familiar?) Lastly, one of their children, Phobos, was taken in Greek mythology to be THE EMBODIMENT OF FEAR

...I'd be shocked if this was only a coincidence...

Mind blown.

 

[Akai]

I just finished the game in 1 sit down and I have a question about the ending:

Spoiler

I realise the guy I was playing was the second twin from alma from the first game, but who do I kill in the end? is it the guy or do I break the illusion.

Also when you see alma pregnant is it to show you are her son or does she get pregnant from you?

Spoiler

No, no, you play as the second twin in the original game, not this one...Becket is completely unassociated with Alma outside her attraction to him because of his telesthetic signature...And Becket is the one who impregnated her, no incest here! ='D

And I'm pretty sure Keegan is "physically" dead when you fight him, leaving you to destroy his psychical self...

 

[Broadbandito]

Anyone see this?

thats awesome :lol

About the game: Hows the mp on live?

 

[Brakara]

About the game: Hows the mp on live?

I would say it's somewhat competent, but uninspiring. The problem is that ranked matches have server lists instead of matchmaking. So everybody are trying to host (in order to get some sort of host advantage), and many of them are hosting with shitty connections. Also, lots of people are cheating by doing XP and achievement boosting (you'll notice by looking at all the servers with max 4-6 people). Developers: use proper matchmaking for ranked games, please! (Note: I still prefer server lists for unranked player matches.)

The core gameplay is decent or even good, although I find it a bit too fast for my liking. Think CoD4 on speed, with power weapons and more grenade spamming. Maps with lots of cramped space doesn't help either. The ranking system is also messed up, as it takes forever to rank up after becoming private (and your ranking doesn't show up in the server lobbies). But even so, there's still fun to be had, especially in some of the goal-oriented modes (like Failsafe, Control and Armored Front). It's not going to compete for any of the top spots at the weekly Live activity chart though.

 

[Combine]

Ah, finally finished this tonight. Yeah, there pretty much was no way the ending could live up to the first one, what with the Nuclear bomb going off. I'd complain about the

Spoiler

final area being really short, but I guess that was the same in the first game too IIRC

I was sort of suprised by the "twist" but

Spoiler

I thought Alma's screams didn't sound like one who is in pain

I really like the Greek analogy that Akai wrote in his spoiler text and that definitely sounds like exactly what the writers were aiming for.

I think if it had ended just with that twist, it would have actually been perfectly fine, but it was what happened just before that made things bad.

Spoiler

Genevieve killing Stokes was really pointless (and unrealistic given that there's no way Stokes should have let her even approach with a gun without killing her first), clearly made to make the player hate the corporate bitch even more, but then you're denied a chance to exact revenge on her. And then, you're apparently trapped in that apparatus for good (with only Alma to keep you company it seems ) and the game ends. But I guess that is how they wanted to set up the next game. I wonder how they'll frame the scenario. Will they bring back the original FEAR team (I would hope so as that is also one of my big disappointments with the game). Is Beckett done for good? Are we going to be chasing the now "mommy" Alma and her kid? And will we finally be able to kill Genevieve?!

Oh well, I still say it was a solid game, even though the ending was an overall letdown. I shall definitely be playing it again too.

 

[Broadbandito]

I would say it's somewhat competent, but uninspiring. The problem is that ranked matches have server lists instead of matchmaking. So everybody are trying to host (in order to get some sort of host advantage), and many of them are hosting with shitty connections. Also, lots of people are cheating by doing XP and achievement boosting (you'll notice by looking at all the servers with max 4-6 people). Developers: use proper matchmaking for ranked games, please! (Note: I still prefer server lists for unranked player matches.)

The core gameplay is decent or even good, although I find it a bit too fast for my liking. Think CoD4 on speed, with power weapons and more grenade spamming. Maps with lots of cramped space doesn't help either. The ranking system is also messed up, as it takes forever to rank up after becoming private (and your ranking doesn't show up in the server lobbies). But even so, there's still fun to be had, especially in some of the goal-oriented modes (like Failsafe, Control and Armored Front). It's not going to compete for any of the top spots at the weekly Live activity chart though.

well thank you. I was a huge fear mp guy on 360 for some reason and it seems like they still havent fixed things that I wanted back then. I might rent this game at somepoint but I am in no rush

 

[Doc Evils]

Spoiler

No, no, you play as the second twin in the original game, not this one...Becket is completely unassociated with Alma outside her attraction to him because of his telesthetic signature...And Becket is the one who impregnated her, no incest here! ='D

And I'm pretty sure Keegan is "physically" dead when you fight him, leaving you to destroy his psychical self...

ok thanks xD

 

[Combine]

Hmm, found some interesting notes written by Genevieve Aristide on the FEAR wiki page. I'm guessing these either came from in-game or that book that was with the special edition. Interesting thoughts about the main players in the story (spoilers duh):

Spoiler

Project Icarus- This project should never have been canceled. Assassins could be the product line that helps recoup costs from containing the fall out of current events. After seeing the Assassins in action I will never understand completely why project Icarus was totally killed. These guys are amazing: they can sneak around and get the drop. If I survive this I am going to push the board to reopen Icarus and get more of these soldiers online. We could sell them at a premium.

Point Man- Prototype 1 performed well beyond expectations in this trial. He was able to stop Fettel and shut down the Replicas. While the loss of Fettel is certainly bad for the bottom line, recovering the Point Man and reprogramming him could help off set the negative cash impact of Fettel's death. Because I need the Point man alive, Alma must be made to fixate on another person. Becket is the best alternative.

K. Stokes- Stokes is totally expendable since she cannot contact Alma. However she is critical to the plan to get Becket to the TAC, so if Becket sees her safely through the TAC, he will be more likely to voluntarily step inside the unit himself. After that she's on her own. As long as she can help keep Becket alive, great, but there will be no resources directed to helping her in the field.

Michael Beckett- Beckett is our best bet at getting Alma under control. The team needs to be split up somehow. In smaller numbers they will be easier to capture and taken to the hospital for the implant procedure. Not every member is as perfect as Beckett for assignments. Jankowski,for example. Low scores. But if he can even contact Alma once and get him to Still Island, its worth the risk. My only concern is with a potential fixation on Beckett, she could either kill him or take control of him before he reaches Still Island. Hopefully the rest of the team will be suitable enough playthings.

Harlan Wade- SOB got what he deserved. He made a monster. I had the vision to try to make that monster at least work for us. Now I have to clean it up the whole mess, even though the board thinks I'm part of that mess. When this is over, there are a few people I may attune to Alma. Give them some real nightmares.

Goes a long way to show who the real "monster" in the story really is.

 

[Nizz]

Damn, some of you people are really so spoiled if you think this is an "average" looking game. Or you're being snobs. The game looks perfectly fine and the graphics are definitely top notch and run with very good performance.

What platform you playing this on? PC, 360, or PS3? From what I've played from the demo (and seen in online videos) the PS3 version ain't so hot. Which is very disappointing. I'd still like to play this game sometime in the future, but it'll probably be on a borrowed 360...

 

[Combine]

What platform you playing this on? PC, 360, or PS3? From what I've played from the demo (and seen in online videos) the PS3 version ain't so hot. Which is very disappointing. I'd still like to play this game sometime in the future, but it'll probably be on a borrowed 360...

PC platform ftw. I too have seen videos of the console versions and yeah, my previous statement does not apply to those.

Don't get me wrong the visuals aren't "mind-blowing" or "exceptional" like some other games. But it is still a solid looking title, and it had very good performance on my rig (which is not a recent rig at all save for the vid card which is an 8800GT) with almost no noticeable slowdown with decent graphic settings.

 

[dogknight]

I got the ps3 version. The single player game is fine, there're some framerate issues,but nothing serious.

I have only played two online matches so far, because the game often freezes before the match starts (while loading). Or sometimes it gets disconnected from the server during a match. I don't know if the 360 version's having the same problem.

And it seems that the game isn't selling well on ps3. I checked the leaderboard, not many people are playing it.

 

[Feindflug]

Finished the game last night,pretty awesome stuff all around...the game was easy on normal if you use slo-mo a lot but a few of the last chapters where challenging for sure,not sure I could make it easily on hard(especially the sniping part near the end,where you have to move the crate)...the ending was kinda strange

Spoiler

and I whish Stokes wouldn't of died but I saw that coming

...missed a few intels I guess(probably at 85%),wound up with 305 achievements(didn't touch online and probably won't)...might restart on hard to see how different the A.I. reacts.

IIRC the devs stated that the AI routines are the same on all difficulties, so don't expect anything different.

The game is so easy on hard and the game gives you so many health packs and armor that it almost takes away some of the fun - the game needs an Insane mode (plus an Insane achievement of course) Monolith, patch it ASAP.

 

[Oldschoolgamer]

I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned it, but I find the

Spoiler

relationship between Alma and Becket to be eerily like that of Aphrodite and Ares...Alma herself portrays an Aphrodite presence in her physical appearance as well as her effect on Becket's team members (who became violent and "wouldn't let you have her") and Becket being considered the "god of war" surely isn't out of the question...The relationship between Ares and Aphrodite also has always been considered to be one that Aphrodite sought out herself, and when this affair was discovered by her husband Hephaestus (who happens to be the god of technology and craftsmen, etc), he trapped them both in an unbreakable net in their bed (sound familiar?) Lastly, one of their children, Phobos, was taken in Greek mythology to be THE EMBODIMENT OF FEAR

...I'd be shocked if this was only a coincidence...

You know...that didn't even dawn on me. Good stuff.

 

[Akuun]

Wow. Really silly of me... but never in my whole entire time playing PC FPS did I ever think to use anything but wasd. ESDF makes a lot more sense.

IIRC ESDF is also the control scheme they use in Tribes games.

Just tried out the demo the other day. Looks great and the gunplay is awesome, but not sure if I'll buy it yet, since horror is not really my thing.

 

[Varna]

http://www.projectorigincommunity.com/forum/announcement.php?f=20

Looks like FEAR 2 is getting a difficulty boost and hopefully fixing the shitty 16:9 only aspect ratio.

Looking forward to this. Gonna replay the first game in preparation!

 

[dark10x]

They need to add gamepad support to the PC version. There is NO REASON not to include it. I mean, hell, it's a Games for Windows title and available on XBOX360. It should have 360 pad support.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

This is a bizarre sequel, the level design and environs are better and more interesting, yet the gunplay is inferior to the original.

 

[VaLiancY]

How's the weapon balance in the multiplayer? I remember the first game where you could tear ass with just any of the default weapons from the akimbo pistols to the ASP rifle.:lol

 

[EatChildren]

Finally got my hands on it.

Cool graphics, cool effects, and superior environment variety and design to the original are the pros. Combat is still pretty fun.

Crap AI, abysmal scares, and still repetitive as hell are the cons.

Combat might still be fun but the crappy AI and lack of tension really kills a lot of the fun I had in the original. Where once every enemy felt like an intense battle where slow-mo needed to be use sparingly and sensibly, now I can just mow through enemies watching them make countless stupid decisions, or just hit slow-mo and kill them all. I should probably crank the difficulty though.

Scares are crap. Too much focus on special effects and same-old Alma concepts found in the original. No growth, no fear. Boring.

I didn’t love FEAR and often found myself grinding through it, and had hoped the sequel would pick up on the faults of the original and deliver. In some areas it did (better environments and variety), yet in others failed miserably.

Disappointed.

 

[dark10x]

This is a bizarre sequel, the level design and environs are better and more interesting, yet the gunplay is inferior to the original.

Still, I thought the weapons in the original felt like shit due to ugly models, weak animation, and a lack of iron sights on the weapons. FEAR was a twitching, awkward feeling game.

Still, it's a shame the AI is such a push-over in FEAR 2.

 

[Brandon F]

It's not so much the fault of the AI, it's the Nintendo-esque balancing that messes up FEAR 2.

Who needs cover?
Stop giving me medkits every three steps, I've been full since the damn prologue!

The AI does a decent job of moving and finding its own cover. It only seldomly does the Mad Dog McCree "I'll just pop my head out now and BLAAARGGHHH!" thing...

Monoloth just needs to retool the damage values. I shouldn't be able to just wade right into 4-5 enemies, activate slo-mo and decimate all without flinching. FEAR 1 didn't allow this on its hardest setting because a bullet to the player was DEADLY, and you couldn't dance around it in slo-mo then. Lean existed for a reason and was a necessity for survival. Ten carryable healthpacks occasionally were a lifesaver. Bullet impact from enemies in FEAR 2 barely penetrates the skin, and therefore all the defensive countermeasures designed for the player are mostly worthless.

 

[Haunted]

They need to add gamepad support to the PC version. There is NO REASON not to include it. I mean, hell, it's a Games for Windows title and available on XBOX360. It should have 360 pad support.

Absolutely agreed.

It worked fine with XPadder for me, but I shouldn't have to spent any time configuring the controls.

 

[EatChildren]

It's not so much the fault of the AI, it's the Nintendo-esque balancing that messes up FEAR 2.

Who needs cover?
Stop giving me medkits every three steps, I've been full since the damn prologue!

The AI does a decent job of moving and finding its own cover. It only seldomly does the Mad Dog McCree "I'll just pop my head out now and BLAAARGGHHH!" thing...

Not for me. Health kits and armour a-plenty a certainly part of the problem, but my AI frequently leaves itself exposed (eg: 1/3 of the body while 'taking cover') and then not responding to shots. The AI also misses a vast majority of the time regardless of range.

Yeah there are a lot of other balancing issues but the AI itself is nowhere near as impressive as FEAR 1 was, relative to release period of course. I always felt the enemies in FEAR would only shoot unless certain, would always shoot strait, and generally avoid popping out unless they had an advantage. For me FEAR 2 is the exact opposite.

 

[Brandon F]

True, the AI does miss quite a bit. Monolith should tweak that along with the damage percentage. I replayed FEAR 1 on 360 just before FEAR 2 released and on Extreme difficulty, the AI has psychic bullets like a Call of Duty Veteran run and does a superlative job flanking(so many deaths to the side of my head as I was hiding behind cover).

I do sort of believe that the AI in FEAR 2 is comparable, but it is hard to judge until we can all play a build where god mode isn't turned on...

 

[EatChildren]

Increasing the hit chance + damage would probably negate any cover issues as I'd be too scared to pop my head out anyway.

Those two are probably the biggest problems I have, when it comes to the core design. You know something is wrong when you can be surrounded by enemies, just hit slow-mo, and spin around taking out every single one without even diving for cover.

Fingers crossed a patch fixes these problems.

 

[Brandon F]

Nah, it would make cover vital. It would also give slo-mo a more meaningful gaming conceit. FEAR 1 demanded the careful management of choosing when to fight often based on how charged your slo-mo was due to the psychic bullets. Also the AI would more often try to move in for a clean shot rather than snipe your exposed toe. Which meant keeping a mental eye on where the enemies were bouncing around at all times.

It worked surprisingly well.

 

[EatChildren]

Nah, it would make cover vital. It would also give slo-mo a more meaningful gaming conceit. FEAR 1 demanded the careful management of choosing when to fight often based on how charged your slo-mo was due to the psychic bullets. Also the AI would more often try to move in for a clean shot rather than snipe your exposed toe. Which meant keeping a mental eye on where the enemies were bouncing around at all times.

It worked surprisingly well.

That was my point. If enemies start shooting straight and doing more damage any little niggles with the cover system as-is would probably be erased. The problem with the enemy cover system at the moment is you, the player, are given the chance to exploit sloppy AI tactics. Standing out in the open isn't a threat.

If enemies are hitting harder and more accurate I will be forced to take cover and thus wont have half as many opportunities to spot poor cover choices by them, and since they still do move around it may make the combat feel more like the original.

 

[EatChildren]

Spoiler

Think back to your first encounter with the replicas in the training arena. Who saved you? The replicas are active because of her, but they are after you due to your psychic mojo, they are just attracted to you. All the times you have to mash her off of you, she's pushing you back from something that would have killed you like the falling elevator or the collapsing crates etc...

I really don't think so.

Spoiler

Alma attacks you numerous times throughout the game when there is no danger. The 'collapsing crates' were caused by her in the first place. I'm pretty sure she also grapples you in the school once or twice, and there was no threat there.

Anyway, posting to say I finally finished and hated the ending with an ungodly passion. Worst ending in a videogame I've experience for some time. I get the analogy mentioned in Akai's spoilers, and if that's the direction Monolith want to take the franchise then fine, but as a single package the ending was complete garbage.

Left of field, nonsensical, and leaving a vast majority of the actual game still unexplained. Massive fail, Monolith.

 

[G-Fex]

is it only me but in the hospital or whatever when you're in that tube well the part after it when you're supposed to regroup the game glitches, I mean the whole room tears you can see through walls and if I go down the hall which is completely black I fall through the world. I don't even know if there's a way out of there or if the whole damn game glitched and I can't continue?

 

[Akai]

I really don't think so.

Spoiler

Alma attacks you numerous times throughout the game when there is no danger. The 'collapsing crates' were caused by her in the first place. I'm pretty sure she also grapples you in the school once or twice, and there was no threat there.

Well, she also

Spoiler

desires you/wants your attention (at the end of the collapsing crates area, when you grapple in the elevator, she screams "Help me!"), and as you can recall, she has the uncontrollable ability of harming/killing everyone she comes in contact with...Like take the first game, where touching Alma kills you...Do you REALLY think she WANTED to kill you (her child)? It's pretty obvious that she can't control that...

 

[Mrbob]

PC version is 29.90 right now gogamer weekend sale.

I might take the plunge.

They have the console versions for 47.90, but if you have a pc capable enough to run this title might as well get the superior version and spend that 18 bucks on hookers and booze.

 

[Combine]

Well, she also

Spoiler

desires you/wants your attention (at the end of the collapsing crates area, when you grapple in the elevator, she screams "Help me!"), and as you can recall, she has the uncontrollable ability of harming/killing everyone she comes in contact with...Like take the first game, where touching Alma kills you...Do you REALLY think she WANTED to kill you (her child)? It's pretty obvious that she can't control that...

I think the point with Alma

Spoiler

that I believe is alluded to in this game and the first is that she simply is not rational at all (I mean, yeah, that is pretty damn obvious). Her thoughts and psyche are controlled by chaotic instincts clearly stemming from all the abuse she's taken for so long, one wonders if she is capable of any semblence of rational thought or even in control of all her powers. I think this is the case for how she deals with Beckett through the game, shifting suddenly from wanting to kill him to wanting to be with him and wanting his help and then back again. Obviously whatever Genevieve did to Beckett with that device also compounded things to make her drawn to him (as Snake Fist so elegantly put it "like pizza at an anime convention"). Ultimately we're definitely not sure why she behaves as she does, but I'm thinking its more to be in tune with the game design.

I suppose we'll just have to wait until Monolith makes a third game or not.

 

[EatChildren]

Well, she also

Spoiler

desires you/wants your attention (at the end of the collapsing crates area, when you grapple in the elevator, she screams "Help me!"), and as you can recall, she has the uncontrollable ability of harming/killing everyone she comes in contact with...Like take the first game, where touching Alma kills you...Do you REALLY think she WANTED to kill you (her child)? It's pretty obvious that she can't control that...

Spoiler

I know she is uncontrollable and wasn't implying otherwise, I just don't like how Monolith handled it. The whole FEAR 2 plot is terribly paced and written, and the ending is pure garbage. I hate the ending so much so that I feel Monolith have butchered a lot of what interest there was in Alma and taken her character in a completely unnecessary direction.

I wish Monolith had continued to play around with the concepts presented in Extraction Point. I liked the idea that 'young Alma' was the innocent and pure side, of which actually tries to help you, while 'old Alma' is the deranged and psychotic. That concept laid foundations for what could have been some interesting character growth.

I also find it funny that Monolith consider Extraction Point non-cannon yet ripped out at least two features;

Spoiler

the laser cannon and the subway levels. Ok, the latter could arguably be coincidental as it's just a setting, but the former? Come on. It's the exact same bloody gun.

In whole I'm really unimpressed with how Monolith handled this sequel. It's got a couple of memorable moment but as a whole it's just so weak.