The shooter market is a saturated one, full of common titles that rarely stray from similar mechanics. However sometimes there’s a game that breaks from tradition norms and does something differently. F.E.A.R. 3 is that game. Despite taking the paranormal direction F.E.A.R. 3 falls short of being that power to get inside and keep you up in the night. Where F.E.A.R. 3 falls short of a horror game, it definitely satisfies as a shooter.

F.E.A.R. 3 takes place right after F.E.A.R. 2 and puts players back into the shoes of the genetically enhanced Point Man, the protagonist from the original game. Alma is pregnant with Sergeant Becket’s child and stopping her from giving birth is the central task. However stopping the birth of this child is no easy task for Point Man and his brother Paxton Fettel. Fettel return’s and is now a playable character, allowing players to experience the game differently after beating each mission with Point Man.

Throughout the game the player will be exposed to many events pertaining to both Point Man and Fettel, explaining their development into super soldiers they are. I found it enlightening to learn how Point Man and Fettel developed during the experiments with Harlan Wade. However those familiar with the F.E.A.R. series will find this more as a review then additional information towards the story.

The story follows a predictable pattern of sending you from point A to B while clearing out enemies from each room. After a while knowing what will happen next becomes trivial and boring. F.E.A.R. 3 does attempt to keep tensions high by breaking up combat sequences by adding jittery events throughout each interval. The overall story of F.E.A.R. 3 is nothing special.

F.E.A.R. 3’s gameplay isn’t anything unique; anyone who has played an fps will be familiar with the core mechanics. The player will travel to each area within the level and dispose of all targets within that given sector. However disposing of your foes is enjoyable. With an array of weapons, grenades, and supernatural abilities as your disposal destroying your target is a beautiful bloody mess feels very satisfying.

Playing the entire campaign cooperatively is also an option. Players can take control of either Point Man or Fettel and trample opponents with easy. Both Point and Fettel have access to different abilities that work very well together. Point Man can trigger slow down periods that give him an edge against his adversaries, while Fettel can suspend enemies into the air, shoot energy from his hands, and possess soldiers. By combining these powers you can complete challenges and dispose of enemies without problems.

F.E.A.R. 3 also offers four multiplayer modes that allow a maximum of four players at a time. Each mode has a distinctive map without any crossover between the modes. The playlist include Soul King, F**king Run, Soul Survivor, and Contractions. Each mode appeals to different task and specific style of gameplay.

Soul King is a free for all playlist which players possess around them. After taking control the players can then kill and collect souls and earn points. Holding on to your souls is the challenge. However Contractions plays similar to Zombie mode in Call of Duty where players must hold a specific position for as long as possible. F**king Run plays similar to Horde mode in Gears of War 2 with a twist. You and your team must avoid an ever advancing cloud of death while killing all enemies in your path. And then theirs Soul Survivor where players start off as ghost that can possess other players. The goal is to turn the other three members into ghost before the time runs out.

F.E.A.R. 3’s most notable improvement is the new ranking system that far exceeds Project Origins experience system. Everything in F.E.A.R. 3 is combined into a universal score that keeps track of your progress in single player, co-op, and online. This feeling of progression regardless of which mode I preferred playing kept me locked-in the experience and consent desire to rank up. This is something I hope all games centered on gaining experience will incorporate.

Graphically F.E.A.R. 3 falls short. The game runs smoothly without any frame rate issues but doesn’t look as nearly as good as any other shooter on today’s market. I found the guns, environments, and the characters to look dated. However it doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t look good either.

The sound in F.E.A.R. 3 is well done. The character voice acting isn’t anything ground breaking and is easily forgettable. The ambient sound effects and scary music definitely conveyed what the developers were trying to express as you walked down the gritty hallway of a recently abandoned home.

F.E.A.R. 3 does fall short of a lot of things. The game doesn't create that tense and horror filled sensation that the first installment brought. Without that feeling that one gets from experiencing something terrifying F.E.A.R. doesn't create the atmosphere that it promised or delivered in its original game. The games story is dull and offers an unsatisfying conclusion, allowing it become so dull that the player can ignore it completely.  The game does give the player a solid shooting experience, but it doesn't deliver what is expected of F.E.A.R. and because of that I was disappointed.

I really liked F.E.A.R. 3. The new progression system is a different improvement from F.E.A.R. 2 and offers a lot of replay value with the inclusion of both cooperative and competitive play. F.E.A.R. 3 is a solid shooter that doesn’t do anything special or dramatically new, but creates a fun shooting and sight horror experience. However reaching the maximum rank will come fast for experience gamers and those familiar with the F.E.A.R. series will find the story, ending, and lack of truly terrifying situations vexing. You won’t find a flawless shooter here but you will have a lot of fun.

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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