F.E.A.R.

About F.E.A.R.

F.E.A.R. was made by Monolith Productions and first released in 2005; the Steam release from Warner Bros. bundles the main game with the expansions Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate, made by TimeGate Studios. It holds a Metacritic score of 88 on PC.

A mysterious paramilitary force infiltrates a multi-billion dollar aerospace compound, taking hostages but making no demands. The special forces team sent in is obliterated, and footage shows an inexplicable wave of destruction tearing the soldiers apart. You are part of F.E.A.R., First Encounter Assault Recon, sent in to evaluate the threat and eliminate the intruders at any cost.

Most of your time is spent in close, chaotic gunfights in offices, corridors and courtyards, with sparks, debris and blood flying. Between them the game turns quiet: lights flicker, visions soaked in blood break in, and Alma, a little girl, appears at the end of hallways and is gone when you look again. The expansions carry the fight across a ruined city against Alma and her paranormal minions, and into Armacham Technology Corporation's dark past.

It suits players who want a horror game where you can shoot back, with real scares between the battles. Perseus Mandate's multiplayer is no longer available.

How to play F.E.A.R.

1. Buy it on Steam and run it on Windows.
2. Fight through the compound with the weapons you find, using cover.
3. Stay alert in the quiet stretches between fights; that is when the paranormal shows itself.
4. Play on into Extraction Point and Perseus Mandate after the main story.

Tips

• Play with headphones; much of the dread comes from sound in the quiet moments.
• Use cover and pick your moments in firefights; enemies push hard.

Questions