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

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Alma's power is loose and the city is in ruins. Fight your way through.

Platforms: PC, Xbox
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (85% of 9,535 reviews); Metacritic 79 (PC)
Players: 1 (campaign), online multiplayer
Made by: Monolith
Released: 2009

Get it on Steam Xbox (Xbox 360 version, backward compatible)

What frightens As Sergeant Michael Becket, sent in minutes before the blast that ends the first game, you fight through a ruined city as Alma Wade, a vengeful force growing ever more powerful, surges out of control. Between the gunfights, blood-soaked, mutated creatures lunge out of dark hospital rooms and your vision blurs and warps, and the game promises to test your nerves with a terrifying mystery.
Content: gore, violence, jumpscares.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is Monolith's 2009 sequel to F.E.A.R., a first-person horror shooter. As Special Forces Sgt. Michael Becket, deployed just before the blast that ends the first game, you fight soldiers and worse through an apocalyptic city while the ghost girl Alma Wade's terrifying power surges out of control.

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

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is the second F.E.A.R. game, made by Monolith and published by Warner Bros. It came out on PC in February 2009, and the Xbox 360 version is still sold on the Xbox store for current consoles. You play Special Forces Sgt. Michael Becket, deployed minutes before the blast triggered by the original F.E.A.R. team. A routine mission to locate a corrupt executive turns into a fight to survive the wrath of Alma Wade, and your squad has to cross an apocalyptic landscape looking for a way to destroy her.

It plays as a fast first-person shooter. Enemies use cover and tactics, you can push objects around to make instant cover of your own, and your enhanced reflexes let you slow time to line up shots. Fights move through ruined streets, industrial corridors and a hospital, against soldiers, heavily armoured troops and mech suits, and at times you climb into powered armour yourself.

The horror is worked into and between the fights. Alma's power grows as you go, your vision blurs and warps, and some rooms hold blood-soaked, mutated creatures that lunge at you out of the dark. The store page promises a test of your nerves and a terrifying mystery, and the Steam content notes warn of frequent violence and gore.

Compared with the first F.E.A.R., which keeps you mostly in dark offices and corridors, the sequel opens out into a wrecked city with bigger set pieces. It suits players who want a shooter first, with ghost-story scares worked into it. The Steam version also has online multiplayer.

How to play F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

Buy F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin on Steam for Windows, or on Xbox for the backward-compatible Xbox 360 version.
Start the campaign as Sgt. Michael Becket and follow your squad's objectives.
Fight with the weapons you find, using cover and pushing objects to make new cover.
Use reflex time to slow the action when a fight turns against you.
Push on through the ruined city and its hospital as Alma's power grows.

Screenshots

A blood-covered, mutated creature lunges at the camera with its mouth open in a dark hospital room

A blood-soaked figure stands among wrecked, smoking ruins under a red haze as debris flies past

A soldier in a hazmat suit and gas mask fires at close range in a hospital room with a blood-stained floor

The player in a powered armour suit fires twin cannons at an enemy mech in a ruined street

Tips

Save slow motion for rooms with several enemies or armoured troops rather than using it on every fight.
Push furniture and other objects into cover when you are caught in the open.
Enemies flank and use the environment against you, so do not stay in one spot too long.
When your vision starts to blur and warp, stay alert; something is close.

Questions

Do I need to play F.E.A.R. first?

It helps: the sequel begins just before the blast at the end of the first game and continues Alma's story. You can still follow it on its own.

Is F.E.A.R. 2 scary?

It is a shooter first, with Alma's haunting presence, warping visions and gruesome creatures between the firefights. Steam warns of frequent violence and gore.

Can I play F.E.A.R. 2 on Xbox?

Yes. The Xbox 360 version is sold on the Xbox store and plays on current Xbox consoles through backward compatibility.

Is F.E.A.R. 2 on PlayStation?

We found no page where it can be bought on the PlayStation Store today; on consoles it is sold on Xbox.