F.E.A.R. 3

About F.E.A.R. 3

F.E.A.R. 3 was developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in June 2011 for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, after the original F.E.A.R. and F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Film director John Carpenter helped craft its cinematics and comic writer Steve Niles co-wrote the story, which turns to the family at the centre of the series.

The story picks up nine months after F.E.A.R. 2. Alma is expecting, and her pregnancy is near its end. Paxton Fettel, the brother Point Man killed in the first game, comes back as a spirit and frees him from a prison in Brazil, and the two head back to the city of Fairport toward their mother, each with his own reason.

Most of the game is combat. As Point Man you have guns, cover you can use from any angle and reflex time, a meter that slows the world for a few seconds. As Fettel you have no guns of your own: you throw enemies with psychic power and possess soldiers to fight with their weapons until the body gives out. Alone you start as Point Man and unlock each level for Fettel once you finish it. In co-op one player takes each brother, and the game scores both, so the partners also compete. There are mech sections, and a generative system adds random events so a level can play out differently each time.

The horror lies between the firefights. The world is tainted by the Almaverse, the dimension where Alma's psychic essence lives, so a supermarket fills with candles and blood, a baby's crib stands alone in a warehouse, and creatures from her mind spill into the streets. Critics were split on how frightening it is: several reviews counted it a solid co-op shooter that rarely scares, and Steam players have been more mixed lately than they were over the years.

Besides the campaign there are four multiplayer modes for up to four players, among them Contractions, where you hold a base against waves while Alma walks the field, and F**king Run, where the team fights forward ahead of a wall of death. The GOG version is single-player only.

It suits players who want a shooter wrapped in a ghost story, especially with a friend for the co-op campaign, more than players who want a slow, defenceless horror game.

How to play F.E.A.R. 3

1. Start the campaign alone as Point Man, or with a friend, one playing Point Man and the other Fettel.
2. As Point Man, take cover, shoot and use reflex time to slow the world when a room fills with enemies.
3. As Fettel, wait for the possession meter to fill, then take over a soldier and fight with his weapons.
4. Finish a level once to unlock it for Fettel, and replay it with his powers.
5. Try the four multiplayer modes, for up to four players, once the campaign is done.

Tips

• Save reflex time for rooms with several enemies; the meter refills on its own while you are not using it.
• In co-op, talk about who takes which enemies; Point Man's guns and Fettel's powers work best together.
• Use cover all the time; enemies flank quickly.
• In Contractions, do not shoot Alma or keep her in your sight for long: a player who does dies.
• Buy it on Steam rather than GOG if you want to play the co-op campaign; the GOG version has no co-op or multiplayer.

Questions