When you make a sequel, that initially wasn't really a sequel but then officially became a sequel, to an action game with a predominantly psychological thriller story line, you would think that it would continue telling the psychologically thrilling story that so abruptly ended in the first game. I wasn't consulted when they were making FEAR 2, and instead they decided to start just moments before the large nuclear explosion at the end of FEAR, but essentially retell the same story over again. They do go into more depth about the origins of Alma and the full purpose of the various projects related to her, but it's essentially the same story. The game is well made, with tons of details within the levels, but the action is pretty average with an uninspired weapons list and retarded enemy AI (I got shot, lets duck, now lets stand up again), and once you realize what a complete cheat the Slow-Mo ability (which was nowhere near as god mode-ish in the original)it gets absurdly easy. If I could rate the game on the details,though not necessarily graphical power, of the levels alone it would be an 8, but because you have to put up with the blah story, mundane action, and a bullshit ending it's only a 6. If you want more details, hit the jump and read on.The original FEAR was a lot of fun. It was creepy, moody, violent, frantic, and at times just plain scary. FEAR 2 tries to be all those things, but it tries so hard and in exactly the same ways as the first that it ends up failing at most of those. The creepy or scary moments become so predictable and uninteresting that they do nothing but become a bit of a nuisance. Add to this the fact that it seemed like so many of the supposedly creepy moments happened when I wasn't looking where the game thought I was. Either that or they decided to add the creepy noise and effects even when absolutely nothing was happening. To make things more predictable, when there was something supernatural happening you never encountered any real enemies and vice-versa. This ended up making the game feel a lot safer and a lot less urgent.
The action in FEAR 2 is a lot safer as well. Initially I thought the game was going to end up getting rather difficult because of the fact that the game doesn't really allow for very good use of over. Despite the fact that there are lots of items to hide behind, and even actions that can be performed on them (topple drink machines, slide carts, flip over tables) they relatively useless because of the lack of a adequate ducking system, no leaning options, and enemies that seem to be able to shoot your pinkie off at 300 yards. However, once you realize that the Slow-Mo is much more powerful and long lasting than it was in the previous game, which combined with a grenade with the shotgun,it turns you into a room-clearing killing machine.
FEAR 2 doesn't really push the envelop as far as raw graphical power goes, however someone in the art department really earned their pay with all the little details that go into the games levels. Two areas of the game you will become very familiar with are a large hospital and an elementary school. Being that I work in a hospital I got the exact same clinically pure, but mostly depressing feeling roaming the halls and exam rooms of the game. The elementary school is where the details really shine. While on the surface the school is exactly what a school should look like, it's the drawings, play toys, decals, and even slide projectors with a creepy and out-of-sync voice over. The devastated streets, the aftermath of the explosion from the first game, are well done if not the most impressive graphically. There seems to be little in the game, visually at least, that isn't there intentionally and in great detail. If something seems a little flimsy or poorly done, it's probably something that you will later find out is that way for a reason.
Final Verdict: There's nothing blatantly horrible about FEAR 2 but it also doesn't do anything substantially well either. It looks good but not great, the action is entertaining but not always a whole lot of fun, and while the game has great atmosphere and mood it is in no way scary or even creepy. If this was all that FEAR 2 did wrong I would give it a 7. But then it goes too far and gives you such a bullshit lame ending, which I go into detail below if you're interested (spoilers), it gets drop kicked to a 6/10. It's mostly enjoyable, until the end, but not ground breaking.
WARNING - MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
OK, so you've put up with the rather boring action, some sparsely used and incredibly simple quick-time-events, the rehashed FEAR 1 story and you get to the final showdown. You track Alma's psyche, cause her body is dead but she left her psychic imprint, down to an abandoned nuclear reactor where there is a psychic amplifier that is supposed to allow you to fight on the same power level as Alma and then the mean, power hungry Armacham lady, who has been manipulating you from the get go, comes and ruins it all by sending you up against Alma without the aid of the amplifier. Not to defeat her, but to absorb her so that you, and thus Alma, can be controlled. But then there's a kink, there's a goofball teammate that has been susceptible to Alma's influence from the get go and went AWOL to go find his true undead love and be her whipping boy. This goofball shows up in the psychic battle ground where you end up shooting him through several different, short dreamscapes. And then you suddenly get out of the amplifier chamber that wasn't activated, but it was activated, but wasn't working, but maybe it was and you see Alma in front of you and you have suddenly impregnated her. Yes...you psychically impregnated someone that does not psychically exist because she was really raping you while you were virtually fighting Private Goofball. That's when the credits roll. That's the fucking ending. This ending made the game lose a whole point on my grading scale because it makes no goddamn sense and pretty much means you just wasted all that time to metaphorically get kicked in the balls. Fuck you very much Monolith.
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