I…adore…”F.E.A.R.” This is a fact about myself. I don’t know how that game series got itself so ingratiated into my system, but it’s in there now and nothing will ever get it out. I’ve played every expansion pack, and conquered the original and its sequel on every conceivable difficulty; I’ve even beaten the original without dying. I play these babies into the ground, mostly because I’m in love with their crazy blend of Asian horror and SWAT team corridor shooter aesthetics.
So, of course, I made a B-line for the “F.E.A.R. 3” booth at E3 last year, and I’ve been waiting with silly giggles of joy ever since. Yes, Monolith isn’t making it anymore, but Day 1 Studios is as sturdy a set of hands to deliver the product as anyone: they’re responsible for the awesome “Mech Assault,” and they ported the original “F.E.A.R.” onto the 360. And frankly, if I can be totally honest, Monolith has never been my favorite studio anyway. They have a knack for great ideas, but their execution doesn’t always live up to their razor-sharp taste and style. “Condemned,” for example, is a series begging to produce a flat-out masterpiece, but Monolith has never answered the call.
So Day 1 Studios is at the helm, new co-op features are on deck, and John Carpenter apparently looked at some Quicktime videos for them or something. All should be well, right? Right…yes. Absolutely. Probably. Maybe. I don’t know.
I have a nagging suspicion that “F.E.A.R. 3” is going to suck. Let me explain:
1. Candles? Why do game developers think candles are so frightening? Just candles, everywhere. “If you want to get ’em by the balls,” they seem to say, “Put some f-ing candles on the floor. That’ll show ’em.” Every time I look at game play footage for “F.E.A.R. 3,” I see Point Man traversing some suspiciously small and cramped buildings full of…you guessed it…candles. And Satanic scribbling all over the walls. Yawn.
Simply put, I’m worried the game isn’t scary. This isn’t the end of the world—“F.E.A.R. 2” was also un-frightening—but it is a concern. Restraint is the road this series should travel, and I don’t see them on the right path. The aesthetic I’m seeing them go for is way over the top, and I think that’s a mistake. Buckets of blood reduce fear, they don’t enhance it. They make the game feel like a cartoon instead of a deadly serious journey into the dark. Speaking of things that might take a bite out of the fear, consider this…
2. Co-Op. I’m really excited about the co-op system they’re implementing, but at the same time, I remember “Resident Evil 0” as well as anyone, and so I have my doubts. Having another player along for the ride has always diminished suspense. I don’t know why that is exactly, there’s just something about horror where you have to be alone. Sure, “Left 4 Dead” induces bed-wetting, but their model is not open for Day 1 to follow. This is a story driven game, it can’t play out in the boxing match style of Valve’s zombie apocalypse.
And Paxton Fettel is all, like, supernatural and stuff. Doesn’t that kind of kill the fear right there (no pun intended)? I mean, scaring someone is like seducing them: you can’t just charge at someone right out of the gate (well I mean you can…) If I’m Point Man and my back-up is a ghost, like Captain LeChuck style, aren’t I going to be less impressed when Alma goes, “Wooooo, I’m a ghoooossssttt!”
And this generative scare thing, where the levels play out different every time, doesn’t reassure me, either. It smells of one of those things you barely notice in game. It’s a good idea, even if it’s a subtle tweak, but it will only pave the way for the game to be effective for other reasons. I don’t think they can count on it to stand on its own. You’d only even notice such an effect on a second play-through, at which point you’d already be getting numb to the game’s assaults anyway.
3. Delays. They keep pushing the damned thing back, and that gives me pause. A new developer, tons of new additions to the gameplay, is Day 1 biting off more than they can chew? I certainly hope not.
4. John Carpenter. Nothing smells of BS more than John Carpenter “consulting” on the project. That sounds like him getting a Quicktime over email, then texting the lead designer and saying, “Hey put some boobs in there. I don’t see any boobs.” You don’t really expect me to believe Carpenter, like, influenced this thing in any way, do you Day 1? Do you think I buy that? How come I haven’t seen him say a word about it? Anyone old enough to know John Carpenter is too old to fall for this, and anyone too young doesn’t know who he is. It’s not a winning play. Also, and I say this as a die-hard fan of “Halloween,” have you ever heard of a little movie called “Ghost of Mars?” This man has not produced a frightening sequence of events on screen since the 1980s.
5. Suicide Grunts? One of the things “F.E.A.R. 2” really failed to do was recapture the brilliant tactical struggle of its predecessor. “F.E.A.R.” was so frightening because you were always wound up: either Alma was messing with your head, or the Replica soldiers were flanking your face off. Both were scary for completely different reasons, and when they were combined into the same game, the results were potent. You’d win a massive firefight and think, “Oh thank God, it’s just Alma, I need a rest. Oh wait, I’m afraid of Alma. Aaah!” Then you’d escape her clutches and think, “Oh thank God, some Replica soldiers, I can’t take this haunting crap. Wait, they’re shooting at me. Aaah!” The cycle never let up.
“F.E.A.R. 2” does not contain half of the original’s sheer challenge, and so the ghost sections are left to create the atmosphere on their own. The game recovers from this with fun game play, cool aesthetics, and a great twist at the end that just sends you reeling into the closing credits. But the sequel can never live up to its older brother, and that is a shame.
Now Day 1 Studios is talking about introducing suicide units and crazy homeless guys (I’m having “Condemned” flashbacks) who run at you barking nonsense. I am not pleased to hear this. I get that from a dozen other places, and frankly, Day 1, it just sounds like you trying to save yourself from writing complex A.I. routines. As a palette cleanser, it’d be great. Is it a palette cleanser, Day 1? Are you sure? If charging maniacs represent 45% of the enemy A.I, that’s too much. Why do I have this sneaking suspicion they’re going to be a lot more than that?
So look, I’m not saying I have no hope. I hated “F.E.A.R 2” upon its original release, and then it won me over once I accepted it for what it was. Something like that might happen here. And I’m happy to admit, almost nothing Day 1 is suggesting sounds like a bad idea, it’s only if they implement it incorrectly that I fear for the game. But this is not a veteran studio in this franchise, and I don’t know how much to trust them when they say they’re going to accomplish all of these things. I want to believe, Day 1. I hope you don’t let me down.
