When it came to talking up F.E.A.R. 2 pre-release, developer Monolith claimed it was going to unleash the greatest first-person shooter combat ever. But while the game doesnt quite achieve its goal of becoming 2009s answer to Halo or Half-Life, Project Origin is still a gore-soaked, kinetic roller coaster ride thats guaranteed to sate even the most voracious bloodlust.
In terms of gameplay basics, F.E.A.R. 2 is a thrilling step-up from its predecessor, ditching the dour sprawl of the original in favour of a vibrant and imaginative world where just about everything is destructible, making even briefest gun-fight hugely exciting as the world splinters around you. The chance to take a break from the traditional action to pilot a robot suit also adds variety to the action, and the improved cover system that lets you to kick over objects and shelter behind them brings a dash of strategy to the carnage.
But what F.E.A.R. 2 does best is assault players with a heady blend of psychological terrors and outrageous bloodletting, the unexpected appearances of a creepy ghost and enemies exploding in a fountain of blood and severed limbs cranking up the tension to snapping point and transcending the games often predictable gunplay.