Review: F.E.A.R. doesn’t stand for Family Eventually Acting Rationally

When last we left the uber-dysfunctional family in F.E.A.R. 2, Alma, the sourceof much psychic power, had just been impregnated by Becket, a soldier sent to investigate mysterious world destruction. Meanwhile, her two children – Fettel and Point Man – did battle in the original F.E.A.R., with Point Man killing his brother.

In F.E.A.R. 3, the siblings are reunited, with Point Man carrying the weapons and killing enemies and Fettel appearing as an apparition who details the goings on and offers commentary.

Alma is preparing to give birth, causing massive destruction around the world, and Point Man must stop the delivery. Papa Becket has only a bit role in this game, with the brothers center stage. In his ethereal form, Fettel can offer advice and castigate his brother for killing him, only occasionally joining the action.

Fans of the series will have no trouble with the gameplay, with non-stop shooting and a return of the ability to jump into slo-mo for up close and personal kills.

The army of Armacham Technology Corporation again offers the brunt of the opposition, as fully-armed soldiers try to stop you. Adding to the action are beasts summoned from different dimension by Alma’s labor pains. Atmospherically, the game matches the previous offerings, with many dark corridors and plenty of sudden noises meant to ratchet up the tension.

As in F.E.A.R. 2, there is lots of mech action, with Point Man suiting up in the mechanical weapons to deal destruction at every turn.

The game deals extensively – mostly in cutscenes – with the psychological torture the brothers received when they were children as they were tested and molded into weapons. Exorcising these ghosts also takes up a good portion of latter third of the game.

F.E.A.R. 3 offers a co-op mode, with two players teaming up as the brothers, both online and offline. Fettel’s skills are a bit different from Point Man, with the principal one the ability to possess the body of a soldier and turn him against his squadmates.

This ability has a limited shelf life, with the body eventually exploding. Fettel can also lift soldiers in the air and attack with psychic bursts.

After completing a mission in the solo campaign mode as Point Man, the player can replay the level as Fettel, offering the same scenario but with Fettel’s methods to attack it. It makes the second run through the game a different kettle of fish.

Mutiplayer offers four gametypes:

Fu**ing Run – speed mode in which a wall of death is approaching from the rear, with all teammates having to fight through the soldiers to reach the finish line;

Contractions – teamwork much like zombie mission in Call of Duty, with waves of enemies flooding the area you’re protecting;

Soul Survivor – team deathmatch, with a twist. During competition, one of your team is turned into an enemy and must work to corrupt all before time runs out;

Soul King – all players can possess AI combatants, with competition for high score.

F.E.A.R. 3, while short on actual scary moments, is nonetheless a solid first-person shooter with enough twists to set itself apart from the crowd.

Platform: XBox 360/PS3

Manufacturer: WB Games

Rating: Mature

Score: 8.5 f.e.a.r.f.u.l. chilies