According to these user reviews FEAR seems to be a love or hate experience. People junk this game for repetitive levels, bad graphics, and lack of enemy diversity. I just don't see any of that except maybe the bad level complaint is valid. Although who cares about how the levels look when the gameplay is so solid. I just played this game again in 2011 and it's still an awesome game. My one complaint with this game is even on the hardest difficulty it is still a bit too easy. The reason people love or hate this game is because its focus is the same gameplay over and over in different variations so if you don't like the shooting mechanic you will pretty much hate the whole game. Monolith has an epic resume of games… Expand

The game is scary.Scary as hell.But not the scary type you will find in doom 3.A much much more scary fear.The japanese kind of fear inducing.The one which really disturbes you.And you will be scared.I felt chills cod as ice on the back when i saw Alma first time.The game is full of tension.The shooting is tactical.The weapons are ok.Even the soldiers scared me sometimes.Good.

FEAR is one of my personal favorites because it gets a lot of things right for me. The atmosphere, scares, and intriguing story really sets FEAR out to be a creative title. The variety of weapons are fantastic and fun though the environments may become repetitive. Slowly discovering the truth behind Alma and Fettel's past is extremely interesting and the end will leave you very satisfied. Overall a great shooter that every PC gamer should try out!… Expand

I grabbed F.E.A.R during the Steam 50% deal (17th June 2011). Having never played any of the FEAR games and not really a FPS fan, I only bought them because they were cheap. This game really surprised me. Graphically it's pretty good and plays at a rock solid 60FPS. The story is interesting and the horror element is well done (lights going out, doors slamming, etc). For me, It's the gun battles and the AI that sell FEAR. Having played many FPS over the years I don't recall any with such clever enemies. If you encounter a group of 4 soldiers and take aim, you fire your weapon they spread out and look for cover. One will fire back while the other 3 will try to outwit you by flanking, throwing a grenade, moving up high, etc. Having never fired a rifle or been in a fire fight, FEAR puts on screen how I would imagine a REAL gun battle would be. You cannot charge in and expect to come out untouched. You have to look for cover and pick each target off one by one while they in turn do the same. The gun sounds are convincing and just about everything you see can be shot at leaving trails of dust, wall tiles, broken boxes and spent extinguishers. FEAR is tons of fun. If you're looking for a great action FPS you can't go wrong with FEAR.… Expand

Nicely scary. The intrigue is well exploited and starts with a nice mysterious intro. Although the slowmo ability gives an interesting gameplay as well as some karate moves (which you rarely use), the gameplay itself is flat and very repetitive. Graphics are okay and graphic designs are so-so.

Has to be one of the best first person horror shooters ever made. Before F.E.A.R., there was very little to choose from in the action horror genre. Monolith Timegate really did a great job in putting together a quality game that will give you chills. It reminds me of those horror movies like The Ring and The Grudge. It provides the right complement of shooting action combined with well placed cut scenes. Many of the enemies are quite unique and offer some serious challenge on the higher difficulty settings. The slow motion feature does make the game a little easy, but you can deliberately not use it. The ideal way to experience this game is to create a scare factor atmosphere by playing it at night with the lights turned off. Highly recommended if you've never played it.… Expand

I recently revisited F.E.A.R. for the first time in five years, and to say it's aged well would be a huge understatement. F.E.A.R. is truly creepy - there's very little of the unexpected scares (monsters jumping out at you etc.) that most horror games are filled with, and instead the game relies on the slow buildup of an incredibly tense atmosphere through cutaway flashes and gruesome visuals. All the weapons (especially the combat shotgun) feel powerful and really pack a punch. Unlike most FPS games I found myself reguarly switching between different guns, rather than sticking to the same three the whole game. The slomo bullet-time feature, despite being done before, was a great addition and added to the tactical gameplay. Using it to blast off your enemies limbs and heads never got old. The AI is really impressive, with soldiers really working together to outflank you or flush you out of cover with grenades. It's true that the levels are somewhat repetitive, but I like how Monolith have payed homage to classic shooters like DOOM and Half-Life in their semi-linear interior layouts; offering the choice to follow the main hallways and storm through the levels, or take the time to explore and be rewarded with medkits, ammo and intriguing voicemail. F.E.A.R. is a huge achievement for Monolith, and despite the lacklustre sequels it will long be known as one of their greatest triumphs.… Expand

Definitely a genuine tried and true FPS, but at the same time, a very emotive one. I really enjoyed playing this... enough to subsequently replay it twice. One aspect that I particularly liked was the labyrinthine level design. The FPS element is also nicely executed. Overall, a very dark and well executed title.

Hands down, best horror game ever. And yes, I have played Amnesia. The incredible A.I, buckets full of blood, paranormal events and that creepy feeling you get when you walk around a corner .. hands down best horror game ever and best game in the F.E.A.R. series. But those robots and automatic defense systems are poor and that's why this is not rated a ten. Get this game, now!

so realistic game. and the subject is such original. weapons, environments and game play are fantastic. maybe the game would be more long. my point is 11/10.

A horror fps, with very clever scare tactics. Not like your run of the mill horror style shooter, the tension really builds up as you go along, and once you find out the true story of the games, leave you even more shocked. A must play for any fans of fps/psychological horror games.

uterly perfect, the game is beautiful creepy and has a great story, the only fault is the very crappy multiplayer. A great buy!

After the good start this game sadly gets boring and repetitive pretty fast. It consists of only like 5 different types of enemies, no boss enemies, very simple and boring looking level design without any alternation to the repetitive gameplay. Well but the worst part is that it isn't very spooky at all, the name of the game made me expect far too much of it. 5 of 10 points since this game is not more than mediocre.… Expand

Bo B, you have a 5600. Thing can barely play invisible war. The game is amazing. Scarier than Doom 3 as it doesn't depend on pure jump out of your seat moments. The firefights are amazing, it's not too much of a system hog. Well, maybe it is. Very well done.

Yes it's repetitive, but as with Max Payne, blasting away endless rooms of goons with the benefit of bullet-time never gets old! Very atmostpheric, nervy gameplay that's more about jumps than horror. You'd better have good reflexes!

The level design is mostly quite annoying and unoriginal. The makers seem to have some kind of obsession with sewers. Graphics are nice but we saw most of this stuff in Doom 3 already. Way overrated game in my opinion.

I think some people are missing the point. It is impossible for a game to be every other fantastic game ever produced in a genre simultaneously, and it foolish to expect them to be as well. This game does what it sets out to do very well: to create an endless wealth of gunfight possibilities utilizing fantastic particle effects. Not to mention incorporating some fantastic elements of Asian horror films to create the atmosphere. Heck, I'm still playing it because I enjoy all the various ways I can take out whole squads using different combinations of weapons/tactics. Also, I disagree w/ all the commentary on bad graphics. I thought the game looked extremely tasty on my setup (P4 3.0 Ghz, 1 Gig Ram, 6800GT) with almost all the graphic options enabled. The level design, as some has said, is not mind-blowing. It is, however, good at keeping the action coming. I recommend F.E.A.R. without question, and suggest that you try downloading the single-player demo before you listen to nay-saying posts.… Expand

This game is great. The physics are unbelievable. I only played the demo, but from what I experienced, I will surely buy this game. Great graphics, environment, and weapons. Story was pretty good from the small demo as well. Great special effects, noticably the physics of the effect that walking and running have on the aim, and control of the character.

I haven't played a FPS this good since HL2 and the whole added fun factor of kicking people in the head has rearly opend my eye's to the fact that melee combat has been missing for far to long in FPS. P.S. Can't wait for a sequel.

overrated by the critics, and sorely underrated by some of the players. Quite funny, really. This game may appear to have "bland and similar" environments and "similar" enemies. But that sort of makes sense considering the fact that this is supposed to be a "pseudo-realistic" game, and you are mostly fighting throughout the "same" office building (go to an office building in real life; I'm sure the exiting, colorful and ever-changing environment will rocket your brain out the top of your skull) against the "same" faction (yup, boring old Terrans with the same weapons as you... what a shame...) There are a couple new enemies later in the game, (robots, anyone?) but yes, if you are one of the gamers who needs a constantly changing environment to be stimulated, choose another game, because it's the combat and the intelligence of the enemies which is the core of the game, not the enemies themselves. The weapons are really fun to use, the melee is the best I've ever seen in a FPS (ninja-like and stylish, but still easy to execute), and the bullet-time effects adds icing to the cake. Sure, the story in this game may not win a golden globe, but it's deeper than most FPS's I've played. Even when you aren't fighting it's surprisingly fun to run around and bicycle-kick crap off the walls and tables. And the AI? really smart, actually. I was pleasantly surprised when the enemy squad tried a flanking maneuver on me after flushing me out from my hiding spot with a grenade. They appeared to use more tactics than I did. They are also funny to listen to because they can yell out some pretty entertaining commands and expletives as you pin their squadleader to the wall like an insect display with a penetrator bolt.… Expand

This game was one of very few that actually made me jump. There were points that I almost stopped playing out of pure FEAR. I'm glad I didn't though. Only reason I wouldn't give this a 10 is because the replay value isn't at it's fullest. After playing the game a few times, you start to memorize where things will jump out, which spoils half the thrill of the game. Unfortunately that is unavoidable. Still one of the best games I've ever played though.… Expand

This is the most boring, clichéd, slow, ugly, and unfightening video game I have ever played in my life. Like it's worse than Star Trek: Elite Force II and Big Rigs Over the Road Racing is what I'm talking about. First off, the main problem is the gameplay. You can't go any faster than at most 5 KPH. The only special feature of the game is that you make it SLOWER. Then comes the actual story. It's supposed to be horror, but where's the horror? Oh some decapitated bodies and the player apparently seeing random visions everywhere of some little girl with black hair over her face or some fat guy walking around and then disappearing. The sound is awful. The only thing I heard throughout the (probably) first quarter of the game were these two repetitive tri-tones being played on some kind of synthesized instrument. The graphics suck. There's no widescreen. Everything is horribly pixelated with no crappy setting in between it and high anti-aliasing, which is horrible for people with moderate video cards. The textures are crappy, player models are ugly, and the only thing I can think of that redeems this aspect is the three-dimensional wall-marks. All that being said, I played for two and a half frustrating hours of walking around shooting people that also can't even go faster until I traded it for Quake 4, which is the best game ever. Good trade.… Expand

FEAR isn't the most original game, but like Rise of Nations did for the RTS genre, FEAR takes the best bits of all of the best FPS and shooter games out there, and does it better. What you have then is Max Payne's Bullet time, Half-Life's immersion, Doom's creepiness, etc. As far as the system requirements, yes they are steep, but by no means do you need 3 Gig of RAM like someone wrote; I have 1Gig and my game runs fine at 1024x768 with most bells and whistles. The bigger necessity is a good video card--if you have a 7800 you will love this game!… Expand

You must get this one! its really worth it, the best thing around since half-life... it shines, it swings, it's perfect... J.

the best combat I've ever played - isn't that what a shooter is all about?

Hyvä juoni ja grafiikka.

Very polished.

I have no idea which part of my expensive system showed in this software. Honestly, if this site had the feature to support, i'd show u the year 1998 maps i'm running around in. the models and effects are only typical for today's standards, but the environment (walls, floors, stairs and all) are rivaling Deux Ex (one). Doom 3 and Half Life 2 was great on my system before i got it upgraded. The enemy behaviour is ok cool, but i somehow get the feeling that my guns are too big for them. there's this gun that sticks rods in them bad guys too, which i never understood it's implication. I should have bought Quake 4.… Expand

A really nice shooter. Immensly fun and good fealing. It feels like you are in the middle of all those firefights. The game is an extreme adrenaline rush and as all such, it looses its new shiny loko with each experience, but the first time through is a rush. Wonderful. A few more patching to make it a bit more stable and overall 'nicer' would be great. Have not yet ried MP.

Its again and again and yet again the nerd pc games that we are encountering. Nothing new to deliver, no cinematic speciality, no panoramic orchestra, there is nothing TOO good done in FEAR that can actually seperate it from the rest of the pack our pc's are littered with for the most of last 3 or more years. The graphics are sharp but character detail is simply bum !!!. I don't know how you consider antilaliasing being enough for low polygon count. If you loose polys, its clearly an overall loss, just sharpening up the low-poly models with enough antialiasing isn't gonna do the job here. Rag-doll physics is back but hey ! haven't we seen that so many times already?! Just drop it folks, its basicly a mindless brawler. I feel sorrow for what direction pc games are heading in.… Expand

The game loses your interest before the third level and becomes just another boring "Doom" clone. It had a lot of promise, then it was as if the programmers gave up and had a meltdown. Sad.

The play was good, the AI was above average. Graphics are nice, nothing very special but nice. My disappointment was in that the single player game was very very short.

I was expecting Half-Life2ish but I couldn't find it. Where is the challenge in walking down hall after hall shooting the same enemy over and over again? The sound was great but that's about it. I have a high end gaming computer but the graphics didn't appear to be anything special unlike what I see when I play Quake4. Save your money kids!

It really strains your nerves you at same parts, so you just wait when the freaky girl or fextton will show up, but i think it's a little bit to closed. You have practically no freedom of moving and the places look all more or less alike.

Ive been playing 1st person shooters since the earliest of days - for anyone who is looking for a new experience, dont bother with FEAR. Its all hype these days and the game offers the same as the last generic shooter. Graphics are good but have obvious problems. Sound design is good but sound positioning and placement isnt up to standard and has all sorts of problems like sounds not coming from proper direction, not affected in volume/tone/texture by walls etc.. For me the most disappointing aspect is that EVERYTHING is safe and spelt out - the scary bits arent scary cause nothing can harm you during those parts. Whenever there is some moment where the mind wonders and enjoys imagining ''what if..'' there is a frustrating music cue to SPELL OUT that this is a scary bit. The AI is good but not amazing as some of the big reviewers have noted - nothing special at all! Again, whats worse is the enemy tends to talk far too much and this GIVES AWAY THEIR POSITION as well as kills the suspense. Game was too easy and last but not least apart from the end the scripting was very average and quite pathetic during some parts - FEAR is overly hyped even though it does a good job and will impress new comers or people who havent played 1st person shooters before. I have to bite my tongue yet again and hope for something amazing. (i thought HL2 was totally overrated though *BORING* - so take not of this in reading my comments)… Expand

Its a fun game but its a bit boring, especialy because the slow time runs out fast.

The levels are bland and repetitive but the AI and gun fighting is so good that i dont care. I beat it in 5 and 1/2 hours my first time, and i would have beat it faster if every thing did not look the same, but the firefights are the best in any fps i have ever played. Its not staged like cod, the AI is smarter then HL2, and the guns are better then farcry. Plus fear has the best use of bullte time in a game ever. Also the multiplayer is sweet. I have stopped palying CSS and DODS and started palying fear multi. Im not saying that I will never go back but for now fear has me hooked. see you in game BFG | TroggleHumper… Expand

The best. two thumbs up the best shooters of all shooters

"on the top of all shooters and scarrers."

As scary as DOOM 3 and with smooth, fluid controls. A must have for people who like the HALO/DOOM/UNREAL TOURNAMENT gameplay.

This game has better AI than some individuals I know. It's worth playing just for the AI, and graphics, and sound, and weapons, and particle effects.

Wow. F.E.A.R is as much overrated game as Capote is an overrated movie. Level design sucks, graphics are nothing special (given the fact that Half Life 2 looks much nicer and perform much better on lower end PC's , this actually gives the idea that.. game's engine sucks). And don't get me started about "various" enemies you'll have to battle. Im giving this game 5 point score, because I didn't finish it, in fact, I didn't even get the patience to play it till the middle, so I'm afraid to give this game too low score, cause "maybe something good happens in the second half of the game".… Expand

I finally picked this baby up over the holidays. All I can say is this: If you've got even the slightest interest in FPS games, you owe it to yourself to play this gem!

This game drips with style and atmosphere, and in this post Half-Life 2 game scene, this is the sort of storytelling and game play that should be acceptable. As for the mechanics, the physics and detail displayed during gun battles are some of the most exhilarating, if not entirely accurate, I have ever experienced in a FPS. It must be said that this game set out to do exactly what it has accomplished, provide a modern horror story wrapped up in an astoundingly beautiful bullet riddled world. A must buy for those who have the machine to run it, and who share with me the love for the contemporary FPS genre.… Expand

The programers thought that graphics would overcome a bad, disjointed story line. Hey through in some cursing and forget the plot even more. Wondered why I was playing it when the ending came out of nowhere and made no sense. Dont not buy unless you like all your levels to be essentially the same. I even played it on the hardest setting hoping the ending would change... NOPE waste of time. Not scary not novell.… Expand

Good atmostphere. I'm not sure why the replicants swear like sailors -- didn't find that to be realistic. The game got to be pretty easy on the default difficulty setting since I could kill so many with the "reflex mode." The story-line of the game and the ending are the best parts -- and the slow-motion is unique.

One of the best FPS I've ever played. The levels weren't so much bland as realistic. If you want to play an FPS to stare at how pretty the wall is don't play fear. Awesome graphics, best AI I've ever played against, and a story/gameplay combination that makes all horror movies laughable in comparison. The storyline some ppl may not like because it doesn't spell everything out for them... get an imagination ppl. High replay value and excellent multiplayer.… Expand

Easily the greatest FPS of 2005, amazing single player and multiplayer experience. The developers have continued to release new multiplayer content throughout the past year and a half. Highly recommended.

I can't believe HL2 is only 7 points away when I compare the true design genius and thinking process that was put in HL2 and the relatively flat design of FEAR, which does not bring much creativity to the table. All elements of design are copied from other games, the slow motion, the laptops that can be activated to retrieve data, and the overboring maps (trucks, large areas, enemies coming for whatever reasons... a few good stuff: the weapons impact on enemies is pretty cool, the lighting, though super annoying because you can't do anything without your flashlight which goes off after 20 seconds... So, I give this game a 6.… Expand

Now here you have a mix of horror and awesome bullet-time action. What can go wrong right? Well, it seems quite a bit. For one, the story line leaves MUCH to be desired. Although it has its brilliantly planned spooks, they are re-used a million times over to the point where you can predict exactly when Alma is going to make her appearence and either crawl on the wall or stand there, all creepy-like. The game is very well done visually, the atmosphere sets the tone of the game, which is again over-used to the point where you see a dark corridor, you know that Alma's coming out. The weapons are very fun to use, especially the "Penetrator", nailing soldiers has never been so fun (get your mind out of the gutter ;)). The ending is also pretty good, and leaves with a cliff-hanger. Which would've been great, had the voice-acting not been so dismal. Your this super-soldier, killing everything in the whole city, blowing it up, having this awesome climactic rise, and all the people say is, "Good job buddy." The multiplayer is really quite fun, especially now with it being released for free, anyone can get it, but gets old pretty fast. Would've been a great game, had they utilized their creepy atmosphere better than just some little girl crawling.… Expand

As mentioned above, the game seems on its way to gaining the 96% only ever acieved by the half-life's, however, where half-life increases the intensity of gameplay, F.E.A.R. seems to far a little short, and continues pretty much the same throughout the rest of the game. The level design is some of the best i've seen, you can't just run & shoot through every situation, careful thought and logic is required throughout. RE: Andrew Y. "seen a thousand times before" ...dude this is an FPS, there are alot of them out there, some better than others, if you're just going to sit and say that, then you might aswell fuck off an play the original Doom over and over. FPS is a genre, without people repeating/redisigning around the same formats, we would never have gotten great games like half-life or battlefield 2.… Expand

Utterly overrated game. 1. To me, "Minimum Requirements" means you can play the game in minimum audiovisual settings. And "Recommended Requirements" means you can play the game high or highest settings. My system specs are exceeding the Recommended ones in every aspect but I still have to play the game in medium settings, and low screen resolution. 2. Game slows down in Vista after 20-30 minutes of playing, so I have to exit the game and re-run. 3. Exiting the game takes about 5 to 6 minutes. 2-3 minutes to exit to desktop, and other 2-3 minutes to get my original screen resolution back. So not compatible with Vista (see 2.). And yes I have good specs, defragmented drive and minimum background programs. 4. Bad and boring level/enemy/weapon design. No silencers, no secondary modes in weapons e.g "Single Shot", "Burst" or "Rifle Granade".… Expand

Really good story-driven FPS. The enemy AI was usually brilliant and some of the triggered events were very well done. Some of the environments get a bit repetitive as it's nearly all set indoors but the way the very adult storyline reveals itself gradually was awesome. Highly recommended game that deserves to be compared to the mighty Half-Life series.

Best Game Ever

I must say that I am ticked off, ticked off that people are trolling this game for no reason. The game is still quite facinating, even in 2008. I put off getting this game for 3 years, but I am glad it is still this amazing, the physics DON'T suck compared to even the SOURCE engine, the graphics are still above par, and the AI isn't dumber than a jar of sod. All in all, this game is a facinating ride (even in 2008) and with the Platinum edition for 30 bucks, it can't be a better value on the game market today.… Expand

Great graphics, horrible gameplay. It suffers from Far Cry syndrome where every enemy magically knows where you are, gets 100% headshots, and throws grenades with 100% accuracy. It's not unusual in this game to be killed within 3 seconds of an enemy seeing you because they immediately throw a grenade at you and it explodes when it hits you. It's almost as bad as STALKER.

First of all i want to say is that F.E.A.R is a awesome game that has action,horror etc. The game made me take short breaks because of its scariness and i always switched on my flashlight in every dark place. The game took me like 2 months to finish because it's scariness . It is a game which makes you feel cool and when you finish the game you are relieved that you didn't have a heart attack. Best horror game i have ever played… Expand

Best FPS ever for me. This game includes more horror as Condemned or Doom, ii's full of many shocking moments, also SlowMo is very nice.

A fantastic shooter, a failed horror game. And I have to laugh at the people giving it 0's. Yes, it's sorta repetitive and bleak, but a few flaws do not a 0 make. If you can't appreciate the brutal, strategic combat, then you don't deserve to be playing this game.

Perfekt Horror-Action!!!

My rig meets the system requirements and it just looks awful. i guess there are only about 2000 people in this world that have a rig that can run this game at an acceptable lv. all of you who are not sure if your rig can handle this game these are the system specs that i would recomend 3.4ghz CPU 3gig memory latest 256mb Graphics card and i do mean the latest. you will probly get away with using 2gig of memory. Anyway what im saying is that this game is just to system hungry for most of the PC population, so unless your those type of people who always have to spend money on the latest equipment your not going to get much from this.… Expand

What all the main reviews dont tell you is that the score they gave it was based on you have a PC that has Quatum nanotechnolagyc posatronic CPU running at 57.4ghz and having 300.00.00 Organic quad DDR memory, because if you dont then this game is going to run like a brick. shame the programers didnt know how to write in code, im under the impressions that the whole game was programd usinf ASCII

Perfect blend of action, shooting, horror and probably the best AI on the market today or ever.

Awesome game! addicted like on coffee Gj builders!

Fab game! i get to run it on max specs and let me tell you... it really shines, best i've seen so far! forget about the high end machine, and dont worry about bad code.... my p4 3000, 1000 ram with a geforce 7800gtx did it again. top notch! j.

Jeez. This game rocks.

This game is unplayable on my machine(P4 3.2GHZ, 2gb ram, Geforce 5600/256mb). I get an average of 16 FPS in 640x480 with every option turned to minimum. If i force the game to use DX8 shaders, i can get an average 39 FPS in 800x600 still with every setting to minimum. But then it looks worse than both Farcry and Half-Life 2. To be fair I should mention that a friend of mine with a X800 ati card thinks it looks super good and get good frame rates. So in conclusion, only buy this game if you have a really good gfx, otherwise dont bother.… Expand

simply amazing. the multiplayer is a blast, the single player is scary as shite, and you can jump kick people. nuff said.

Perhaps a 10 isn't the right score, because the game has flaws. The enviroments could be more varied, and I wish there was a more extensive character set. The reason I gave it a 10 anyway is because FEAR delivers the best gun fights I have ever seen in a 1st person shooter. The AI, weapon effects, and overall chaos of combat has never been presented this well before. I can play this game over and over again. The action is that good.… Expand

Why is everyone saying the graphics in this game are good? they may have realistic looking textures, but thats about it.... Not even as good as Half life 2, or doom 3, however it runs about a third the speed. the programmers are either lazy or not very good im afraid, cause this game runs SLOW even on a high end system. Dont bother unless you have a $3000 pc, and even then dont expect anything special (graphics wise)… Expand

The A.I. and game play are amazing but the enviorments are boring. I thought the big hardware demands would = amazing graphics, but this game can't even come close to HL2 or Doom3 with twice the hardware requirements. Be prepared to have at least a 6800GT or X800 and 2 gigs of ram to get decent framerates with this game.

Phenomenal! Good AI, stellar graphics, and obsene death animations! Great FPS with a supernatural twist... keeps you on the edge of your seat at times. Just an awesome game! Get it, you'll be glad you did.

It is a pretty good game, but as others have said, it is no revolution. The gameplay consists of two things - Half-Life-ish gun battles and weird things going on. The weird things that happen, visions etc., can't harm you most of the time. So the atmosphere is good, but it is not that scary unless you are wanting to suspend a lot of disbelief. Sorry - Doom 3 was scarier, even though it was less elegant. The gunfights are fantastic - the AI is great, and works very well - it flanks you like in Far Cry and does a nice job at taking cover. There are a lot of things to destroy in the environments, which also is much fun. The bullet time is also extremely well done. The biggest problem about FEAR is that it is too repetitive - it is the same bunch of levels again and again, with very little variation. Also, there is nothing inspiring about the level design. Industrial settings, office settings, slum settings, some labs. The story is alright, but nothing to write home about. The characters are clichéd - and don't you hate it So what is FEAR about? Great gunfights in bland locations. Again and again. Add some nice horror effects that are rarely relevant for the gameplay.… Expand

Anyone rating this game low because it has "bad graphics" or is a system hog is a moron. That isn't the game's fault. Your rig just doesn't have the guts to run it. The recommended system requirements LISTED ON THE BOX are pretty stiff. Don't buy it if you don't have them. I don't have a killer system (3.0, 1gig RAM, ATI 9800 XT), but by tweaking the game performance levels and closing out a lot of my background apps, it runs great and looks great. Don't listen to the haters. If are able to play the game for what it is and not compare it to your lofty expectations or to your all-time favorite game, then it is a great buy. It is deserving of all the high scores it is receiving.… Expand

Best shooter out there period.

Boring, repetitive, terrible online.

Utterly, horribly average. The first 3 hours are awesome- tense, really scary, and the firefights are awesome! After that it becomes a boring hallway crawl. The enemies are somewhat challenging on the harder difficulty levels, but the main reason for it is that most of the level design is very linear, so the enemies strength is derived from their (almost) always defensive position. There is too much ammo and health lying around and they really don't let you have fun with the weapons too much. The pistol is a very cool weapon, but after a little while there isn't enough ammo + dual wielding is really retarded. Come on now, it's 2005, can we still watch someone run around onscreen with two arms outstretched and not feel our OWN arms getting tired?? It's much much cooler to be holding a pistol with both hands, walking slowly around and waiting for some enemy to pop out and then squeeze a few rounds off into his cranium. Shotgun is great, but the enemies aren't close enough often to use it, so I end up with 150+ runs extra. All the other weapons are ok, the scoped weapons are great, but you don't use them as much as I'd like given the level design. I'm sorry, but Monolith: You should be ashamed! I has so much hope for you. I though I could buy a game from you based on your cred alone. sigh.… Expand

Overrated. I cant beleive such mediocre graphics can run SO SLOW. even on expensive hardware this doesnt run well (at least not compared to games with better graphics, i.e Doom 3, Far cry, half life 2). the programmers need to learn to optimise code.

This Game is repetitive but has good graphics, Great AI And mixes horror with a shooter. Think Max Payne meets Doom 3 and thats pretty much the game. which reminds me a patch for flashlight always on would be nice.

The game's graphics are great, the fire fights spectacular (makes Max Payne's bullet time look like cr@p), the AI is impressive but unfortunately it's not enough to save the game as whole from the pedestrian level design which you will cursing by the end, it's a little bit easy too. Had no trouble at all running it with everything turn up (3.4Ghz/2Gig RAM)A bit more like Far Cry and this would have been an all time great (could have used more types of enemies and a few more weapons as well).… Expand

My review is based on both Singleplayer and multiplayer demos and betas. This game offers probably the best graphics, sound and physics ever see on a First Person Shooter game. The gameplay is mixture of many games, like Max Payne, Perfect Dark and Doom 3. Just somewhat weaker experience which is sad because the game looks ace. Its heavily story driven so theres not much freedom in this game to choose how you want to play. This combined with the fact that scary events lose their effect after you have seen them once means that theres not much replay value in this game. Multiplayer is weak, nobody should buy this game because of MP, also because Vivendi is famous for their bad post-release support which lowers the lifetime of the MP side of the game. I suggest you check the SP demo before buying, some may like this game even more than i did. Just dont believe all the hype.… Expand

I played the demo and before I was worried it would be a knockoff of max payne or half life 2 but hoping monolith would pull it out... so far it is the shizzle, like if DOOM had been good. incredible graphics, physics and slo mo etc... too bad you need a couple grand to do it justice, everyone should play it. good movie feel.

although it has awesome graphics , as a fps is not something innovative.Taking some good ideas from halo n mixing them with those of doom 3,will not make a new gaming experience.Still i find it somehow interesting so i rate it with a 7.

F.E.A.R is: overpromise; underdelivery. It doesn't offer something really new. The 'horror' aspect failed to give me creeps; and didn't add much to the gameplay. The graphic is pretty much average and very monotonous. I expect something better.....HL2, on the other side, is much better, smoother, unforgettable. FEAR is a great game only when compared to the old Wolfenstein 3D. I'm REALLY disappointed!!… Expand

A remarkable game that was well worth the wait. Incredible graphics, physics, sound effects and gameplay combine to form one of the best FPS titles in recent memory. Monolith have truely created a work of genious and we can only hope that an equally outstanding sequel will turn up within the near future.

Its technically brilliant, but makesure you have the rig, Im running it on a AMD64,3500 with GF6800 and a gig of ram and i can have everything at max, dont even touch this game if you have an FX series card, This game looks great, but the narrative is awful and seems to steal idea's from such films as AKIRA, i dident care about any of the characters or pay much attention to the unorginal plot, but when your hurtling along and ripping through enemies by the ton, who cares?....Pure FPS as it should be.… Expand

A mixture of Max Payne, Silent Hill and Doom, which are some of my favorite games, so naturally I would enjoy this one......but alas, I played this right after I finished half-life 2 and I yearn for the gravity gun and physics engine....The swearing is more distracting than anything (yes, there are f-words galore) and the level designs are pretty uninspired. Most of the fighting takes place in dark hallways, which are creepy at first, but later monotonous and repetitive. BUT, the fighting is intense, and the bullet time rocks. It's too bad there's only like four types of enemies.....and they all have the same voice, lol. Anyway, fighting gets 5/5, and add 2 more for some creepy moments.....took off points for crappy level design,repetitiveness and a lame story.....but overall a great fps.… Expand

Excellent graphics and exciting, fun, violent gameplay. The storyline is a blast to play through and the action is amazing. The storyline is confusing and once it's complete there isn't much more to do than multiplayer that falls in comparison to CS:Source in my opinion. This is a game you MUST play through if you have the PC to run it.

Not worth the $55 i spent on it! It may be scary, but is not in anyway a good game. Bad plot, enemies sucked, and so did the weapons. The graphics are barely better than a $5 Milkshake!! Spend your money on something else!

This game... just.. has it all. This game is a piece of poetry told through a pc. Horror+action= F.E.A.R buy it. It is a must have.

This game is good, creepy, scary. The storyline was a blast to play through and the action is amazing. But if u are making expansion pack, u have the make it good. Look, hope u will make the new enemy more interesting and challenging. Also, like supernatural enemies like ghost things at the end of F.E.A.R and those new weapons like minigun or else. Fighting a same Replica soldiers is pointless. Hope u will make better.… Expand

This game is the most action-intensive FPS ever made. With a creepy atmosphere, extremely intelligent A.I., and some of the most intense moments in gaming, this game is definetely worth playing for any PC gamer.

A creative and mysterious storyplot where you pick up clues gives a well-executed experience. The enemies are very intelligent and cooperate with each other. The slomo can be very enjoyable but can be a bit of a gimmick. There isnt much variety, and sometimes the game can be too easy, and not much of a challange. Also short. If you are searching for intensity and fast paced chaos, you will only enjoy the multiplayer experience. Graphics seem very moderate, but rarely any texture involved. The environment physics gives a nice feel and the SpecFX are great, but in my opinion, something vital is missing to this game.… Expand

One of the best games I have ever played. Take an excellent FPS with good AI, graphics, and control; and mix that with a great horror story; and finally add in some new tweaks that make it even more orginal for it's genre.... then you have F.E.A.R. VERY impressive game and I cannot wait until the sequal comes out. Go out and get it right now!

Nice graphics, interesting lighting, great A.I., terrible environments, story and gameplay. If you enjoy playing FPS games circa 1995, this is the game for you.

ok first i want to say that this game is one of the few out there you'll see with user scores way lower than critic scores. I think the game was overrated by critics. Simply put the game is fun but does get repetitive after a while.

The game is simply amazing, the best... the special effects, the blood, your enemies, and the little girl(Alma), the story is just perfect... to me this is a very good game.

I feel the same as most people here, that F.E.A.R looks totally awesome, and runs fairly average on my system which is an AMD64 2.4Ghz SLI GeForce7600GS, 2 gigs of RAM, but the game is repetitive, no airboats or dunebuggies to tear up roads with like HL2, and the cookie-cutter level designs are a shame, considering that fear's graphics blow HL2's out of the water. (except for the water, which is the only thing HL2's engine can render better.) AI is good most of the time, except a few moments when you can just sneak right up behind one of the replica soldiers without being noticed and cut im' in half with the shotgun. Cmon' people, even programmers are just human, every game hiccups every now and then.… Expand