Cold Fear PlayStation 2
  • Publisher: Ubisoft
  • Release Date: Mar 15, 2005
  • Also On: PC
User Score
8.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17

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  1. SalarymanDaishi
    Dec 21, 2010
    7
    Pretty entertaining third person survival horror in the style of Resident Evil. A bit short, sluggish, and it's easy to get lost but investigating the narrow corridors and steep staircases of a foreboding whaling ship in the middle of a fierce winter storm packs plenty of atmosphere. Besides, headshotting zombies with a pump-action shotgun never gets old :)
  2. SanchezC.
    Nov 3, 2005
    10
    Sweet.
  3. JeffA.
    Jun 3, 2005
    10
    The atmosphere is amazing. You are at sea on a ship that rolling in the waves with rain pouring down. Think of it as A Perfect Storm meets Resident Evil. The graphics, sound, controls, weapons and gameplay are top notch. This is a must have game if you are into survival horror games. 1010. Take a few breaks during the game if it makes you seasick. The games makes you believe you are on a ship at sea in story weather with lots of zombies. The game totally immerses you.… Collapse
  4. MikailaK.
    Apr 17, 2005
    5
    I'm a big survival horror fan, so I had to rent this. And I'm glad I did, because my game lasted about seven hours (which was kind of weird, since it seemed so much longer what with all the minutes I wasted running to the wrong corners of the ships/s). The gameplay is a kind of jarring mix between old-school and new-school Resident Evil, and I really wished they had stuck with the latter. The graphics are great, but overall the game is painfully average; almost half the game consists of blindly fumbling around because there is _no map_ (and my rental box did not contain the manual). I liked that the zombies not the shuffling kind from the old REs, but there seems to be some odd disparity with the targeting system where I shot an Exocel's head only for it to connect several inches down (and this wasn't just because of the ship's rocking). Also, Tom talks too much--okay, the damn door's locked, but do you have to swear incessantly about it? I felt like pressing the "mute" button at times, even though I eventually grew to find Tom's whining funny. Although the combat is definitely more fun than the old Resident Evils, it becomes kind of repetitive, and the joy of squishing your foes' heads underfoot wears off after the first half-hour or so. So if you enjoy cheap scares followed by thirty minutes of lethargy-inducing key-searching (roughly on par with the old REs), then this game is worth a rental. It's so darned short that you can finish it in one night, and there's barely any replay value. Like I said, painfully average.… Expand
  5. GeorgesD.
    Apr 5, 2005
    10
    Excellent Game!
  6. GooreW.
    Apr 5, 2005
    10
    It is not horror anymore it is the most atmospheric shooting game on PS2 !
  7. BrianS.
    Mar 20, 2005
    9
    I think this game is fantastic! Many people will compair it to resident evil, but the controls really couldn't be more different. When you're in the over-the-shoulder view it plays just like a first person shooter. You can move while you shoot! The normal view plays similar to RE: Outbreak, but this is mostly for exploration. Another new idea here is that you have to shoot them in the head. Sure, we've all seen it in movies, but I can't think of another zombie game where that's the only way to kill them. You can shoot these zombies 30 times and they they'll keep getting back up until you land a head shot. The game makes this extra difficult by putting you on a derelict ship caught in a storm. Your aim sways back and forth as the zombies come towards you and it's very realisticly accomplished. I seriously get a touch of sea sickness! This game is like resident evil with excellent combat for a change. The only downsides to this game would be that I've heard it's rather short and that there is a few seconds load time between major rooms. Nothing too serious, just enough time for me to finally take a sip of my drink or take a drag on a much needed cigarette before unloading a clip into some more rotted corpses in a dimly lit hallway. If you like shooting zombies, this game has a lot of innovation for the genre!… Expand
  8. JoelP.
    Mar 18, 2005
    8
    In respects to Classics like Resident Evil and Silent Hill. I rated this title a 8 just because the genre needs new material and efforts such as this one are really appreciated. But then again Survival Horror games are a big part of my gaming collection.
  9. ScottG.
    Mar 14, 2005
    9
    Great game.
  10. JimmyD.
    Mar 14, 2005
    8
    Besides the regular camera short comings, this title would best be described as a combination of titles such as Silent Hill, Suffering, Resident Evil...gory,fun,and keeps you wanting to find out what is going to happen next...solid effort.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
68 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 39 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 39
  3. Negative: 1 out of 39
  1. Edge Magazine
    60
    Taken in isolation, there’s no denying Cold Fear’s panache - RenderWare has rarely been used to such strong visual effect - and there is a fair helping of survival horror entertainment to be had here, it’s just that you have to dig through several layers of frustration to get at it. [Apr 2005, p.96]
  2. Gamers' Temple
    67
    There are some good ideas here, but the game is more frustrating than frightening.
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  3. GamingTrend
    85
    I enjoyed Cold Fear for what it was – an average thriller with some above average story-telling and terrific use of atmosphere.
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