F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

MEGamers

Monolith addressed the flaws of the original, improved themselves and delivered a fantastic follow-up. Highly Recommended!

1UP

You'll, fire thousands of rounds in hundreds of white-knuckled shootouts facing everything from soldiers to grotesques to specters, and tromp around in a totally bad-ass mech suit. Most importantly, you'll love every minute of it.

LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Excellent horror shooter brings Hollywood-like action to the PC with an uncompromisable atmosphere of dread. Thumbs up for the fantastic ending! [Feb 2009]

VideoGamer

It might not have the jaw-dropping visuals to rival Killzone 2, but it's a hugely satisfying shooter that'll have you clinging onto that controller or mouse throughout its tension-filled campaign. If you like your combat meaty and with a solid dose of supernatural scares, there's every chance this will rank as one of your favourite games of 2009.

Cynamite

The F.E.A.R. series is top notch when it comes to digital horror. Very good sequel of a horror classic.

GameTrailers

F.E.A.R. 2 doesn’t depart much from the original formula, retaining what was good about the first game while punching up the weaker areas. The improved variety in weapons, locations, and enemies is great, but standards have increased a great deal since Alma’s debut. What you get is an atmospheric shooter with a lot of tried-and-true concepts that fails to push the envelope. Fans of horror and first-person shooters will find it a nice blend of the two.

PC Games (Germany)

F.E.A.R. 2 is almost exactly as we wanted it to be: scary and entertaining. Thank you Monolith for sticking close to the prequel and not trying to freshen up the series with fancy new ideas!

2404.org

Graphically, F.E.A.R. 2 looks leaps and bounds better than its predecessor.

Computer Games Online RO

Project Origin isn’t a bad game. It’s pretty nice and you can recommend it to your friends without remorse.

Gamers.at

F.E.A.R. 2 doesn’t offer anything particularly new, which – in my opinion – is a bad thing. But on the other hand that’s just what I personally hoped for, as both F.E.A.R. 1 and F.E.A.R. 2 are brilliant horror shooters with good graphics and awesome multiplayer components.

Cheat Code Central

As you can see, F.E.A.R. 2 is a very competent and enjoyable game. As a shooter, I was very impressed with the title. Unfortunately, I never really felt the fear that gave the game its moniker. Certainly the game is disturbing, but it is definitely not frightening.

Game Informer

After the embarrassment of The Perseus Mandate, F.E.A.R. 2 should be in consideration for comeback player of the year. While the multiplayer is weak and the mood won’t make people forget Dead Space any time soon, the solid action core makes it worth a play.

IGN

It’s a good shooter, bordering on great at times, but it’s not as groundbreaking as its predecessor. Still, it’s definitely faithful to the idea of F.E.A.R., which is mainly trying to get under your skin using a combination of tried-and-true horror elements, not the least of which is a creepy little girl.

GamingXP

Hardcore-gamer and newbies should take a look at this game: If you aren´t afraid of violence and thrilling horror situations, you’ll find an amazing atmosphere in F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Creepy, but very good!

ActionTrip

Considering Monolith's track record, this isn't really much of an accomplishment. The concept behind F.E.A.R. leaves plenty of room for improvement and this sequel doesn't strive to achieve any breakthroughs in that respect.

Worth Playing

When the burning plume of smoke from the last battle clears, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin's fan service delivers plenty of reasons to sign on with Armacham's best.

PC Format

It may seem like a retrograde step for a modern FPS, but FEAR 2 still ticks all the boxes in terms of no-holds barred action. [Mar 2009, p.94]

GameStar

FEAR 2 doesn't manage to cause panic like its predecessor because Monolith uses the same well-known techniques again. But it's still fun to follow Alma. This time, it's more uncertainty than fear that keeps you playing.

PC Zone UK

What it adds - the more capacious level design, the daylight, the mech bits, the cover system - doesn't amount to much more than a garnish of new ideas on an old chicken salad of a game. But as I said, the magic of F.E.A.R. is certainly in position. That basic pleasure of time slowing, of watching a death ballet unfold as glass shatters, masonry crumbles and bodies cartwheel with morbid elegance - it's all intact, and it's as incredible to behold as ever. [Mar 2009, p.56]

GamePro

Now, the spine tingling sequel, Project Origin is here to continue the story of the psychic and psychotic Alma with damn good results. [Mar 2009, p.78]

GameDaily

The presentation is top-notch, with tight level design and no shortage of jump-out-of-your seat moments. Multiplayer is somewhat empty, with only a few modes that all feel the same. There's no reason you should avoid F.E.A.R. 2.

GameSpy

For shooter fans, the combat is still outstanding, and you'll get a great eight hours or so by the time you reach your final encounter with Alma, although fans of the first game may feel like they've done this before. In many ways, F.E.A.R. 2 feels like the middle chapter in a trilogy, and there's certainly enough momentum here for at least one more run.

Wired

A contemporary classic — but not necessarily in a good way. Yes, slightly antiquated design elements like health and armor packs give it a familiar feel. And quite a few genuinely scary moments are guaranteed to make you feel a little silly for being so freaked out. But the game tries to be too many things at once, and the transparent, jarring transitions from horror to next-gen action sequences break the otherwise carefully executed atmosphere.

Vandal Online

FEAR 2: Project Origin leaves us quite an uneven sensation. On one hand it has offered us truly spectacular and full of tension moments, very different from the ones which other games in the genre offer. Moreover, its carefully made atmosphere, fueled by the solid graphics engine developed by Monolith, make the immersion sensation total. The problem is that although FEAR 2 knows what makes itself stand out from the other shooters, it insists on offering quite generic moments during most of the game, and, worse indeed, it's not quite polished.

G4 TV

In short, if you like FEAR, you will love FEAR 2. It may be too scary for some and the wobble of your character walking might induce a slight bit of motion sickness, but it’s a well constructed horror/action title.

Total PC Gaming

Although predictable and clichéd, action and horror have seldom been blended together so sublimely.

FiringSquad

Monolith could’ve done so much more with the nuked city in regard to level design, instead you find yourself still exploring generic offices and buildings like you did in F.E.A.R. And come on now, no mouse side button binds? Seriously? How hard could that have been to implement.

Gamervision

The main problems are more accurately missed opportunities, and much of the time playing the game will be spent wondering what could have been created if Monolith would have taken more creative risks instead of allowing themselves to craft a game too deeply within their comfort zone.

Play (Poland)

This solid shoot'em up valued by the extreme thrill seekers and fans of gore opens an entirely new chapter. So new, in fact, that the game had lost somewhere a few nuances coveted in the first rendition. [Mar 2009]

PC Gamer UK

Ultimately, this flipping from scary to stupid, from harrowing to humdrum, leaves FEAR 2: Project Origin a competent but slightly unsatisfying experience. [Mar 2009, p.72]

SpazioGames

Mixing a strong horror atmosphere and a solid “slo-mo” gameplay, F.E.A.R. 2 Project Origin shines for the extension of the new levels. Its linearity isn’t necessarily a drawback (at least not for “old style” FPS fans), but it could still spoil the fun for next gen gamers, used to much more “open” games. Despite all of this, Monolith’s baby delivers a solid experience, and every FPS fan should at least give it a good try.

3DJuegos

In order to define F.E.A.R. 2 we should use the word solid with all the good and bad things that it entails. On one hand are the obvious virtues that it inherits from the original, but at the same time this game lacks the spark and pace necessary to achieve its level. It does not give the impression that Monolith would have needed more time of development to improve the game but it seems that Project Origin, despite being a very good shooter, needs some extra points of inspiration.

AtomicGamer

The somewhat disappointing result of all this is that F.E.A.R. 2 isn't different enough from the first game to surprise us, and with such a lack of innovation, even this polished horror shooter just won't get the rise out of players that the original did.

Gaming Target

New scare techniques aside, the graphics, gameplay, and multiplayer have all been accomplished by other developers. F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is a shinning example of how to top a well regarded original title.

Game Over Online

It’s hard to play through Monolith’s F.E.A.R. 2 and not get a feeling of déjà vu. Between F.E.A.R., Condemned, and their sequels, this is the fourth scary, first person game that they’ve given us in a row, and unfortunately the experiences aren’t getting any fresher.

Gaming Nexus

F.E.A.R 2 is a great game to experience, but repetitive gameplay keeps it from achieving classic status.

Gameplanet

Fans of the original game seeking more of the same will not be disappointed, however overall the game lacks the underlying menace of the original. There's a good first person shooter to be had, but it lacks the fire and innovation of the original.

Hardcore Gamer Magazine

Sure, there’s fun to be had shooting baddies in the face for 10-12 hours over the course of the 14 missions, but sadly F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin isn’t nearly as remarkable as the original.

Meristation

Alma is back, with a game too similar to the original F.E.A.R. The same great gameplay, along with a few good scares, aren't enough to cover all the issues present in the game: graphics-wise is almost the same game, but with a different story. A good game, but it could have been so much better that it's a bit of a disappointment.

GamingTrend

FEAR2 is a game that is evolutionary and not revolutionary but also seems to take a step back in many departments. The ending leaves the player hanging, Alma doesn't really make as many appearances as in the first game, the dumbed down AI, and the lack of a multiplayer community might spell death for the game before it even starts to take off.

PC Gamer

F.E.A.R. 2 fails to innovate, which would make it merely a respectable but forgettable shooter if not for some good scares. [Apr 2009, p.80]

GameSpot

This somewhat scary sequel is a solid shooter, but it can't keep pace with its lauded predecessor.

GamingExcellence

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin is average. It's got some high points and some low points, but overall just isn't that memorable.

Gamer 2.0

F.E.A.R. 2 is a middling shooter at best, and while the bare-bones mechanics are all tightly oiled, you’re left with a stale taste in your mouth. It may be the first big release of 2009, but it’s also the first big disappointment.

Absolute Games

The biggest problem of F.E.A.R. 2 is the triteness of its gameplay rather than dumbed down enemies. Four years ago, F.E.A.R. stood out in a crowd with its then-novel slo-mo effects and bold AI. Nowadays you can find all this even in value-priced shooters from Poland.

DarkZero

I honestly did not really mind that the game closed without fully explaining itself; the problem was that as the credits rolled my mind harked back to earlier points in the game, trying to give those supposedly standout moments a second thought, and realising none of them really stood out firmly in my mind.

Total Video Games

The fact remains that F.E.A.R evolved shooters back in 2005, but there appears to be very little progress in the four years since with F.E.A.R 2.

Thunderbolt

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin offers players its share of great moments, but on a whole, this is just an average game.

Game Revolution

If you played the first few FEAR games and you want to know what happens next to the faceless, characterless, protagonist then you could do a lot worse than FEAR 2: Project Origin. I really can’t recommend this to players that are new to either the series or the genre. The lack of reiteration of the first game’s story is rather perplexing.