F.E.A.R. was a well-received title when it was released for the PC near the end of 2005. Gamers and reviewers were fascinated by the intense action, creepy storyline and amazing technology of the game. Since the initial PC release the game has seen an expansion pack released, Extraction Point, and two console versions come out, Xbox 360 and PS3. Now with the release of the Gold Edition of F.E.A.R. anyone sitting on the fence waiting to get the title can get the original game, the expansion pack and several bonuses not previously released.



For anyone that hasn’t played F.E.A.R. the game is a top-notch first-person shooter (FPS) that blends intense action with a suspenseful and disturbing storyline. The game has you playing the role of a soldier in the F.E.A.R. unit, which stands for First Encounter Assault Recon. The F.E.A.R. unit is trained to deal with situations other armed forces units are not equipped to handle such as paranormal events. In the first title a genetically enhanced Commander has escaped from a maximum security facility. With his escape he has activated an army of soldiers that he can control telepathically. You’re sent in stop the Commander by any means necessary only to uncover something even more disturbing.



As you play through the game you start to see visions of the Commander and his exploits in the game. Usually these visions are short but they always occur when you least expect them to happen which helps in creating the creepy suspenseful mood. For example, you might see the Commander walking in front of you only to fade away as he’s telling some strange and twisted story. But then there is another character in the game, the mysterious teen-age girl that is always popping up at an unexpected moment. She is a vital character to the game’s story but also to the gameplay since her appearance is always surprising. Usually you only see a glimpse of her from a distance or in a shadow but when she does show up you will almost certainly get a brief moment of ”Oh crap, what was that!”

For a gameplay perspective I will refer you to the two reviews for the original game and the expansion pack.

F.E.A.R. review is located here http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r24081.htm

Extraction Point review is located here http://pc.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r29619.htm

The bonus features in this Gold Edition are what sets this version of the game apart from the first game and the expansion pack. The first game is labeled the Director’s Edition but don’t let that fool you. The Director’s Edition doesn’t include a different version of F.E.A.R. instead we get exclusive bonus content about F.E.A.R. that was previously unavailable. Rooster Teeth has a short F.E.A.R. machinima that will have any fans of the Red vs. Blue series laughing but this time to F.E.A.R. characters. There is a behind the scenes film about the development of the title, with insights from the developers at Monolith and producers at Vivendi Universal. There is a rather lengthy director’s commentary with several of the developers at Monolith talking about different parts of the game as a video of the game is playing. The commentary was almost interesting but even the developers admit that they are the guys behind the game not the people that should be out in front talking about it. One interesting bonus feature is the F.E.A.R. prequel that offers several one minutes shorts about the mysterious female character in the game, Alma. The videos offer a little insight into the strange character. All of the video is live action instead of computer generated scenes. The videos reminded me of the movie The Ring which Alma is based upon.



If you’ve never played F.E.A.R. before the Gold Edition is a great way to get into the title. Sure the game is almost two-years old now but the game has aged very well. The suspenseful story and intense action still hold up against newer titles released today. Technically speaking F.E.A.R. is still a barn burner when it comes to pushing hardware. The game is still used as a benchmark test due to the slow motion feature, lighting and particle effects used throughout the game. If you’ve never played F.E.A.R. then the Gold Edition is a great way to get into a fantastic FPS game. If you’ve already played the first game and the expansion pack then I would only recommend the Gold Edition to the hardest of hardcore fans of the game. The bonus features are nice but probably not enough to justify another purchase.

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