Graphics

The visuals were good but not great. With over a year to improve on the predecessor from the Xbox 360, gamers should have gotten a lot better than they received. This should not make gamers feel the graphics were terrible; it just did not seem next-gen. Some of the best effects came from the fire fights. Gamers will be impressed with many graphic incorporated strategies such as shooting walls to create dust clouds for cover. The grenades exploding look fantastic as they leave scars on the walls. Topped with some better than average psychic flashbacks of death and horrific scenes, this gives the game a pretty good show.

Sound

F.E.A.R. would not be near the game it is if it was not for the sound effects throughout the game. I personally have never been in the middle of a fire fight or thrown a grenade to take out three mind-controlled-cloned-super soldiers, but I have to believe it could not sound better than it does on F.E.A.R.. Not only battle sequences, but simply walking down a hall and listening to the electricity crackle and the voice of a little girl whispering “die, they must all die”, gave the feel I was truly being watched.

The AI cross-talking was also pretty good. Listening to the enemy talking about being on the lookout was entertaining. Then again, when gamers take out a soldier and listening to another scream “What the F*&%” proves pretty damn funny every time.

The only fault gamers will find is the volume fluctuations. Gamers will find themselves messing with the volume a bit until finding the right balance between talk, explosions, and the com messages from command.

Online

F.E.A.R. runs pretty well online, though it is based mostly on the host connection rate. With games like Elimination, Deathmatch, SlowMode and Team versions as well as Capture the Flag, gamers will have several options for them to choose from. One downfall was waiting for games to start. I would find myself hosting more than joining, as other hosts would take forever to start. On average I would have to wait 10 to 15 minutes to get at least 12 people to sign up to play. All in all, once the shooting started it ran smooth with little frame rate problems (again based on host connection).

The true problem with F.E.A.R. online is the form of communication. Why Sierra would release this without any form of voicechat or even a text box while in the lobby is beyond normal reason. Now while it does not directly affect most of the online competition, it does puts a strong hindrance when playing team versions.