I’ve liked almost everything that Monolith Productions makes. At this point, they should be regarded as one of the premiere developers for PC. In fact, I just played another one of their games a few days ago – Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.
But F.E.A.R. is probably the game they’re most known for because, oh my God, was this one of the few titles where the hype was truly worth it.
I remember the year this came out. People were using it to benchmark PCs. If your rig could run F.E.A.R. well, it was a decent machine – that’s how “next generation” this game was.
In some ways, this is a weird fever dream of a game. You’re hunting down a cannibal psychic. He’s chowing down on people like he’s visiting a KFC at midnight. Soon while you’re going off on this hunt, you start tripping balls. And then a creepy little girl shows up and makes things explode.
When you’re not hallucinating, the best part of the game is the A.I. Even for now, it’s exceptional. They don’t just come right at you, they use strategy to flush you out. Sometimes they throw bombs to coax you out of a room, or they flank you at both sides. They react to whatever you’re doing, and this creates a next level immersion.
With all this conversation about A.I., I think it’s important to acknowledge that A.I. has been with use for decades now, and it’s been a core part of gaming for awhile. If it’s done well, A.I. can provide and exceptional experience.
You can really see this with F.E.A.R. when the NPCs have conversations and react to what you’re doing.
The graphics are what many people remember this game for, and with good reason. For 2005, this looked spectacular. Stuff like fire and water effects were incredible.
But for me, the real star of the show is the sound design. This is one of those games that’s recognizable simply by hearing it. It’s got an ambience that chills you to the bone, and I can’t get enough.
I’ve already spoken a lot about Monolith Productions. You’re probably tired of me talking about them. But let me say, for 2005, they made perhaps the best game in the world.
