F.E.A.R. 3

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F.E.A.R. 3
Fear 3 Promo Art.jpg
Developer(s)Day 1 Studios
Publisher(s)Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment
Director(s)TJ Wagner
Producer(s)Dan Hay
Designer(s)Frank Rooke
Programmer(s)
  • Ned Way
  • Kyle Wilson
Artist(s)Heinz Schuller
Writer(s)Steve Niles
Stephen Dinehart
Composer(s)Jason Graves
SeriesF.E.A.R.
EngineDespair
Platform(s)
Release
  • NA: June 21, 2011
  • AU: June 22, 2011
  • EU: June 24, 2011
Genre(s)First-person shooter, survival horror
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

F.E.A.R. 3 (stylized as F.3.A.R.) is a first-person shooter survival horror video game developed by Day 1 Studios and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the sequel to F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin and is the third installment of the F.E.A.R. series. The filmmaker John Carpenter directed the cinematics while Steve Niles wrote the game's scenario.[1] It is also the only F.E.A.R. game to have offline multiplayer and co-op.[2]

Gameplay[]

Players control their characters from a first-person perspective. The player can carry two weapons at a time, and replenish ammo picked up from dead soldiers and weapon crates. The series' cover system uses a "peeking" rather than a "tilting" mechanic, wherein players peer and fire around the edges of their cover. Damage displays as a red vignette overlay. When the screen fills, the character dies. In cooperative and multiplayer modes, the player enters a "Final Stand" on their death, which lets teammates try to revive the downed player.[3]

Campaign[]

In the Campaign, the player controls either the Point Man or Paxton Fettel. As the Point Man, the player can use weapons, throw grenades, etc.[4] Unlike most characters, the player can use the Point Man's slow motion ability to slow down time, allowing the player to shoot targets with accuracy.[2] As Fettel, the player cannot use any conventional weapons by default; however, they can use Fettel's psychic powers and telekinesis to suspend and throw objects, possess enemy soldiers, crush suspended enemies, and more.[4] In addition to these abilities, the player also has access to the abilities and weapons of any character Fettel possesses, such as Cultists and Phase Commanders.[4][5] In co-op mode, Fettel can also use the Shield ability to briefly protect the Point Man. Both characters' abilities are gauged by a meter in the reticle, which depletes during use. Both characters' gauges slowly refills when not in use; Fettel, meanwhile, must collect Souls to replenish his Possession Meter. Players have the ability to access and control Armacham technology, such as mech suits.[4] Also, the game has both online and offline co-operative play.

The game's campaign mode is split into eight "Intervals" that can be played in either single-player or co-op. In single-player, when the player completes an Interval as the Point Man, they will unlock the ability to play as Fettel for that Interval.[2] While playing alone or with a friend, the player can complete challenges to raise their rank.[6] Perks include increases to the slow motion and possession meters and new melee attacks.[2]

Multiplayer[]

A screenshot from the game mode "Fucking Run!". Here, the player is backing away from the Wall of Death.

F.E.A.R. 3 offers four different multiplayer modes, each allowing up to 4 players:

  • Fucking Run!: in this mode, players must fight their way through waves of enemies, all while running from Alma's massive "Wall of Death". The players start off in a safe area and proceed through a series of connected maps, killing enemies that stand in their way.[7][8] If the Wall consumes any one player, the game is over for all players. To complete the mission, players must cooperate; if any player goes down, team members must revive them before the Wall arrives to devour them.[9] Each map is divided into sections, and each section gives the player(s) a target time to try and break.[10]
  • Contractions: a round-based survival mode, where players must barricade and stock up weapons against a total of 20 waves of enemies, including Armacham forces, Cultists, and more. Waves become increasingly tougher by thickening fog, making the map much more dangerous, especially with Alma wandering the field. If a player gets Alma's attention, either by attacking her or staying in her sight for too long, it is game over for that player.[2][11]
  • Soul Survivor: Here, players must fight to survive or hunt. When the game starts, Alma will turn one player into a "Spectre", a ghost which can possess enemies. The Spectre player's goal is to kill the other three players and turn them into Spectres before time runs out. Players killed by the Spectre player do not get a game over; instead, they turn into Spectres themselves.[2][12]
  • Soul King: though similar to Soul Survivor, Soul King is a competitive mode with all players as Spectres. To win, players must possess enemies to kill each other and collect dropped souls. The player with the most souls earns the title of "Soul King"; however, this also means that said player will be made visible to other players via a glowing outline. If a Soul King is killed, that player will drop half of their souls.[2][13]

Story[]

Nine months after the events of both previous F.E.A.R. games,[14] the Point Man has been captured by Armacham soldiers and interrogated at a prison in Brazil. Paxton Fettel (Peter Lurie), now a "Spectre", interrupts the interrogation and helps free the Point Man. The two form an uneasy alliance and escape the prison through the slums.[15][16] During their escape, the brothers discover that they — and their tortured mother, Alma Wade (Alésia Glidewell) — are being hunted by "the Creep", a monster unintentionally formed from the cruel memories of Harlan Wade.[17]

Hijacking a helicopter, the Point Man and Fettel return to Fairport to regroup with F.E.A.R. operative Jin Sun-Kwon (Kim Mai Guest).[18] Upon arriving, they discover that most of Fairport's surviving population have been either driven insane by the paranormal activity or executed by Armacham personnel.[19][20] Despite their differing goals, the brothers successfully meet up with Jin, who plays recorded video footage of Sgt. Michael Becket (Robin Atkin Downes), who claims to have been raped by Alma and is slated by Armacham for transport.[21]

Amid growing distrust, the brothers assault the local airport to intercept Becket, killing the remnants of the Armacham personnel.[22] In an attempt to gain info from Becket, Fettel possesses him and reveals that Alma is indeed pregnant by Becket, with the increasing paranormal activity a result of her contractions. Becket realizes the Point Man's identity before exploding from Fettel's possession.[23][24] The brothers head to the old Project Origin facility, where Harlan Wade originally developed the prototypes. There, the brothers start destroying items associated with memories of their childhood past to weaken the Creep.[2][17]

After destroying a monstrous apparition of the Creep, the brothers finally reunite with Alma, whose body has changed drastically due to her pregnancy. The Point Man aims his pistol at Alma's belly, where her third child resides, and Fettel angrily asks him if he is willing to throw his own blood away for orders. As they set themselves at each other's throats, one of two endings occur, depending on multiple factors (such as whether the player has played as the Point Man or Fettel, or in co-op, who has made the most points in 5 different sections of the game's combat).

In the Point Man's ending, he shoots Fettel in the head again, forcing him to vanish; then aims his gun at Alma before lowering it, and helps Alma give birth before peacefully vanishing. The Point Man then learns from Jin that everything has returned to normal before taking Alma's baby away with him to safety.[25] In Paxton Fettel's ending, Fettel possesses the Point Man's body and extracts the baby from Alma's swollen body. He then promises to raise the child in his own image before cannibalizing Alma.[26]

In a post-credits scene, video footage is shown of the Synchronicity Event; the moment when Alma — in a coma at the time — linked telepathically to Fettel (Jeremy Shada) when he was ten years old. The event causes Fettel to go into a hysterical rage, in which he gruesomely kills several ATC security members using telekinetic attacks before finally being subdued. Fettel is heard in a voiceover saying "They deserved to die. They all deserved to die" and vowing it won't stop until Armacham is completely destroyed in the never ending quest for revenge of his mother.

Development[]

F.E.A.R. 3 runs on an updated version of the Despair Engine, the game engine that developer Day 1 Studios had used to develop their previous game, Fracture. F.E.A.R. 3's version of the engine incorporates the Havok physics simulation software.

The game was being developed by Day 1 Studios, in collaboration with Monolith Productions. The game was planned to be released in October 2010 but got delayed until June 21, 2011.[27][28][29][30][31][32][33]

Collector's edition[]

A special collector's edition of F.E.A.R. 3 was released that included:[34]

  • An 18 cm pregnant Alma figure with a glow in the dark fetus
  • An exclusive F.E.A.R. 3 comic produced by DC
  • A steel case packaging
  • An unlockable in-game handgun: "The Hammer"

Reception[]

F.E.A.R. 3 received "mostly favourable" reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the PlayStation 3 version 76.23% and 74/100,[44][36] the Xbox 360 version 75.83% and 75/100,[45][35] and the PC version 74.55% and 74/100, all respectively.[46][37]

GameSpot's Carolyn Petit gave the title a 7.5/10 rating, criticizing its visuals and lack of scares, but praising the shooting mechanics, fun co-op and exciting multiplayer components.[47] IGN's Colin Moriarty awarded the PC version an 8/10 rating, stating that "[w]hether you're looking for a new, solid shooter to play or something set in a unique, horror-filled atmosphere, F.E.A.R. 3 has something for you. You won't find the be-all, end-all shooter experience with F.E.A.R. 3, but you're still bound to have a lot of fun".[48]

Eurogamer reviewed the Xbox 360 version and awarded it an 8/10 score. Although criticised for "subpar scares and a shoddy narrative" it was otherwise "finely crafted" with "a lot of lasting value".[49]

References[]

  1. ^ Mitchell, Richard (April 8, 2010). "F.3.A.R. announced, John Carpenter crafting cinematics". Joystiq. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h [citation needed]
  3. ^ Clements, Ryan (April 8, 2010). "F.3.A.R. Approaching". IGN. Retrieved December 13, 2010.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "F.E.A.R. 3 - IGN Live E3 2010". YouTube. IGN. June 17, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
  5. ^ "F.E.A.R. 3 - Paxton Fettel Singleplayer Trailer". YouTube. February 14, 2011. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  6. ^ "F.E.A.R. 3 - Scoring". YouTube. GamerSpawn. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  7. ^ Gesualdi, Vito. "Game Preview for F.3.A.R. Multiplayer - PC". Gamezone. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  8. ^ Fahey, Mike (May 13, 2011). "When You See F.E.A.R. 3's Wall of Death, You F[**]king Run". Kotaku. Kotaku. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  9. ^ "FEAR 3: Official F**king Run! Trailer". YouTube. IGN. Retrieved March 31, 2013. As part of a F.E.A.R. squad, you must work with your teammates to battle through Alma's minions and Armacham forces to reach the extraction point. Their most ruthless adversary, however, is the Wall of Death. Unlike enemies, nothing can stop it. […] The only way to make it out alive is stay ahead of the Wall of Death, and— / F.E.A.R. squad member: F**king run!
  10. ^ "Hands-On: F.E.A.R. 3 multiplayer's "Fucking Run" mode". March 12, 2011.
  11. ^ "FEAR 3: Contractions Multiplayer Trailer". YouTube. IGN. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  12. ^ "FEAR 3: Soul Survivor Multiplayer Trailer". YouTube. IGN. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  13. ^ "FEAR 3: Soul King Multiplayer Trailer". YouTube. IGN. Retrieved April 17, 2013.
  14. ^ IGN F.E.A.R. 3 on IGN
  15. ^ "The game". F.E.A.R. 3. Day 1 Studios. Archived from the original on May 23, 2013. Eight months ago, Point Man and his F.E.A.R. squad were tapped to stop an unknown man who had commandeered a secret battalion of telepathically-controlled supersoldiers at the Armacham research facility in the Northwestern US city of Fairport. During the mission Point Man learned that the man wasn't working alone. In fact, the very people Point Man was working to destroy were his telepathic, cannibalistic brother, Paxton Fettel, and his tortured and psychically powerful mother, Alma Wade—products of Armacham's perverse paranormal experiments. Despite this revelation, Point Man moved forward with the standing F.E.A.R. team orders to stop the targets at any cost. In a last-ditch attempt to end the pair's homicidal rampage, the F.E.A.R. team set in motion an explosive series of events that seemingly accomplished their goal but at the cost of ravaging the city, its inhabitants and almost all of Point Man's squad mates.
    For months following the blast, events in Fairport have made it clear that Alma's psychic influence survived—and worse, her paranormal power is growing and spilling into reality. Now her supernatural agony repeatedly rocks the city as she attempts to secure the survival of her bloodline and reunite her family. Armacham's security force remains violently focused on eliminating all evidence of the events in the city, and the remaining F.E.A.R squad carries on the mission to stop Alma.
    With the chain of command broken and Point Man calling his own shots, where will his allegiance lie? With his brother Paxton Fettel, back from the dead, arriving with an unclear agenda and refusing to leave Point Man's side? With his pregnant mother Alma and her horrifically twisted, yet immensely powerful paranormal existence? Or with his remaining F.E.A.R. squad brethren who are hell bent on saving the world, but at the cost of destroying the only blood ties Point Man has ever had?
  16. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 01: Asylum. Jin Sun-Kwon (radio): I repeat: this is F.E.A.R. operative Jin Sun-Kwon. Anyone friendly to the US military, please respond. Fairport has been blown to hell. Armacham "cleanup" crews are killing everyone they find. I'm hiding in the Fairport underground tunnels. I can't make it out of here on my own. / Paxton Fettel: I agree we must escape, but for her...?
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 08: Ward. Young Fettel: We called him the Creep. Remember? … I wanted to kill him! Stick a knife into his heart! All those tests — making me feel like a monster. He was the monster!
  18. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 03: Store. Armacham Soldier: You're f**king insane going back to Fairport. You won't last a minute down there. If we don't get you, those freaks will. […] / Fettel: Sounds like Armacham's feeble attempt to clean up their mess isn't going so smooth...
  19. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 03: Store. Fettel: [about the Cultists] The blast must have fried their brains. However, there is something about their behavior I admire — their taste for violence... These are not the scrawls of madmen. They are meant as a message, I think. Come, Brother. I am beginning to think something tremendous is happening.
  20. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 04: Suburbs. Armacham announcer: Attention citizens: Please report immediately to the nearest Armacham patrol and you will be escorted to a secure location out of the city. Please remain calm. Armacham personnel are here to assist you. / Fettel: Armacham isn't fooling anyone. They have no intentions of leaving any survivors. Can't afford any witnesses.
  21. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 04: Suburbs. Jin: His name is Michael Becket, Delta Squad. Apparently he got himself mixed up with Armacham's secret project... Alma. / Fettel: See? Family. As I have been telling you all along, Brother. […] / Sgt. Michael Becket: Horrible... She raped me. Do you hear me, Armacham?! She's f**king—pregnant!
  22. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 05: Bridge. Fettel: Mother is calling us to her side to witness the moment, to share in the power, and you want to STOP her? … We have more than one option here, you know. We have to think about things—as a family. […] This is our moment, brother. This is where we must stand together. If you stand against me, well… It's ugly business, killing a sibling. But you know all about that, don't you? Can you do it again?
  23. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 07: Port. Fettel: [hearing the Phase Commander refer to Becket as the "High Value Experiment"] Hmm, Sergeant Becket must be more important to them than we thought.
  24. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Level/area: Interval 07: Port. Fettel: [to the Point Man, about interrogating Becket] Allow me. … This will kill him. […] This man is a shell, Brother. Empty. All he desires is to forget. All the testing, the…surgeries… They weren't able to create any new prototypes with Mother, so they used artificial means. He's like us, Brother...or, manufactured to be like us. […] / Sgt. Becket: [to the Point Man] These butchers turned us into monsters...! ... I know who you are... You're her bastard son! … I'm here because of you… […] You have to kill the fillthy maggot that grows inside her! … She's no longer your mother. The child…it must… It cannot be allowed—to—agh—live! [explodes]
  25. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Scene: Ending: Point Man. Fettel: Noooooooo! […] It never had to be like this, Brother. We could've been...like gods. […] / Jin (radio): This is Jin. Things seem normal…but I'm not sure what that means anymore. I just have to believe you completed your mission. I know it was difficult, but the survivors of this ordeal own you their lives. I know I do.
  26. ^ Day 1 Studios (June 21, 2011). F.E.A.R. 3 (PlayStation 3/Xbox 360). Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. Scene: Ending: Paxton Fettel.
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  31. ^ "How the F.E.A.R. 3 Comic Book Got Made". Giant Bomb. April 6, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  32. ^ "FEAR 3 - Comic Book BTS Vignette - IGN Video". IGN. March 31, 2011. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  33. ^ Jackson, Mike (April 3, 2011). "News: FEAR 3 comic story trailer". ComputerAndVideoGames.com. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
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  49. ^ "FEAR 3 • Page 2". June 23, 2011.

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