Widescreen Gaming Forum

Game of the year ! Absolutely !

But damn... too short... 8 hours of gameplay here :?

Game of the year ! Absolutely !

But damn... too short... 8 hours of gameplay here :?

Have no fear, they'll surely make an expansion pack for you to buy. :P

Game of the year ! Absolutely !

But damn... too short... 8 hours of gameplay here :?

That's a lot better than Max Payne 2. ;) I completed that in two sittings (six and a half hours total) and wondered if I missed about 50% of the game...

Ok, all I've seen here is ranting and raving about the game, and personally I'd like to tell all newcomers to not believe the hype.

I played the FEAR demo and here is my opinion... it's mediocre. For one thing, I had to run the game at mostly the lowest settings even on my 9500 Pro, and I still didn't get framerates above 40 (by contrast, I can run medium to high settings in HL2 and get framerates of 50 and above, with a 40 average). In short, the game looked worse and played slower than HL2 on the same hardware.

As far as gameplay goes, there was really nothing particularly innovative. Yes, I got the crap scared out of me a couple of times (I'm not saying the game isn't thoroughly spooky), but when it came to the combat, I just felt let-down. There was a single instance where the AI did something truly unique (a guy threw a grenade at me from behind cover), but otherwise it felt pretty much on par with Far Cry or HL2. The weapons were typical and the bullet time was just fluff. For a game that some claim appeals to CounterStrike players, I can tell you (as a CS lover) that this is not the case.

FEAR is a good game for some people, but for me it just felt like another ho-hum FPS trying to win everyone over with hyper-realistic graphics that only about 5% of gamers can enjoy to their full extent. And when graphics eclipse gameplay, I believe a grave mistake has been made. Glad I didn't drop good money to buy this one...

And when graphics eclipse gameplay, I believe a grave mistake has been made.

That is something I have to certainly agree with - graphics at the cost of an enjoyable game is something that shouldn't happen, but too often does now (*cough*Doom3*cough*). But this debate heads back into the realms of 'retro gaming is better', and we've already got a thread on something similar to that. ;) :lol:

However, I will just say that something was off if the AI only did something unexpected once - almost each time I engaged in a firefight the AI did something I didn't expect, and which forced me a couple of times to retreat and try a different tactic... once, unfortunately, during retreat I ran smack into one clever trooper who had circled round behind me.

In the end, FEAR was a step forward - but at the cost of as high a min spec as it had, I'm not certain that step was worth it...

Oh... and the full version of FEAR ran a lot better than the demo. :)

a new gfx engine is purely made to stress the GPU's, whats the point of having a game that doesnt? :)

Unfortunately you can't always judge the game based on the demo any more. The final game runs faster and is a lot more fun than the demo. It's possible to tweak the game to run well on a midrange system, you'll just lose some of the efects. The gameplay in F.E.A.R. is a as good or beter than FC and HL2 and we all know that FC AI sucks. How many times did yuo pop a guy in FC and the other one standing few yards away wouldn't react? It's not hapenning in F.E.A.R. I still maintain that it's a great game ans yes it deserves the hype. As far as graphics, keep in mind that it's not just the look of the textures that's considered 'graphics' and there are more factors that affect game speed. Physics in F.E.A.R. are advanced too. There is a lot more to F.E.A.R. engine than: weapons effects, bullet holes, smoke and particles, etc.

Besides, how much innovation do you really expect from FPS these days? Most of the time they try to innovate they screw the game or make it too difficult/weird to enjoy. IMHO F.E.A.R. has great gameplay and great graphics and great AI to top it off, just needs a little tweaking. And this is next gen game. Both HL2 and FC are old games by now and Q4 isn't nearly as much fun according to many people and based on D3 engine which is also old by now.

And yes, 9500 is low end right now so you can't really expect to run a recent game on max settings. I'm on my 3rd card since I had 9800Pro, it was already too slow for me in HL2 and FC. I agree that this is a problem for many people but your only option is either to upgrade at least once a year or buy a console system to avoid the issue altogether.

I think the step was worth it. I wish more games would push the hardware further.

I played the FEAR demo and here is my opinion...

This is where I QUIT reading your post. I don't know whether to laugh at this or just seriously give some thought to having someone take you away in a strait jacket to a mental institution. OMG :roll:

[quote]
I played the FEAR demo and here is my opinion...

This is where I QUIT reading your post.
Indeed. It would have helped if he had a better system, and esepcially tried the full game rather than the demo. The way I perceive it is that all he's really doing is perhaps convincing people to stay away from the demo if they have a crappy system lol.

At least two people have said, "well the full game is better." Like I am going to spend 40 bucks on the off-chance that this is true. In my opinion, if I don't like the demo, I won't like the full game. And if the demo does not accurately portray what the full game will offer, then it has lost its purpose completely!

Also, maybe I'm in the minority here, but I don't happen to have an endless supply of money lying around to upgrade my system every time a more taxing game comes out. The argument that "well you should just upgrade" is much easier said than done. For gamers of any level, staying on the bleeding edge gets really expensive, really fast. And call me crazy but I don't think spending $3000+ a year on gaming hardware is a very sane practice, nomatter how much money you have.

All this has pushed me to play classic games more and more. They are inexpensive, run incredibly fast on recent hardware, and are often just as much (or more) fun to play. Retro gaming is where it's at. ;)

yes i also play PONG on my system

i doent lag (i am so glade)

but MRs Pacman does kinda studer a bit i also line to play Defender and Missle Command but they are memory hogs so i dont play them too much

yes i also play PONG on my system


i doent lag (i am so glade)

but MRs Pacman does kinda studer a bit i also line to play Defender and Missle Command but they are memory hogs so i dont play them too much

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!!

SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS do not read on because I mentioned some game experiences that may ruin your surprise toward end of game......

Captain Valor, seriously the FEAR retail game is the best first person shooter to come down the road in years. Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 do not even rate in the same category as FEAR, thats the honest truth!!!!!! The DEMO does none, absolutely zero justice to this game, ZERO. You are missing out by not having a computer system able to play this FEAR game, it rocks! I agree with you, DO NOT BUY THIS GAME if you do not have the computer to run it.

Absolutely you need a high end system to enjoy the full benefits of this game. My system is two years old now, but I always, always try to get at least a good video card.

FARCRY was a wake up call to computer gaming freaks to UPDATE their computer hardware. Then Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 came out and you either had the computer beef to run these games or you didn't.

Don't get left behind, find a part time job, something to get extra money to upgrade your computer. The computer gaming world is amazing right now with what they are doing to the games. Direct X 10 is right around the corner.

Also a game coming up to blow people away is Elder Scrolls OBLIVION which is using a new engine that is gonna amaze people away with high end systems. You just don't know what you are missing if you don't have the money to buy a decent computer gaming system. I wish it were otherwise and EVERYONE had a high end computer system to enjoy the technology, it doesnt seem fair but I am not Bill Gates, I wish I could help you fellow gaming brother.

There were FOUR instances in this FEAR game that really blew me away.
1. Enemy AI
2. The ghost demons toward end of game
3. An explosion that blew me back fifty feet and propelled me into the water.
4. The water bubble thingy and the ending nuclear explosion that you found yourself in which was not a cut-scene, not talking about the helicopter ride, you could move around and do things and there you are trapped and just waiting for that nuclear shockwave and debris coming at you. AWESOME, that was a first ever experience for me in any PC game.

F.E.A.R. is MARVELOUSLY FANTASTIC - PERIOD.

It is a hybrid cross between the GOTY Deus Ex, HL2 & DOOM 3.

While I'm NOT complaining, I would not have minded at all, a few side skill missions & hacking thrown in like in D.E.

But you guys gotta admit that CaptainValor has a point: a demo is... a demo and should give you the accurate feel of the game. If not, then what is the point of having the demo out??? Especially if you consider that games aren't getting cheaper and very few feel like risking $55 on a title. Unfortunately, this is not a case any more. Most often it worked the other way for me: the demo kicked ass and the final game sucked painfully. I don't remember but I think Unreal II was the most prominent case of that.

RE: ..."a demo and should give you the accurate feel of the game."

Quite so, however, it looks like game demos are going the way of movie trailers. In some cases they have scenes gut from the movie! Or in the worst - they are packed full of action sequences & when you see the movie - that's all the action scenes there were!!

SO I read reviews & word of mouth before I choose a Video OR a GAME.

From the opinions expressed here when it comes to F.E.A.R. indeed --

BUY IT

FEAR demo ran like shite on my system & the full game ran like FANTASTIC.

BTW - heed these FEAR DON'TS :lol:
http://www.widescreengamingforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1786

Or don't heed the FEAR Don'ts, and have a far more thrilling experience... ;)

great game, bought it the day it came out, sadly my store didnt get the DVD.
Man this is a great looking game and scary. I couldnt play it at native res with
all the goods so i play it at 1024x768 maxed out 4aa max af. Its great this and COD2 keep me away from WoW and BF2 for awhile. A must buy and MP is different.

I bought the game, played it so far to interval 6 and struggle to continue on as it is uninspiring to say the least. Now HL2 on the other hand. Third time playing that through. Graphics are close, runs smoother, wide variation of environments, varied game play, better NPC's and interactions, includes CSS. I got sucked in again by the hype. FEAR is a good game with awesome AI and nice graphics. HL2 though has alot more to offer, richer storyline. I find fear very repetative,all dark, tight quarters, in offices. When there is a view of outside it looks like a painting or something. The full version after the latest patch does seem to run smoother.

I find FEAR very repetative,all dark, tight quarters, in offices.

Yes it is quite repetitive isn't it. It reminded me of DIE HARD 2, felt like I was forever inside a tall office building which I was. But this makes for some interesting combat tactics which was there intent.

HL2 offered more variety agreed.