monitorTHIS! - February 2009 - (Page 16)

games new video games in stores this month by Chris Dick Be AfrAid W You have everything to fear, including F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin itself paranormal child/woman—returns. The Japanese horror vibe is more than intact—developer Monolith places more focus on it. Continuity plays such a large role that Project Origin begins 30 minutes before the end of F.E.A.R. You start the game as Michael Becket, a delta force operative with super-reflexive powers similar to the Point Man. Becket, of course, has no clue why Alma has taken an interest in him. And that can’t be good. While the rest of the plot will be revealed when Project Origin is released in February, it’s only too clear that what transpires will be ultra-violent. For the sequel, Monolith improved the game in several key areas. The most important of which is an enemy Artificial Intelligence. Non-player adversaries won’t waddle over while you riddle them with bullets. Rather, they’ll take cover if fired upon. Adversaries will jump railings, hide behind walls and follow moving vehicles and other objects when engaged. They also react ar n e r B r o s . I n t er a c t i v e probably wasn’t too surprised to learn that Australia’s Classification Board refused F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin a rating. Like Silent Hill: Homecoming, Shellshock 2: Blood Trails and Fallout 3 before it, without a local rating the follow-up to F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon would be banned from domestic store shelves. Bummer for survival horror FPS minions Down Under. Luckily, the Australian Review Board, who heard an appeal by Warner Bros., eventually ruled in favor of rating Project Origin. But who cares what happens in Australia? Certainly not unscrupulous, bloodthirsty American gamers. True, the ESRB awarded Project Origin an M rating in North America. In vidiot parlance, M doesn’t stand for “mature,” but rather “murderous.” Oh yeah! Project Origin picks up where the first F.E.A.R. left off. The world is essentially the same. The city is destroyed and, unfortunately, Alma—a scary, malevolent [ 16 + monitorthis! + february 2009 ]

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