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F.E.A.R. 2 PC demo
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GundamSonicZeroX
Platinum Member
I finished the demo a little bit ago. Most of the things I didn't like about the first version are apparent in this iteration.
Enemies are still really strong: It takes way too much gun fire to down these guys. It doesn't make the game harder, it just takes more time to kill them.
"Horror scenes" are still lame: Oooh, a dude runs at me, lifts me up and starts saying random shit. I'm so scared. A bus falls from the ceiling, wow. All honesty, that scene would've been pretty cool if you didn't see the damn bus from the ceiling!
Game keeps shoving slomo down my throat: I don't want to use the damn bullet time, okay? Quit telling me that I can press Ctrl to use it and stop enabling it automatically! (ie. Bus scene) Also, why aren't they calling it "heightened reflexes" anymore? :?
I'll list more as I think of them.
This game seems to be both better and worse.
Things that are better:
Better AI: AI seems more consistent in this game. I haven't encountered any enemy that sits there and does nothing. (I encountered that alot in the original) Enemies seem to use grenades more strategically.
More weapons: You can carry more weapons.
Mechs: Everygame should have Mechs. 🙂
Things that are worse:
Letterboxing: Supposedly this should be fixed in the retail version, but it still sucks.
Corpses disappear: What the hell? The corpses didn't disappear in the previous game. I'm assuming this is part of the consolization.
Shitty UI for the game menus: Why the hell am I having to use my keyboard, this is a PC game, LET US USE THE MOUSE!
PDA: The PDA was retarded in Doom 3 and it's retarded now. Also, is this Metroid Prime? I don't to pick shit up and stop to read to figure out more of the story. I prefer the original where you listened in on phone messages.
The mechs were easily, the best part of the demo. I like how it was arcadey instead of realistic like in Mech Warrior 3. It was awesome to see the Replicas' bodies explode after being shot up by your mech's onboard machine gun.
Enemies are still really strong: It takes way too much gun fire to down these guys. It doesn't make the game harder, it just takes more time to kill them.
"Horror scenes" are still lame: Oooh, a dude runs at me, lifts me up and starts saying random shit. I'm so scared. A bus falls from the ceiling, wow. All honesty, that scene would've been pretty cool if you didn't see the damn bus from the ceiling!
Game keeps shoving slomo down my throat: I don't want to use the damn bullet time, okay? Quit telling me that I can press Ctrl to use it and stop enabling it automatically! (ie. Bus scene) Also, why aren't they calling it "heightened reflexes" anymore? :?
I'll list more as I think of them.
This game seems to be both better and worse.
Things that are better:
Better AI: AI seems more consistent in this game. I haven't encountered any enemy that sits there and does nothing. (I encountered that alot in the original) Enemies seem to use grenades more strategically.
More weapons: You can carry more weapons.
Mechs: Everygame should have Mechs. 🙂
Things that are worse:
Letterboxing: Supposedly this should be fixed in the retail version, but it still sucks.
Corpses disappear: What the hell? The corpses didn't disappear in the previous game. I'm assuming this is part of the consolization.
Shitty UI for the game menus: Why the hell am I having to use my keyboard, this is a PC game, LET US USE THE MOUSE!
PDA: The PDA was retarded in Doom 3 and it's retarded now. Also, is this Metroid Prime? I don't to pick shit up and stop to read to figure out more of the story. I prefer the original where you listened in on phone messages.
The mechs were easily, the best part of the demo. I like how it was arcadey instead of realistic like in Mech Warrior 3. It was awesome to see the Replicas' bodies explode after being shot up by your mech's onboard machine gun.
MustangSVT
Lifer
I just signed up for Fear-away. since the demo was such a crap.
I just fired up the original F.E.A.R., the textures seem to be of higher res (not surprising) and the graphics are much cleaner if maybe not as complex.
The atmosphere and the scare moments are so much better done though, combat is much more satisfying as well (two well placed pistol shots to the head will kill a replica soldier in a satisfying bloody rag-doll moment, not to mention the exploding shotgun 🙂)
Man, I had high expectations for F.E.A.R. 2 but Monolith turned it into another generic shooter.
The atmosphere and the scare moments are so much better done though, combat is much more satisfying as well (two well placed pistol shots to the head will kill a replica soldier in a satisfying bloody rag-doll moment, not to mention the exploding shotgun 🙂)
Man, I had high expectations for F.E.A.R. 2 but Monolith turned it into another generic shooter.
Just ran through the demo.
I know a lot of gamers will complain about consolitis, but that's not the issue for me. I can enjoy a good console-type game, even on a PC. I'm just really sad we'll never get a true FEAR 2.
Why can't the whole development/business cycle be more about putting out a great product and making some good money? Why does it always have to be about making the MOST money possible? I have no doubt that a FEAR 2 designed for PC and ported to consoles would have made some serious money.
The behavior of the enemy soldiers is pretty abysmal. During my run-through I remember coming out of the school and on to the street where some replicas attacked. I thought I killed them all (no slo-mo required during the demo) and was about to reload.
Just then I noticed a last soldier hiding behind something. My original FEAR instincts kicked in, assuming he would pump some lead into my ass. In a panic I hit reload and turned to face him. He didn't move.
I walked few steps closer. He must have been pretty scared and kept in a crouch.
A few more steps - still nothing. So finally I thought "screw this" and started firing. That made him get up in a hurry; just quick enough to get sawed in half.
The troops from the original FEAR must be turning over in their replica graves.
I know a lot of gamers will complain about consolitis, but that's not the issue for me. I can enjoy a good console-type game, even on a PC. I'm just really sad we'll never get a true FEAR 2.
Why can't the whole development/business cycle be more about putting out a great product and making some good money? Why does it always have to be about making the MOST money possible? I have no doubt that a FEAR 2 designed for PC and ported to consoles would have made some serious money.
The behavior of the enemy soldiers is pretty abysmal. During my run-through I remember coming out of the school and on to the street where some replicas attacked. I thought I killed them all (no slo-mo required during the demo) and was about to reload.
Just then I noticed a last soldier hiding behind something. My original FEAR instincts kicked in, assuming he would pump some lead into my ass. In a panic I hit reload and turned to face him. He didn't move.
I walked few steps closer. He must have been pretty scared and kept in a crouch.
A few more steps - still nothing. So finally I thought "screw this" and started firing. That made him get up in a hurry; just quick enough to get sawed in half.
The troops from the original FEAR must be turning over in their replica graves.
ConstipatedVigilante
Diamond Member
I loved the original FEAR, but I don't like shooting at ghosts with the lights flickering. And the fact that I can't do manual saves is retarded. And the menus are meant to be used via keyboard instead of the mouse. And the fact that the game tries to scare you every 2 seconds with some sort of noise or special effect. I also don't like the fact that Alma just "hurts" you. The whole point of playing a shooting game is to shoot stuff, and I didn't feel like I was being allowed to do enough of that.
GundamSonicZeroX
Platinum Member
I'm kinda surprised that no one has asked this already, is this more demanding than Crysis? I couldn't play it on anything higher than Low, so I can't say anything about the demand of the game.
Have you not played through the entire demo? Once you get outside its non-stop shooting and much more enjoyable if the whole horror/terror/dark theme isn't your bag. I've read the devs are going to be addressing some of the PC port issues you brought up, but by themselves I don't think they're deal-breakers.
Not even close to Crysis. I was running 1920x1080 with 4xAA and everything maxed out with Vsync on and frames never dropped below 60 with the rig in my sig. Game does look really good though, certainly a step above some of the recently released titles.
GundamSonicZeroX
Platinum Member
That's good to know, I'm considering upgrading and if this game (which is being released in one of the slower parts of the year) was more demanding that Crysis I wasn't going to upgrade. 😛
Ya this time last year was horrid for games, but there's actually quite a few released after the new year I'm interested in with quite a few more coming in the next few months (DoW2, FEAR2, WiC: Soviet Assault, Cryostasis, few others).
Also, if you're trying to gauge system performance and FEAR2, it looks as if this game is single-threaded, which is odd for a console port, and pegs a single core on my rig to 100% which means it should benefit from clockspeed and a fast CPU more than more cores. If you end up upgrading the GPU and still end up with low FPS you may have to upgrade your CPU also.
zerocool84
Lifer
I'm dl'n it now.
GundamSonicZeroX
Platinum Member
Don't worry, I got an Opty 165, highly overclockable. 😉
Got a 1 GHz OC with stock cooling and no extra voltage. 🙂
zerocool84
Lifer
Am I the only person who doesn't like film grain in games? I turned it off in L4D and wish I could turn it off in this. I know why it's there but I'm just not a fan of it.
GundamSonicZeroX
Platinum Member
I was implying that I could go even higher if I raised voltage or got a better fan. /wishful thinking
I was thinking about getting a 4850, but I'd probably still be bottlenecked even if I got the CPU to 3.2GHz. 🙁 8800GT?
ZzZGuy
Golden Member
AI is dumbed down, I threw a nade to the top of a set of stairs to see what it did/would do, when I get to the top there are 3 soldiers wandering around a open room like nothing happened, then there is the whole running at the small mech deal.
The demo is more linear then the original, denying you alternative approaches to a room and not allowing the AI to flank you. It was always interesting when the music didn't end after you finished a fight, you walk around for 5 minutes and suddenly you find a small hole in your back from the guy who flanked then stalked you, I don't get this form the demo.
Graphics look to be simplified, little details are missing and everything is copied & pasted like in most console FPS's. I don't see flakes of concert flying off the wall as I blast the guy in front of it or bullet casings flying like the original, it might be there but I just don't notice it. The skeletons also look like crap now. Everything also looks more muddy, nothing is crisp looking.
Menu is clearly meant to be used with a controller.
The mech feels like a cheap way out, this way they just infa-zerg rush you with soldiers with new spawn points as you progress. No AI tactics, just X unit here, spawn point here, a obstacle here and one very linear path. It feels like whack a mole.
Subtlety for the horror aspect is also thrown out a 3rd story window in favor for a in your face type scare. Some will like it, but I'm not a fan.
IMHO it's a step backwards from F.E.A.R., they would have been better off updating the old graphics engine.
The demo is more linear then the original, denying you alternative approaches to a room and not allowing the AI to flank you. It was always interesting when the music didn't end after you finished a fight, you walk around for 5 minutes and suddenly you find a small hole in your back from the guy who flanked then stalked you, I don't get this form the demo.
Graphics look to be simplified, little details are missing and everything is copied & pasted like in most console FPS's. I don't see flakes of concert flying off the wall as I blast the guy in front of it or bullet casings flying like the original, it might be there but I just don't notice it. The skeletons also look like crap now. Everything also looks more muddy, nothing is crisp looking.
Menu is clearly meant to be used with a controller.
The mech feels like a cheap way out, this way they just infa-zerg rush you with soldiers with new spawn points as you progress. No AI tactics, just X unit here, spawn point here, a obstacle here and one very linear path. It feels like whack a mole.
Subtlety for the horror aspect is also thrown out a 3rd story window in favor for a in your face type scare. Some will like it, but I'm not a fan.
IMHO it's a step backwards from F.E.A.R., they would have been better off updating the old graphics engine.
CrystalBay
Platinum Member
Agree with everything , the kinetic physics feel of the original melee combat is gone too 🙁
shortylickens
No Lifer
Yup. Its a console game.
The UI is just plain bad. In my version of the demo you can use a mouse but its aweful.
They didnt do anything to improve graphics except insert assloads of motion blur, film grain, and HDR bloom type crap.
Which is EXACTLY what all the console fanboys love because they still believe they have superior hardware and their games prove it.
The widescreen is not kewl, leet or awesome. Its not epic and its not cinematic. Its just really damn annoying. The HUD is pretty much the same. I dont like it at all. Needs to go.
I'm glad they highlight weapons and armor, because you cant see a damn thing while running around.
Combat is much less interesting than the first games. The laser isnt nearly as useful as in the original series. It was very pretty but not much else.
Once I got into the power suit I knew they were out of good or original ideas. They just tried to copy all the good stuff they had in Alien Vs Predator 2. They should just go ahead and make a 3rd one, that would simplify everything.
The game has gone from scary urban tactical combat to overdone, zany, messy, cant-see-shit-around-you grindfest.
Story seems to be OK. Hopefully that will make up for everything else. Alma was scary when she needed to be.
They should have just taken the original engine and added the film-grain, HDR, and motion blur. They would still have had a better game.
This is a big letdown.
The UI is just plain bad. In my version of the demo you can use a mouse but its aweful.
They didnt do anything to improve graphics except insert assloads of motion blur, film grain, and HDR bloom type crap.
Which is EXACTLY what all the console fanboys love because they still believe they have superior hardware and their games prove it.
The widescreen is not kewl, leet or awesome. Its not epic and its not cinematic. Its just really damn annoying. The HUD is pretty much the same. I dont like it at all. Needs to go.
I'm glad they highlight weapons and armor, because you cant see a damn thing while running around.
Combat is much less interesting than the first games. The laser isnt nearly as useful as in the original series. It was very pretty but not much else.
Once I got into the power suit I knew they were out of good or original ideas. They just tried to copy all the good stuff they had in Alien Vs Predator 2. They should just go ahead and make a 3rd one, that would simplify everything.
The game has gone from scary urban tactical combat to overdone, zany, messy, cant-see-shit-around-you grindfest.
Story seems to be OK. Hopefully that will make up for everything else. Alma was scary when she needed to be.
They should have just taken the original engine and added the film-grain, HDR, and motion blur. They would still have had a better game.
This is a big letdown.
The things you mentioned are caused because of consolitis so we are kind of talking about the same thing.
The problem are not console type games (some console type games, like say MGS4, can be downright epic), the problem is developers tailoring their games for the needs of console gamers and therefore dumbing down franchises and games that were never meant to exist on such limited hardware.
I'll probably still buy FEAR 2 but I probably won't remember it with such nostalgia a few years down the line like I remember FEAR 1 now.
ConstipatedVigilante
Diamond Member
I just finished the demo and....ugh. I'd rather play through the original than buy this. It wasn't difficult to just shoot everyone in the head until they died, even without slow-mo. The mech fight was kinda fun, but too easy. The game just seems cartoony and...consolized (of course) compared to the original. The scare sequences are still done decently, but other than that it feels like I've stepped back a few years in the FPS genre.
Edit: I can't complain about the performance, though. I ran it at 1680x1050 on nearly all high and completely smooth. I have an 8800GT, Athlon 3700+, and 2gb RAM.
Edit: I can't complain about the performance, though. I ran it at 1680x1050 on nearly all high and completely smooth. I have an 8800GT, Athlon 3700+, and 2gb RAM.
Tempered81
Diamond Member
Just played it at 1650 x 1080 4XAA everything maxed out, 50-60 fps. Very impressive game.
E8400 @ 4.4ghz
2x2gb gskill @ 441mhz
single 8800gs @ 700-900-1750
E8400 @ 4.4ghz
2x2gb gskill @ 441mhz
single 8800gs @ 700-900-1750
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