Alma, the tormented little girl who drove us nuts in the original F.E.A.R. is back for more in next month's F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin. Undaunted by her supernatural powers, we grabbed our shotguns and plowed through a recently released PlayStation 3 demo, available now on PlayStation Network and tomorrow on Xbox Live.
We began the game with an Alma flashback. She started out as a sweet little girl, swinging on a tree. However, as the narrator tells us, people treated her horribly and she decided to return the favor as an evil force exacting her revenge on mankind. From there, we stepped into the role of a soldier recovering from a helicopter crash in the middle of a devastated city.
It wasn't long before we ran into trouble. Enemy soldiers roaming an abandoned school did whatever they could to kill us. Our PDA was constantly updated with new information, such as weapons we picked up and other items, including health packs. Throughout the demo, we tried a sweet sniper rifle, a pump-action shotgun and an assault rifle that converts bad guys into bullet-riddled corpses. We even ripped the city apart in a deluxe-sized mech.
One useful feature that makes a return in F.E.A.R. 2 is slow-mo. For a few seconds, you can slow down the action, getting a jump on the bad guys while avoiding their attacks. As soldiers die at reduced speeds, they gush blood and flop around lifelessly before hitting the ground.
As we went through the one-stage demo, we ran into various supernatural situations. A creature's limbs ripped through the floor, grabbing a fellow soldier. Then there's Alma, who constantly appeared on-screen to freak us out and occasionally attack.
After running through the school, we made our way through a train station and where we were almost crushed by a subway car. Eventually, we returned to the streets, where perched snipers and soldiers awaited us. Lucky for us, we found the aforementioned mech, which came fully stocked with missiles and heavy machine guns. Both were quite effective, not only ripping apart baddies but also the environment surrounding them. Blasting through a bookstore, killing everything in it and then tearing the foundation apart filled our need for destruction. The demo ended with a huge showdown against another mech that unleashed a barrage of bullets and missiles at our heads.
Thus far, series creator Monolith has done a splendid job on creating realistic war-torn environments with crumbled walls, downed power lines and dim lighting. The "freak-out" moments are back, with strange creatures popping up from everywhere. The sound effects are spot-on, from the soldiers' radio banter to the haunting screams of Alma's demon army.
On the downside, the zoom and shoot functions were mapped to the L2 and R2 triggers, rather than the L1 and R1 buttons. We're hoping that the final release has a controller configuration option to let us switch this around.
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin hits stores in the U.S. on February 10 and we'll let you beforehand if Alma's latest temper tantrum is worth your time. If the demo was any indication, this will be one terrifying ride.
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