The last category in which F.E.A.R. excels is its visuals, though I must admit that the game's artistic style is a mixed bag. On one hand the character models are amazingly life-like, featuring textures that'll melt your computer monitor, and the blood in this game (believe me, there's no shortage of it) is the best I have ever seen in a game. When you take a good look at dead bodies you can actually see splatter effects, like someone's taken a paintbrush soaked in red and liberally swung it across bullet-riddled carcasses.

Unfortunately, the intro movie didn't move me. All you see is this crazy dude sitting in a jail cell, his door opens, the freaky girl comes in, he snaps, and then he goes on a killing spree, ending with what appears to be a scene of him snacking on a deceased soldier. Now while that short description may sound exciting, in practice it's pretty uneventful. Seeing it didn't make me feel like I had to run out and tell others about it.

Lastly, I'm also a little concerned about the story to this game. Now I haven't played it through so I can't really form a solid opinion on the narrative (the demo ended with me diving through a window just as the girl started walking down the hallway I was in), but based on other articles that I've read the first thing journalists mention is how the girl looks like the one found in the film, The Ring or The Grudge, and I'm not sure whether this is a good thing. I hope there's something unique about her that helps to separate the game from these movies. Otherwise, casual players, heck, even core ones will take one look at F.E.A.R. and assume before playing it that it's just like one of those Hollywood films. The issue is whether people who make stupid assumptions and hated The Grudge will give F.E.A.R. a chance.

Don't take my criticisms of F.E.A.R. too seriously. Bottom line, if you love shooters, intelligent AI, and special effects this is probably among the top three first person PC games you need to buy this year. I'm seriously chomping at the bit to get my hands on it again. In fact, I'd actually consider upgrading my graphics card/computer just to experience it, so keep both eyes on F.E.A.R. and pick it up when it releases this June. If Monolith's survival horror themed shooter's a hit, it may usher in a new wave of creepy PC games. Stay tuned for a full review.