E3 2010: FEAR 3 Preview

Few games have ended as controversially as FEAR 2: Project Origin. While I won't spoil the shocking conclusion - I know "shocking conclusion" sounds like boilerplate games press writing at its worst, but I assure you, I'm not exaggerating - suffice it to say that things took a graphic turn and went in a direction that few would have predicted. With FEAR 3, new developers Day 1 Studios, best known for their work on last generation's MechAssault titles on the Xbox, have understandably picked up right where the last game left off, while adding a feature completely new to the series (with a pretty different spin): co-op.

Set 9 months after the end of the last game, FEAR 3 finds series arch-antagonist and apocalyptically powerful psychic (and psychotic) Alma in labor. Her contractions are manifesting in the physical world, causing ripples of destruction outward and opening up tears in reality, allowing monstrous "paranormals" into our world. Amidst the destruction and chaos, Alma's other children re-enter the picture, as FEAR's original protagonist, the Point Man, finds himself face to face with the ghost of Paxton Fettel, the brother he killed months before.



Day 1 is interested in re-emphasizing the horror element of the FEAR equation, which is demonstrated by a pair of creative collaborators with horror cred to spare. FEAR 3's script was co-written by Steve Niles, the creator of the brutal vampire comic and film 30 days of Night. The developers have also consulted with horror legend (and director of classic horror films like Halloween, The Thing remake, and The Fog) John Carpenter, who will "direct" the game's cinematics. There's a renewed focus on stark visuals in Fear 3. Inky shadows covered most of the beginning area of the level we were shown, and a number of visual filters emphasizing contrast were apparent, along with quite a bit of grain in the image.

The developers from Day 1 also stated that they wanted to take FEAR outside of the crowded office building and alleyways that have thus far defined the FEAR series, (though the team behind the last game also made similar statements). The demo I was given took place in a late in FEAR 3's campaign. After a section bizarrely reminiscent of the introductory scene from Halo ODST, where the Point Man's booster equipped drop pod was sent careening into a freeway underpass, the game picked up amidst the wreckage of a public transit system. As the Point Man made his way through, along with a ghostly Fettel, a number of scripted sequences of gore and violence unfolded in front them.

I also had the opportunity to see the new semi-randomized spawning system. In certain areas of FEAR 3, enemies may attack from various sections of the level without warning. In my demo, these randomized spawns involved a new type of paranormal which bore a strong resemblance to a werewolf, and other new paranormals have been promised by Day 1. More traditional encounters with Armacham seemed pre-determined however, relying instead on the series much-lauded AI to make things interesting in conventional combat. Day 1 also showed off a bit of their new mech based combat, which look to have made the relatively dry killing-machine sections of the last game something more interesting and challenging (though it's hard to tell without hands-on time with the game).

Alma's two sons make their way toward her as she edges closer to her nightmarish due date, but each has different reasons. While the Point Man seeks to prevent his mother from bringing his new sibling to full term, Fettel seeks to take his place by his mother's side for an as yet unexplained purpose. These differing motives inspire FEAR 3's assymetrical co-op experience; for each player, there are not only different abilities, there are different motivations, and for the more dangerous, unstable Fettel, this just might mean turning against his traitorous older sibling in various ways.