Fear Combat : Time Played

Less is More - Or Less is Less = An OK Game

Ok I put better then 12 hours into Team Death Match (TDM) since the release of FEAR: Combat. I'll note that despite my take the number of servers and players has increased quite a bit. With that my feelings from my initial review are about the same if a bit lessened. The game is pure action, and that in my view is a part of its waning appeal. After a week the l33t skills of hopping like a rabbit and getting multiple "Unarmed Attack" kills has settled in.

There is no real reward for taking a knee and iron sighting your target. That really just makes you a clay pidgeon. I'll note that today I resited from doing so and simply ran and gunned my way through corridors throwing greneades and mines to good effect. I also saw a great many (what had to be new players) crouching and aiming then getting mowed down like blades of grass by hopping oponents. Not a pretty picture.

Bad Level Design

I thought it would take a while to get used to FEARs level design. Primarily corridors with very few areas for open space fighting. Well I have to say I didn't. Most levels while looking nice are a mish mash of winding corridors that run into each other.

Because of this a majority of action takes place in tight quarters with grenades, rockets, and gunfire going off taking out 3 to 4 people indescrimently. If there's a saving grace about these levels its that it commits players to work together, but that's about as strategic as it gets. There are generaly 3 to 4 men groups running in packs that run into one another.

There is one level I like better then most and that is the Cafeteria. This one actually does create skirmish points and choke points where teams try to advance on one another. I've been in some real great heated battles here as this level keeps teams trying to take the perrimeter while others dare to take the central corridor. Alas, that is the only level that feels strategic.

Achilles Heal

The smallest of details detracts from the overall possibilities of this game and that is the armor and health power ups. I can get into the action side of this game as I can get into Counter Strike: Source, but the Armor power ups steal away the whole ballance of weaponary in this game. I really like the fact that you have to stay on your toes to avoid getting shot. You spawn into the game with regular armor and 100% health. It takes a minimal amount of rounds from most any weapon to take you down.

Unfortunately the Armor power ups reduce the weapon ballance to such a degree that skiled/veteran players know exactly where these are and will always run through less advanced players. Of course the ensuing "You XXXXXXX Cheat" or "Haxor" remarks fly.

Limited Time

FEAR:Combat is fun but its long term appeal is limited. having gone to the official forums, it looks like the mod teams are having their own issues designing new levels. Without much a of a Mod or Map making following, even this Free download doesn't look to last very long on my hard drive.