Review: There's not much to fear in 'F.E.A.R. 3'

[truebluefan]

"F.E.A.R. 3," the latest installment in the action-horror series, aims higher than your typical first-person shooter game.

It boasts cool combat features, a spooky paranormal story line and some dramatic tension. But because its emphasis is on combat, not thrills, the game is not nearly as scary as it should be.

"F.E.A.R. 3" (Day 1 Studios, Warner Bros. Interactive) continues its franchise's story of a family in conflict as two brothers work together to track down their psychically enhanced mother, Alma, who is about to give birth. However, their reasons for wanting to find dear Mom are totally opposite.

Filmmaker John Carpenter, director of the classic fright flick "Halloween," helped create cinematics for the game that heighten its fear factor. Comic book horror writer Steve Niles co-wrote the story line.

Co-op mode is the preferred mode of play here, allowing you to take advantage of each brother's skills during combat and strive toward the highest score on each level. You can play as Point Man, who is well versed in military training and technique, or as Paxton Fettel, who was slain during the original "F.E.A.R" but returns here as a ghost with psychic energy powers.

The brothers must navigate wave after wave of soldiers, whacked-out cultists and creepy creatures created from Alma's mind. The battlefields range from a looted food warehouse to the science bunker where Alma is being held.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/TECH/gaming.gadgets/07/08/fear.3.video.game/index.html?hpt=te_bn2